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• Jimmy Smith was a popular Jazz Pianist who helped popularize the Hammond B-3 electric organ and usher in the age of Funk. Smith's Gospel influenced sound and wild, virtuosic improvisations helped introduce Soul stylings to Jazz.

• Fast Facts

  1. Full name: James Oscar Smith
  2. Nickname: The Incredible Jimmy Smith
  3. Born: December 8, 1925
  4. Birthplace: Norristown, Pennsylvania
  5. Died: February 8, 2005
  6. Record Labels: Blue Note and Verve

• Career

  Jimmy Smith started his career with Blue Note Records and quickly became known for his searing organ playing and soul-influenced Jazz style. As well as producing a number of seminal solo recordings, Smith also collaborated with many of the leading Jazz figures of the 1960s, including Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Kenny Burrell. Smith died in 2005 at the age of 79.

• Notable Recordings

  • 1956: The Champ
  • 1957: The Sounds of Jimmy Smith
  • 1958: The Sermon
  • 1960: Back At The Chicken Shack
  • 1963: Prayer Meetin'
  • 1965: Organ Grinder's Swing
  • 1973: The Other Side Of Jimmy Smith

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Herbie Hancock | Sonny Rollins | John Coltrane | Wes Montgomery | Dexter Gordon

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