Jimmy Smith (musician)

Jimmy Smith was a famous jazz musician who changed how people played the organ.

He was a master of the Hammond B-3 organ. This instrument uses a special speaker called a Leslie speaker to make its sound. Smith used a unique way to set the organ's sounds. He would pull out specific knobs called drawbars on the top part of the organ. This created a distinctive tone that many other musicians tried to copy. His skill helped make the electric organ a main part of jazz and soul music. He was so respected that he won the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2005. This is the highest honor for jazz musicians in America.

Smith had a very special way of playing his music. When he played slow songs, he used his feet on bass pedals. He played walking bass lines to keep the rhythm steady. For fast songs, he played the bass part with his hands on the lower part of the organ. He used the pedals to hit certain notes with extra strength. This made the organ sound like a string bass instrument. He combined fast, single note runs with bluesy sounds called "licks."

This style allowed him to play with great speed and feeling.

His musical journey began very early in his life. Smith was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1928. When he was only six years old, he performed in a song-and-dance routine with his father. He taught himself how to play the piano as a young boy. By the age of nine, he won a radio talent contest in Philadelphia. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he studied music at several schools. He began exploring the Hammond organ in 1951. He decided to play the organ permanently in 1954 after hearing a musician named Wild Bill Davis.

Smith became a star through hard work and many recordings. He once rented a warehouse just so he could practice his organ playing. A man named Alfred Lion from the Blue Note label signed him after hearing him play in a club. Smith recorded many albums for Blue Note, such as "The Sermon!" and "Back at the Chicken Shack."

He also worked with the Verve label. During this time, he played with big bands and famous guitarists like Wes Montgomery. He often performed in a trio with a guitar and drums. In the 1970s, he even opened his own supper club in North Hollywood, California.

His influence can be heard in many types of music today. The 1972 album "Root Down" helped inspire later funk and hip-hop musicians. The band Beastie Boys even used a bassline from that album for their own hit song. Smith worked with many legendary stars like Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. He also played with a younger organist named Joey DeFrancesco. The two of them worked on an album called "Legacy" together. Smith passed away in 2005, but his special organ style lives on through many new artists.