‘Think!’: How Lonnie Smith Became The Hero Of The Hammond

‘Think!’: How Lonnie Smith Became The Hero Of The Hammond

Though the well-known Jimmy Smith is often regarded as the pre-eminent Hammond B3 specialist in the jazz world, two other Smiths (both unrelated) also made their mark in the same era, playing soulful organ licks over a funkafied backbeat. There was Johnny “Hammond” Smith – who changed his name to Johnny Hammond to avoid being confused with a guitarist of the same name – and Lonnie Smith. The youngest of the three, Lonnie Smith (born in Lackawann…