Jimmy Smith (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jimmy Smith
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Smith in 1958
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Oscar Smith |
| Born | December 8, 1925 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 8, 2005 (aged 79) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Genres | Hard bop, soul jazz, mainstream jazz, jazz-funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Hammond B-3 organ |
| Years active | 1956–2005 |
| Labels | Blue Note, Verve, Milestone, Elektra |
James Oscar Smith (born December 8, 1925 – died February 8, 2005) was an amazing American jazz musician. His albums often appeared on the Billboard music charts.
Jimmy Smith helped make the Hammond B-3 organ very popular. He also connected jazz music with the soul music of the 1960s. In 2005, he received the NEA Jazz Masters Award. This is the highest honor for jazz musicians in America.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Jimmy Smith was born James Oscar Smith in Norristown, Pennsylvania. There is some confusion about his birth year, but it was either 1925 or 1928. When he was just six years old, he performed a song-and-dance act with his father in clubs.
He started teaching himself to play the piano. At nine, Jimmy won a talent contest in Philadelphia as a boogie-woogie pianist. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he studied music more in 1948. He attended the Royal Hamilton College of Music and later the Leo Ornstein School of Music.
In 1951, he began to explore the Hammond organ. From 1951 to 1954, he played piano and then organ in R&B bands. He decided to play the organ full-time in 1954 after hearing another organist named Wild Bill Davis.
A Star on the Jazz Scene
Jimmy Smith bought his first Hammond organ and rented a warehouse to practice. After about a year, he was ready to perform. Blue Note's Alfred Lion heard him play in a club. He quickly signed Jimmy to his record label.
Jimmy's second album, The Champ, made him a new jazz star. He recorded many albums, about forty in eight years for Blue Note. People called him "The Incredible Jimmy Smith." Some famous albums from this time include The Sermon!, House Party, and Midnight Special.
Moving to Verve Records
In 1962, Jimmy Smith signed with the Verve label. His first album there, Bashin', sold very well. For the first time, Jimmy worked with a big band, led by Oliver Nelson.
He also worked with composer Lalo Schifrin on The Cat. Jimmy recorded two albums with guitarist Wes Montgomery: The Dynamic Duo and Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes. Other albums from this period include Blue Bash! and Organ Grinder Swing.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Jimmy Smith often performed live. He usually played in a trio with an organ, guitar, and drums. The Jimmy Smith Trio even performed in the 1964 film Get Yourself a College Girl.
In the 1970s, Jimmy opened his own supper club in North Hollywood, California. He played there regularly with his band. His 1972 album Root Down was recorded live at this club. This album later became very important for funk and hip-hop music.
Later Career and Legacy
Holle Thee Maxwell was Jimmy Smith's singer for two years in the late 1970s. They recorded an album together in South Africa called Jimmy Smith Plays for the People.
Jimmy Smith's career became popular again in the 1980s and 1990s. He recorded for Blue Note, Verve, Elektra, and Milestone. He also worked with famous artists like Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. You can hear him on the song "Bad" from Michael Jackson's Bad album.
His last album, Dot Com Blues (2000), featured other great musicians like B.B. King, Dr. John, and Etta James.
Jimmy and his wife moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2004. Sadly, his wife passed away a few months later. Jimmy recorded Legacy with Joey DeFrancesco and planned a tour. But before the tour began, Jimmy Smith died on February 8, 2005. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home.
Jimmy Smith's Musical Style
Other musicians had used the electric organ in jazz before Jimmy Smith. But Jimmy's amazing way of playing the Hammond organ helped make it a popular jazz and blues instrument. The B3 organ and its special Leslie speaker create a unique sound. This includes a "click" sound with each key press.
Jimmy Smith's style on fast songs mixed bluesy sounds with quick, single notes. For slower songs, he played bass lines with his feet on the organ pedals. For faster songs, he played the bass line with his left hand on the lower keyboard. He used the pedals to add emphasis to certain notes, making it sound like a string bass.
Jimmy Smith influenced many jazz organists. These include Jimmy McGriff, Brother Jack McDuff, and Joey DeFrancesco. He also inspired rock keyboardists like Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. Later, bands like Medeski, Martin & Wood and the Beastie Boys were influenced by him. The Beastie Boys even used a bass line from Jimmy's song "Root Down" in their own hit song.
Jimmy Smith is often called the "father of acid jazz." He lived to see this music style become popular, which reflected his unique organ playing.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- A New Sound... A New Star... Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1956)
- The Champ (Blue Note, 1956)
- The Sermon! (Blue Note, 1959)
- Home Cookin' (Blue Note, 1961)
- Midnight Special (Blue Note, 1961)
- Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith (Verve, 1962)
- Back at the Chicken Shack (Blue Note, 1963)
- The Cat (Verve, 1964)
- Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo (Verve, 1966) with Wes Montgomery
- Root Down (Verve, 1972)
- Dot Com Blues (Blue Thumb/Verve, 2000)
As sideman
- With Joey DeFrancesco, Incredible! (Concord Jazz, 2000)
- With Michael Jackson, Bad (Epic, 1987)
- With Frank Sinatra, L.A. Is My Lady (Qwest/WB, 1984)
