Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note before being signed as a solo act. He owned the label Pilgrimage, and was named the year's best organist by the Jazz Journalists Association nine times.
Early life
Smith was born in Lackawanna, New York, on July 3, 1942.[1] He was raised by his mother and stepfather,[2] and the family had a vocal group and radio program. He stated that his mother was a major influence on him musically, as she introduced him to gospel, classical, and jazz music.[3]
Career
Smith was part of several vocal ensembles in the 1950s, including the Teen Kings which included Grover Washington Jr., on sax and his brother Daryl on drums.[4] Art Kubera, the owner of a local music store, gave Smith his first organ, a Hammond B3.[5]
George Benson Quartet
Smith's affinity for R&B mixed with his own personal style as he became active in the local music scene. He moved to New York City in 1965,[6] where he met George Benson, the guitarist for Jack McDuff's band. Benson and Smith connected on a personal level, and the two formed the George Benson Quartet, featuring Lonnie Smith, in 1966.[7][8]
Solo career; Finger Lickin' Good
After two albums under Benson's leadership, It's Uptown and Cookbook, Smith recorded his first solo album (Finger Lickin' Good Soul Organ) in 1967,[9] with George Benson (and guest Melvin Sparks) on guitar, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Marion Booker on drums. This combination remained stable for the next five years.[7]
In 1967, Smith met Lou Donaldson, who put him in contact with Blue Note Records. Donaldson asked Smith and Benson to record with him on his Blue Note album, Alligator Bogaloo, which was recorded in April 1967, and included Melvin Lastie Sr., and Leo Morris (AKA Idris Muhammad).[10] Blue Note signed Smith in 1968, and he released five albums on the label,[11] including Think! (with Lee Morgan, David Newman, Melvin Sparks, and Marion Booker)[7] and Turning Point (with Lee Morgan, Bennie Maupin, Melvin Sparks, and Idris Muhammad).[12]
Smith's next album Move Your Hand was recorded at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1969.[13] The album's reception allowed his reputation to grow beyond the Northeast. He recorded another studio album, Drives, and a live album (unreleased at the time),[7]Live at Club Mozambique (recorded in Detroit on May 21, 1970),[14] before leaving Blue Note.[7]
Smith recorded one album in 1971 for Creed Taylor's CTI subsidiary label, Kudu,[7] CTI having already signed George Benson. After a break from recording, he then spent most of the mid-1970s with producer Sonny Lester and his Groove Merchant label,[15][16] then with Lester's new group of LRC labels.[17] It resulted in four albums, with the music output veering between jazz, soul, funk, fusion and even the odd disco-styled track.[18]
Smith rejoined the Blue Note label in March 2015. He released his first Blue Note album in 45 years titled Evolution which was released January 29, 2016, featuring special guests: Robert Glasper and Joe Lovano.[19] His second Blue Note album All in My Mind was recorded live at "The Jazz Standard" in NYC (celebrating his 75th birthday with his longtime musical associates: guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake), and released January 12, 2018.[20] His third Blue Note album, Breathe was also recorded live and released March 26, 2021. It features Iggy Pop on two studio vocal tracks, "Why Can't We Live Together" and "Sunshine Superman".
Tours and performances
Smith in 2013
Smith toured the northeastern United States heavily during the 1970s. He concentrated largely on smaller neighborhood venues during this period. His sidemen included Donald Hahn on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber,[7] Dave Hubbard,[21]Bill Easley and George Adams on saxes,[22][23] George Benson,[7] Perry Hughes,[24] Marc Silver,[25] Billy Rogers and Larry McGee on guitars,[26][27] and Joe Dukes,[28] Sylvester Goshay,[27] Phillip Terrell,[29] Marion Booker,[7] Jimmy Lovelace,[30] Charles Crosby,[31][32] Art Gore,[33] Norman Connors,[34] and Bobby Durham on drums.[35]
Starting in the 1970s, Smith added the "Dr." title to his name.[7] The origin of the moniker is unclear and was not an academic title. One theory is that fellow musicians called Smith this due to his ability to "doctor up" their music.[38] Another is that he adopted the title in an attempt to differentiate himself from other musicians.[39] Smith himself gave the following explanation:
But I’m a doctor of music. I’ve been playing long enough to operate on it, and I do have a degree, and I will operate on you. I’m a neurosurgeon. If you need something done to you, I can do it. But when I go up on that stand, the only thing I’m thinking of is music. I’m thinking to touch you with that music. I don’t think about the turban, I don’t think about the doctor — I just think about how I’m going to touch you.[40]
Smith was well known for wearing a turban.[7][40] He stated that the turban had no religious significance and was something he had worn since he was young.[2][38] Matt Collar of AllMusic suggested the turban was a theatrical gesture to his spiritual views on music,[7] but Smith himself said he did not know why he started wearing a turban and referenced the iconic headwear of Sun Ra and Sonny Rollins' mohawk.[38][40]
^Kunz Goldman, Mary (August 7, 2000). "A Rainy Reunion". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
