Dr. Lonnie Smith

Dr. Lonnie Smith was among the well respected organists who endeared himself within the music products industry as a master of the Hammond B3, who often demonstrated his skills for fellow musicians. He was a regular performer at the NAMM Shows since the 1960s. Dr. Lonnie was born in Lackawanna, New York, and soon joined his singing family on the radio performing everything from gospel to jazz. Over the years he recorded with a long list of jazz artists such as George Benson, King Curtis and Joey DeFrancesco. His recordings on the Blue Note Record label beginning in 1967 captured some of the most memorable performances of his career. Several of those albums have become classic examples of jazz organ performances, especially the albums “Think” and “Turning Point.”