Dr. Lonnie Smith

Combining R&B grooves, bop chops, spiritual sensibilities, and Afrocentric ideas, Dr. Lonnie Smith became one of the most distinctive figures ever in organ jazz. Born in upstate New York in 1942, he sang in R&B groups as a teenager and learned trumpet among other instruments, but when he began playing the organ, he found his direction. Gigging around Buffalo, NY, he was noticed by guitarist George Benson. Smith moved to New York City and joined Benson’s band, playing on both of Benson’s 1966-67 albums. Benson returned the favor by appearing on Smith’s 1967 solo debut LP. Around the same time, Smith became a fixture on hard-bop saxophonist Lou Donaldson’s records. On a long string of solo albums in the ’70s, Smith served up a mix of blues, funk, jazz, and eventually even disco, sometimes covering pop tunes along the way. His recordings would be extensively sampled, and with his groove-heavy sound, he would come to be regarded as one of the forebears of acid jazz, working with the likes of The Roots and Iggy Pop in his later years. In 2021 Smith passed away in Florida at the age of 79.