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Johnny "Hammond" Smith

 
Artist: Johnny "Hammond" Smith
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Hank Marr, Grant Green, Cannonball Adderley

Followers:

Fabio Fonseca Trio

Performed Songs By:

Wally Richardson, Leo Johnson

Worked With:

Leo Stevens, Eddie McFadden, Wendell Marshall, John Harris, Rudy Van Gelder, Byrdie Green, Jimmy Lewis, Art Taylor, Houston Person, Gene Ammons, Ray Barretto

Formal Connection With:

James Clark
  • Born: December 16, 1933, Louisville, KY
  • Died: June 04, 1997, Chicago, IL
  • Active: '50s, '60s, '70s
  • Genres: Jazz
  • Instrument: Organ, Organ (Hammond)
  • Representative Albums: "Legends of Acid Jazz," "Black Coffee," "That Good Feelin'/Talk That Talk"
  • Representative Songs: "Dig on It," "All Soul," "Kindra"

Biography

Actually nicknamed after his instrument, Johnny "Hammond" Smith was perhaps one of the more underrated soul-jazz organists of the style's heyday. Born John Robert Smith in Louisville, KY, on December 16, 1933, Smith began learning piano as a child, idolizing Bud Powell and Art Tatum early on. After moving to Cleveland, Smith heard jazz organ pioneer Wild Bill Davis and decided to switch instruments; he made his professional debut on the organ in 1958, around the same time he was working as an accompanist for vocalist Nancy Wilson. In 1959, he began recording as a leader for Prestige, an association that would last through 1970 and produce highlights like That Good Feelin', Talk That Talk, Black Coffee, Open House, Ebb Tide, and Soul Talk, among others. As time passed, Smith's style got progressively funkier, and in 1971, he shortened his name to Johnny Hammond and moved to producer Creed Taylor's CTI label family. Hammond recorded five jazz-funk albums over the next three years, including Breakout, Wild Horses/Rock Steady, and the Mizell Brothers-helmed Gambler's Life. In 1975, Hammond moved to Milestone and recorded the culmination of his move into jazz-funk, Gears, another collaboration with the Mizell Brothers that was reviled by purists and canonized by acid jazz fans. After a few more sessions for Milestone, Smith largely retired from jazz, settling in Southern California and investing in real estate. He began recording sporadically again in the '90s, but was stricken with cancer and died on June 4, 1997. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Johnny "Hammond" Smith
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Johnny "Hammond" Smith (born John Robert Smith), also known since 1971 as Johnny Hammond, was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist born in Louisville, Kentucky on December 16, 1933 and who died in Chicago on June 4, 1997. Smith was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ, thus earning "Hammond" as a nickname.[1]

One of his bands featured Etta Jones and Houston Person. His career took off as he was serving as accompanist to singer Nancy Wilson. One of his last accomplishments also included Nancy Wilson. He wrote the song "Quiet Fire" for her "Nancy Now" release in 1989.

In 1974, he decided to drop "Smith" from his name, referring to himself as "Johnny Hammond." His style became increasingly funky, culminating in two popular albums with the Mizell Brothers, "Gambler's Life" (1974) and "Gears" (1975). He also began using electric and acoustic pianos, in addition to his signature instrument.

Smith recorded a series of albums on the well-regarded CTI Records (Creed Taylor) jazz record label. Hammond's song "Shifting Gears" was featured on the breakbeat compilation Ultimate Breaks and Beats, and was also featured in the soundtrack of the 2006 video game Driver: Parallel Lines as well. Smith also taught at the Cal Poly Pomona music department for several years, beginning in January 1987.

Contents

Discography
"Los Conquistadores Chocolates"
29-second snippet of Smith's song, "Los Conquistadores Chocolates"
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
  • Imagination (1959) Warwick
  • All Soul (1959) New Jazz
  • That Good Feelin' (1959) New Jazz
  • Gettin' the Message (1960) Prestige
  • Talk That Talk (1960) New Jazz
  • Stimulation (1961) Prestige
  • Opus De Funk (1961) Prestige
  • Johnny Hammond Cooks with Gator Tail (1962) Prestige
  • Look Out! (1962) New Jazz
  • Black Coffee (1963) Riverside
  • Mr. Wonderful (1963) Riverside
  • A Little Taste (1963) Riverside
  • Open House (1963) Riverside
  • The Stinger , Prestige (1965)
  • The Stinger Meets the Golden Thrush , Prestige (1966)
  • Love Potion #9 , Prestige (1966)
  • Ebb Tide , Prestige (1967)
  • Gettin' Up , Prestige (1967)
  • Soul Flowers , Prestige (1967)
  • Dirty Grape , Prestige (1968)
  • Nasty , Prestige (1968)
  • Black Feeling! , Prestige (1969)
  • Soul Talk , Prestige (1969)
  • Here It Is , Prestige (1970)
  • The Best of Johnny Hammond Smith , Prestige (1970)
  • The Best of Johnny Hammond Smith For Lovers , Prestige (1970)
  • Breakout , Kudu (1971)
  • I'll Be There , Prestige (1971)
  • What's Going On , Prestige (1971)
  • Wild Horses Rock Steady , Kudu (1971)
  • The Prophet , Kudu (1973)
  • Higher Ground , Kudu (1974)
  • Gambler's Life , Salvation (1974)
  • Gears , Milestone (1975)
  • Forever Taurus , Milestone (1976)
  • Don't Let the System Get to You , Milestone (1978)
  • Storm Warning , Milestone (1977)

References

  1. ^ Allmusic

See also

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Johnny "Hammond" Smith".  Read more

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