Dr. Lonnie Smith

Lonnie Smith
Background information
Born	(1942-07-03)July 3, 1942 Lackawanna, New York, U.S.
Died	September 28, 2021(2021-09-28) (aged 79) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Jazz soul jazz funk
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Organ
Years active	1960–2021
Labels	Columbia Blue Note Kudu Groove Merchant T.K. Criss Cross Palmetto Pilgrimage
Website	drlonniesmith.com

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.

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]

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]

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]

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 Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Marion Booker on drums. This combination remained stable for the next five years.^[7]

After recording several albums with Benson, Smith became a solo recording artist and subsequently recorded over 30 albums under his own name. Numerous prominent jazz artists joined Smith on his albums and in his live performances, including Lee Morgan, David "Fathead" Newman, King Curtis, Terry Bradds, Blue Mitchell, Joey DeFrancesco and Joe Lovano.^[5]

In 1967, Smith met Lou Donaldson, who put him in contact with Blue Note Records. Donaldson asked the quartet to record an album for Blue Note, Alligator Bogaloo, which was recorded in April 1967.^[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 another 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 label,^[7] which had 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 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".

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]

Smith performed at several prominent jazz festivals with artists including Grover Washington Jr., Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Donaldson, Ron Holloway, and Santana. He also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight,^[36] and Etta James.^[37]

Smith had five children: Lani, Chandra, Charisse, Lonnie, and Vonnie.^[2]

Smith died of pulmonary fibrosis on September 28, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the age of 79.^[2][15]

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]

• Organ Keyboardist of the Year, Jazz Journalist Association, 2003–2005, 2008–2011, 2013, 2014^[1]
• NEA Jazz Master, 2017^[2][8]

• Finger Lickin' Good Soul Organ (Columbia, 1967)^[18]
• Think! (Blue Note, 1968)^[18]
• Turning Point (Blue Note, 1969)^[18]
• Move Your Hand (Blue Note, 1969)^[18]
• Drives (Blue Note, 1970)^[18]
• Mama Wailer (Kudu, 1971)^[18]
• Afro–desia (Groove Merchant, 1975)^[18]
• Keep on Lovin' (Groove Merchant, 1976)^[18]
• Funk Reaction (LRC [Lester Radio Corporation], 1977)^[18]
• Gotcha (LRC [Lester Radio Corporation], 1978)^[18]
• Lonnie Smith (America, 1979)^[18]
• When the Night Is Right! (Chiaroscuro, 1980)^[18]
• Lenox and Seventh (Black & Blue, 1985) – with Alvin Queen^[41]
• Afro Blue: Tribute To John Coltrane (Venus; MusicMasters/BMG, 1993)^[18]
• Foxy Lady: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (Venus; MusicMasters/BMG, 1994)^[18]
• Purple Haze: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (Venus; MusicMasters/BMG, 1994)^[18]
• Live at Club Mozambique (Blue Note, 1995) – recorded in 1970^[18]
• The Turbanator (32 Jazz, 2000) – recorded in 1991^[18]
• Boogaloo to Beck: A Tribute (Scufflin', 2003)^[18]
• Too Damn Hot! (Palmetto, 2004)^[18]
• Jungle Soul (Palmetto, 2006)^[18]
• Rise Up! (Palmetto, 2008)^[18]
• The Art of Organizing (Criss Cross, 2009) – recorded in 1993^[18]
• Spiral (Palmetto, 2010)^[18]
• The Healer [live] (Pilgrimage, 2012)^[18]
• In the Beginning (Pilgrimage, 2013) [2CD]^[18]
• Evolution (Blue Note, 2016)^[18]
• All in My Mind (Blue Note, 2018)^[18]
• Breathe (Blue Note, 2021) – with vocals by Iggy Pop^[18]

• Lonnie Smith Interview at NAMM Oral History Library
• Dr. Lonnie Smith discography at Discogs
• Dr. Lonnie Smith at IMDb