He's known as one of the founding jazz fathers of Hammond B-3 organ funk, but Jimmy Smith has always played the blues. Born in December 1928 in a suburb west of Philadelphia, Smith has been performing since he was 12, at that time in a song and dance act with his father. After a stint in the navy, Smith took advantage of the GI Bill to study bass, piano and music theory upon his service discharge. During this period Smith discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, an instrument that up until that time lay relatively unexplored from a jazz perspective. Smith taught himself how to make the B-3 swing and moan; in Smith's own words, he "tamed the beast. His combination of determination, talent, and irrepressible sense of groove make Smith one of the rare, elite instrumentalists who defined the modern sound of their instrument.

Smith established the classic Hammond B-3 jazz sound and remained the organ's definitive jazz stylist for decades thereafter. He enlisted first with Blue Note for whom he unleashed a string of classic party 'til dawn, smoky jazz throwdowns simmering with blues, gospel, soul, and funk. These classics include 1958's The Sermon, with its stunning side-long title track, in the company of