Jimmy Smith
Born: 1925
Born James Oscar Smith in Norristown, Pennsylvania,
USA. Smith was influenced by both gospel and blues. He
first achieved prominence in the 1950s where his
recordings became popular on jukeboxes before there
were commonly used terms to describe his unique
musical flavor. In the sixties and seventies he helped
create the jazz style known as ‘funk’ or ‘soul jazz’.
There had been earlier limited use of the electronic organ
in jazz (notably by Fats Waller and Count Basie), though
these early… Continue