Jimmy Smith | |
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![]() Smith in 1958 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | James Oscar Smith |
Born | Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | December 8, 1928
Died | February 8, 2005 Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 76)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument | Hammond organ |
Discography | Jimmy Smith discography |
Years active | 1948–2005 |
Labels |
James Oscar Smith (December 8, 1928[1] – February 8, 2005[2]) was an American jazz musician who helped popularize the Hammond B-3 organ, creating a link between jazz and 1960s soul music.
In 2005, Smith was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor that America bestows upon jazz musicians.[3]