Dr. Lonnie Smith

by Alex Henderson Organist Lonnie Smith has often been confused with keyboardist/pianist Lonnie Liston Smith — and, in fact, more than a few retailers have wrongly assumed that theyre one and the same. In the mid-60s, the Hammond hero earned recognition for his membership in George Bensons classic quartet before going on to play with Lou Donaldson (contributing some memorable solos to the alto saxmans hit 1967 album Alligator Bogaloo) and recording enjoyable dates of his own for Blue Note. For all their accessibility and commercial appeal, funk-influenced Smith sessions like 1968s Think and 1970s Drives showed that he could be quite imaginative. Smith, who later became Dr. Lonnie Smith (for no particular reason, the same reason he gives for why he always wears a turban), remained an inspired representative of soul-jazz and did some solid work with Donaldson in the 90s.