The Mighty Hammond B-3: A Journey Through Jazz and Rock
- Bill Milkowski
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
The Hammond B-3's Impact on Music
As I reported in Part I of this diatribe last month, it was unavoidable for anyone with ears and a modicum of curiosity to not encounter the Hammond B-3 organ during the ‘60s and ‘70s, in either the rock or jazz worlds.
Rock and the B-3
In the rock scene, the Hammond B-3 was a game changer. You had multiple organ-fueled hit singles from 1967, like the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m a Man,” featuring Steve Winwood on the B-3. Then there was Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” with Matthew Fisher on organ, and Vanilla Fudge’s bombastic take on The Supremes' hit, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.”
The following year brought Jimi Hendrix’s bluesy jam on “Voodoo Chile” from Electric Ladyland (with Winwood on organ), Iron Butterfly’s iconic “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (organ by Doug Ingle), and Deep Purple’s 1968 “Hush” (with Jon Lord on B-3). The early ‘70s saw the Allman Brothers’ “Tied to the Whipping Post” from At Fillmore East and Argent’s 1972 hit “Hold Your Head Up,” which features a fantastic B-3 solo by Rod Argent that Rick Wakeman called the “greatest organ solo ever.”
Jazz and the B-3
Jazz-wise, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the B-3 during the ‘60s was Jimmy Smith. His soulful blues-gospel approach mixed with bop complexity on a string of Blue Note albums, including 1960’s Crazy! Baby!, 1961’s Midnight Special, and 1963’s Back at the Chicken Shack, set a high bar for organ group work.
The Legacy of B-3 Players
Following Smith, a succession of great B-3 players emerged. These included Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Don Patterson, Baby Face Willette, Big John Patton, Shirley Scott, and funkmeister Lonnie Smith (who later donned a turban and referred to himself as Dr. Lonnie Smith). Each of these musicians brought their own chops and abundant soul to the instrument.
Larry Young: A Unique Voice
One prodigious player who departed from the soul-jazz pack was Larry Young. Known as “the Coltrane of organ jazz,” his complex modal improvisations with avant-garde leanings, both with Tony Williams Lifetime and as a Blue Note recording artist during the ‘60s, blazed a new trail for the B-3.
The Mighty Burner: Charles Earland
No list of Hammond B-3 players from my youth would be complete without mentioning The Mighty Burner, Charles Earland. A man as hulking as the Hammond itself, the Philly-based Earland started off playing tenor saxophone at age 17 in Jimmy McGriff’s band. He later switched to organ and formed a band with fellow Philadelphian and South Philadelphia High School classmate Pat Martino.
As Martino recalled in Here And Now: The Autobiography of Pat Martino, “Charles was a tenor player in the high school band, and a good one at that. At some point, he got turned on to the great organist Jimmy Smith, who was also from Philadelphia. We went down to Atlantic City one time to see Jimmy perform at the Jockey Club. We were both teenagers at the time. Charlie heard Jimmy Smith play the Hammond B-3 that evening and was just floored by the magic. He was so compelled he thought he was hallucinating it. And that’s when Charlie decided he was going to switch from tenor saxophone to Hammond B-3 organ. Charlie and I then got together and practiced for two, three weeks, then went to play a gig in Buffalo at a place called the Pine Grill.”
After forming his own group, Earland scored a hit with 1970’s Black Talk! for the Prestige label. His groovy shuffle-swing instrumental version of The Spiral Starecase’s ebullient 1969 pop hit, “More Today Than Yesterday,” became a crowd favorite. Earland would continue to feature that tune as a smile-inducing set-closer until the end. He passed away from heart failure on December 11, 1999, at age 58, the morning after performing a concert in Kansas City, Missouri. I still have fond memories of seeing The Mighty Burner on multiple occasions at Smoke in NYC, unleashing that infectious tune while snapping his head to the beat and blinking his eyes in time behind the B-3.
Conclusion
The Hammond B-3 organ has left an indelible mark on both jazz and rock music. Its rich tones and versatile sound have shaped countless performances and recordings. As we continue to explore its legacy, we’ll find that the B-3 is not just an instrument; it's a vital part of music history.
(Part III will examine a flood of new Hammond B-3 releases that have recently caught my attention).
YEEEESSSSSSS...the mighty B3! Thank goodness for Spence Davis and Stevie Winwood. who spiced up the Top Forty with their thundering hits! And Jimmy Smith...has a funkier player ever roamed the Earth? Doubtful. Thanks for focusing attention on the heaviest instrument any band ever carted around.