Absolutely. Billy, Keith, Goldy, Vinnie Crane...lots! But, I think this is more of the influencers rather than the influence. Oh well. Good to know there are those who know of Billy Preston and folks of his trade.
Then, of course, the late Earl Grant was a notable Hammond player from the 50s. And there was Jimmie Smith, Ethel Smith (no relation to Ethel), ... oh, heck, too many to name - and not all of them named Smith.
My Mother was a professional musician. she owned a B3, a A100, and a Grande The B3 only had 1 service call in over 25 years of service. Amazing since it was constantly being moved. The Grande sat at home and always had some problem. Can't beat the tone generator and a leslie highboy.
Been in love with the sound of the Hammond since I was 15 years old. I was lucky enough to own a C3 at one point but had to get rid of it when I got divorced. To me these guys, Keith Emerson, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Richard Groove Holmes, Joey DeFrancesco and, ladies, Barbara Dennerlein, are and have been heroes my whole life. Tx for this upload.
Who can forget the heavy Hammond sound in Gimme some Lovin' by The Spencer Davis group? That was , I believe, the first time the organ was used in a rock song with that super beefy sound it produced in that song. In Karn Evil 9 Third Impression by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Keith Emerson, by far, wrote the absolute best Hammond solo ever, with that beefy, aggressive sound. He pushed it to the limit, as he did everything he touched in keyboards.
My father had a Hammond & Leslie, in his house, in the late 40's. i remember musician friends coming over on Sundays to jam. Everybody loved that sound. Also, don't forget Milt Buckner, Brother Jack Mcduff & Ethel Smith.
I'm more a pianist than an organist, but any opportunity i get to play a Hammond of any model, i take it. First played one in church at the age of 12 or 13, and i've been hooked ever since!
Great! The B 3 Hammond Organ. Bought mine in 1970 for 5,283 dollars and still have it. First thing I ever bought coming out of the Vietnam war. I was 22 years old and loved Jimmy Smith. Larry Young, Brian Auger.
The late, great Goldy McJohn, of Steppenwolf, on "Magic Carpet Ride", and Al Kooper on Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" are both outstanding examples of the amazing Hammond at it's best usage.
I was going to comment, "I hope they don't go through the whole short documentary WITHOUT mentioning Ethel Smith!" - and RIGHT at the moment that I started to realize they weren't going to mention Ethel Smith, the narrator MENTIONS ETHEL SMITH! & briefly shows her in action. Some of her music videos showcasing her work have been available on youtube since youtube started in '05, thankfully. She was as an electric a talent as was the amazing Hammond Organs she rythmically played on! Thanks for the upload.
Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Charles Kynard, Lonnie Smith, Leon Spencer...all worth your time if you love the Hammond. The mod/beat scene had a lot of it, too. :)
Grace Potter said was inspired to play the B3 by Billy Preston. RIP Billy,you were one of the best ! Grace loves her B3 and always does many classic rock covers including a smoking cover of Cortez the Killer with Joe Satrani !.
The grandfather of a friend of mine invented the Clavinet (and the Pianet as well) while working at the Hohner company. He is over 90 now and still invents new stuff. They should make a documentary about him and the Clavinet as well, me thinks. Afterall, it had significant impact on the sound of funk, r&b and soul.
I love the sound of the B-3 with dual Leslie cabinets. The sound utilized by Roger Smith from Tower of Power. The percussive touch was really outstanding.
Wow! I've never seen this before. Always loved the sound of the B-3 but folks, if you've worked the small rooms and the keyboardist played a B-3, you hated helping him move it after the gig!! That was wonderful and thanks for posting it. Best.
LOL ! 😂 That’s the truth ! The band I was in during the mid 80s through the late nineties was blessed with an amazing keyboardist ; who had a Hammond B3 & Leslie speaker setup ! Did I mention that we had practice in his basement ?! 😮😅 We both loved and dreaded getting gigs to play ! 😁
Just try carrying one of these around from venue to venue! As a roadie during the 70’s, I nearly snapped my back in half moving this thing around.... but the sound was worth it! Thanks for the video 👍
@@RishonaCampbell Rarely that was the case... Actually it was pure roadie muscle power, and when a venue had no elevator or escalator, trying to carry a B3 or the heavier B2 up one or two flights of stairs was enough to pop you eyes from their sockets
Great to have this History. First fell in love with a Church Pipe Organ. One had to pump the bellows for sound. As young teenagers this was cool. Owned my first Hammond, a Spinet in 1969. Bought my Hammond Porta B 1974. Played it with 2 Leslies. Really Great sounds. Still record with it in my studio. Can be heard on my CDs. Great History. Jimmy Smith was the Man!!!along with Shirley Scott. Reggae great Organist, Jackie Mittoo made that sound a must have at any reputable Studio. My Porta B for a while can be heard on Hits Produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at Black Ark Studio 1976-1977. The sound of the Hammond Organ has been on many Reggae hits including those of Bob Marley.
I grew up with the B-3, then the D--152 (also a chord organ and an Extravoice) as my father was Shay Torrent, first organist for the White Sox and, when they were created, the Angels. Had two PR-40 speakers. Later we got a G-100, their attempt at a tab-type church organ - had antiphonal speakers in bedrooms, etc., later moved it to a church. But the D was my favorite, since it had all the 32 pedals for Bach. Later, with a Skilsaw, a crazy electrical genius friend and a lot of chutzpah, he cut 4 Hammonds into a four-manual organ-plus-synthesizer thing, designed to be unbuckled and carried about on his concert tours (he was now in his 80's) in their motor home. I loved every minute spent on and listening to the wonderful tones of the Hammond.
Nothing better than a ripping jazz set with a killer real B3, guitar and tenor sax going off in a small club. I've been to Chicago many times and listened to the local B3 players, there's a blind black guy Chris Foreman that plays at Andys that is really great, and yes there's a lot of guys in the audience that are obsessed with the B3.
Let's not forget the German organist Klaus Wunderlich who sold more than 20 million lp and cd's almost worldwide. It is a pity that he switched from Hammond to Wersi in the seventies. His early Hammond lp's (the fifties and sixties) are the best, at least that's my opinion.
The Hammond company should also be given great credit for reducing registration to the drawbar system, and for building these things really well. Most are still running. And the keyboard action is still the best in the business, something the 1960s imitators simply could not get right.
One of the greatest of all time is Maestro Richard “Groove” Holmes. There is a reason he is called “Groove.” His feel is so beautifully aggressive especially when he is playing the Blues. His left hand Bass playing was so metronomically steady and inventive. In my opinion, no organist has ever swung so ferociously. Joey DeFrancesco has a similar hard “take no prisoners” feel in his playing. The Hammond is just a wonder.
The sound of the Hammond with the Leslie speaker cabinet is still rocking the music world. Truly an electro - mechanical marvel The lubrication system is very cool
hate to say, the Hammond model goes back to 1933. I worked at a music store and we got one in and had an inspection date of October 3, 1933. it was a model A serial number 320 built by the Hammond Clock Company. I worked at the music store as an electornic technician for 15 years.i have worked on many Hammond organs and other organs out there. just my 2 cents worth.
I have a Hammond H-111 that is...currently... not functional. A so-called "technician" came to my house to repair it...and that was last June! The unit needed [arts, and he "thought" he had them when he made his return trip. Instead, he needed to take one of the main units out of the cabinet because it supposedly needed to have all of the capacitors tested... which he could only do in his shop. When he returned to my house, he had to take TWO units back to his shop. He then started to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he was not finished! One was that the area where he had his shop had been flooded and thus he supposedly could not get into the shop. THAT WAS LAST AUTUMN! I still do not have the "units" back, and he keeps coming up with excuses. Now, I know that the H-111 is old, and that parts might be hard to find. However, we are no going on 8 months since our first phone conversation. Is this unreasonably long? Is it true that some of the parts...such as capacitors...are very hard to find? By the way, the so-called "technician is located in Vermont, and I am in New Hampshire. Do you know of anyone in this area who can help me? The guy still has my units!
Played many Hammond Organs & they are a dream to enjoy. I play Pipe Organs & Concert Grands...became a Headliner in Night Clubs & Theater Clubs & Broadway. Those were all great times & still moonlight. Great UA-cam here. Thanks.
Paul TheSkeptic >>> I saw LS at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, and you’re right... he did not disappoint. He has a more open drawbar style that is unusual amongst jazzers.
progjazzfusion >>> Yes Larry Young had an incredible pure tone that is very hard to describe but beautiful. The first song I was aquatinted with was “African Blues” off the *Young Blues* album. (Sept 30, 1960- Englewood Cliffs, NJ) What a hell of an album! “Nica’s Dream” another favorite of mine. Thanks for mentioning him... I just had to dust off the CD & give it a spin right now! 😎
Lord usually played a C-3, not a B-3, but they are the same organ except for the wooden cabinet. He also didn't use a Leslie that much, but would often run it through a Fender Twin Reverb or a Marshall. Trivia: he got the "C" he toured with from Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac back when. :-)
In the 80's you could pick up a used Hammond organ for a less than $1000, especially the C3 whose solid panels made it just a little harder to gig with. I knew about electrical circuitry and worried that buying an instrument that might be over 20 years old was a bad investment. The new keyboard I bought for nearly two grand was obsolete in five years and the company that made them went under. Hammonds are still going strong. Oops.
@cindykrista New can also be better. Today's emulators can create nearly any sound and still have enough power left enough room on the computer for a complete mixing station.
@cindykrista I'm not trying to get into an argument, I think analog and digital have their places. Sound reinforcement is way out of my wheelhouse but I've heard both great digital rooms and lousy analog ones and vice versa. Back in the day tape was the best you could do for home (yes, better than vinyl) but most people couldn't afford reel-to-reel decks or metal cassette decks, let alone the few pre-recorded reel-to-reel albums out there. They just had cheap walkman knockoffs or 8-Track players in their cars that sounded as bad as they were cheap. Today more people have access to better sound than ever, including a reviving vinyl market. If only record companies stopped over-compressing the life out of it. BTW, that keyboard I passed up a B3 for was an ARP 2600 analog synth. A lot of fun to play but not a practical thing to use in a small band.
@cindykrista My ARP 2600 was no lightweight at around 60lbs. I know that's only 1/5th of a B3 but remember it the next time you run into that old video of Edgar Winter wearing the 2600's 20+lb keyboard section like a guitar. Yes, I thought about putting a guitar strap on mine and no, I wasn't that dumb. Just sitting it on my lap made my legs sore. 😉😁
@cindykrista I stare at the guts of a Hammond and think if someone is good at restoring the old mechanical pinball machines they'd have a good shot at figuring out the guts of a Hammond organ. To me they are both very electro-mechanical whirly-jig hoojackapivvies. I love them both :)
The Hammond most likely is the first "portable" synthesizer. Hammond like Rhodes, are names of legendary instruments loved by us all. And the Leslie speaker, like the digital effect pedals used on the Rhodes Piano, has only enhanced a great sounding instrument even more.
I've repaired a total of five Leslie's over the years. One, was modified by an engineering prof from Georgia Tech, Dr. W. Marshall Leach. He had passed away by the time I received the Leslie for repair, there were no included schematics, so I contacted Georgia Tech's engineering department. That, was a blast! The short story is, there are more "Leach Leslie's" out there, treasure them, because I don't believe they'll ever be equaled!
Agreed! He really was the master of the Hammond B3 organ. There is a magnificent album you might like to listen to: THE DYNAMIC DUO- Jimmy Smith with Wes Montgomery, Beautiful.
When you're a professional musician (other than organ) and you show up at a gig with a B3 player, it's like landing on another planet. The organ has command of the universe. Sure it plays the bass, rhythm, comping, and melody, all in about thirteen different voices. But then it adds all those rumbles, swells, crashes, explosions, barks and all that other stuff we love. Us poor solo instrumentalists sit on the side and wait for the organ player to have lunch so we can solo. After the concert, people go home and talk about "That guy that played the heck out of the organ. And I think there was another guy on stage too". Thanks, Mr Hammond
The Hammond X66 was the first organ combining two technologies: tone wheel generators and solid state transistor electronic oscillators. Unforgettable and unique organ.
We just bought a new house and it had an old Hammond M down in the den. The previous owner said it didn't work and he couldn't even give it away. He was going to haul it to the dump before we moved in. I told him to leave it. After a few days of oiling, it fired up! So far, everything works but one bass pedal and it's got one dry bearing I need to track down. I suppose I should learn how to play the organ now.
Lucky you. A friend told me a story about a guy who went to a garage sale and bought an electric guitar for $5.00. The guitar was given to the homeowner's son as a gift, and I guess he lost interest and left it behind when he went off to college. Turned out it was a Fender Stratocaster.
Big C What's so special about a Strat? I guess the fact that he paid 5 dollars but I guarantee it wasn't an oversight. Probably a made in Mexico or Asia Stratocaster.
"On the inside, most speakers don't have moving parts." The Voice coil, and the diaphragm, aren't moving? If they didn't move, we couldn't hear anything! You are right, the spinning stuff inside a Leslie Speaker is pretty DAMN impressive! steve
Thank you so much for this. full of historical facts about an instrument just as iconic as a fender strat. only a Hammond sounds like a Hammond...……………………………..awesome!
I taught myself to play a B-3 beginning in 1956. I was 16. I worked in the summers at an entertainment pier in Galveston called the Pleasure Pier. They had two B-3s so when the hired organists weren't using them, I was. Until about 10 years ago, I had played the Hammond and piano, often together, professionally. I wish I had one now. In this piece, the organist in the church beats the tar out of the Hammond, and is constantly messing with the draw bars. I wish he would watch the end of the piece where Jimmy Smith is playing. Notice that he honors the keyboards and he doesn't continue messing with the draw bars. Maybe that has a lot to do with why he is universally known as the King of the Hammond.
When I was 7 in June of 1959, a big wooden device was brought into our home and I was told that I could play it but I had to wash my hands and take off my shoes. Mom played by ear and that C-3 was finally sold in 2005 one year after mom died. I sold it on ebay. It went from Wisconsin to Louisiana and to my surprise, the guy that bought it didn't even want the tone cabinet. He fixed them up and he said it went to a church. He was surprised how good the wood was and I told him that was because I had to wash my hands and take off my shoes before I touched it. Now every time I see a band play I look to see if they have a Hammond.
When I was 8 in July of 1960, a big wooden box was brought into our home and I was told not open it. My mother told me that my grandpa was sleeping inside and had come to live with us from now on.
Just to set the record straight on terminology, the Leslie speaker does not implement VIBRATO. It actually provides TREMOLO. There is a vibrato setting on the B3 - but not through the Leslie. Vibrato is frequency (pitch) modulation. Tremolo is amplitude (volume or amplitude) modulation. The spinning horns change the amplitude - NOT the frequency.... It is common to use the Vibrato setting (through the B3 signal) to the Leslie (adding tremolo). Just sayin' - the professionals should know this.
Youre right, and good catch that the leslie does tremolo, but you still get the slight doppler effect with the top horns as well as tremolo. So it kinda sounds like a slight pitch modulation, which is why the sound is so popular, dont you think? I still have to find a video on how Leslie got this radical idea in the first place.
@@TuneStunnaMusic Your remark about the doppler effect is correct; it _does_ provide a subtle shift in pitch as the horns move closer to the listener and subsequently further away. In fact, there is both pitch, phase, and volume modulation when the Leslie rotates, and that is what gives the Leslie its unique sound.
my super reverb has tremolo, my Stratocaster has vibrato. I've owned Leslie 16"s & 18"s the Vibratone I think it's called. playing through mahogany cab 122 I think was the model, is a whole lotta different (ha) In the top, the horn spinning only has sound coming from half of it. the other side of horn is dummy, to Accentuate Doppler/Phase shift. on bottom, speaker 15'' is static with vented cover that spins opposite direction. at different speeds, with a ramp up and down effect... it all comes together to make not a trem or vibrato, but a Leslie effect is it not?
@@TuneStunnaMusic -- I read that Laurens Hammond said "I never intended for my organ to sound like that.". Too bad, dude... it's ruled for 70+ years I gather...
When inventors and musicians collide, sometimes great things happen. Another great musical instrument developer was NOT a player... I'm sure you've heard of Leo Fender. Very cool stuff. I encourage anyone out there to salvage old instruments that you find, and get them a new home with someone who will enjoy them. I've saved a few Pianos, and it's wonderful to hear them played by their new owners.
One You Tube B3 video I like is Jane Vasey playing with Down Child Blues Band. She does some boogie woogie playing. Also Peter Appleyard is playing the Vibes. It's not just the music it is how much fun they are having. The Down Child Blues Band was the inspiration for the Blues Brothers Band.
For a genius, Laurens Hammond was sure stubborn at times. I wonder what would have happened to the Hammond company if they went into partnership with Leslie. Some organs even had output jacks that were incompatible with Leslie speakers so that they couldn’t be used. Still, nothing can come close to the original genuine Hammond sound and electronic organs like the Vox Continental and Wurlitzers which sound like they have laryngitis compared to a Lesliefied B3.
Shirley Scott made some really nice jazz music on her B3, as of course, Jimmy Smith was the KING of jazz organ, 'Scotty" was pretty good too. Thank you, Mr. Hammond.
A friend of mine has a classic "Split" C3 painted black and covered in Dymo stickers that formerly belonged to Pete Bardens of Camel. It's a true monster. Part of the sound is that as they get older, the tone wheels "bleed" so you get this underlying tone coming through that only the old ones give, that result in this "dirty" or even "filthy" rock Hammond sound.
Jimmy Smith , Joey Defrancesco , Barbara Dennerlien , Rhoda Scott , Lonnie Liston Smith , Tony Monaco , Jimmy McGriff , John Hammond , Charles Earland etc. The pioneers of Hammond B3 have all been jazz players .
I’m a guitar player by trade. It’s my main passion and always will be. But I also own 3 hammonds....a b3, a c2 and an a100. There’s something completely unique and living about the Hammond organ. It’s the steam locomotive of modern musical instruments. There’s a certain magic to the sights, smells and transcendent sounds that can be matched by no other instrument. You have this whirling, breathing thing in front of you and this beautiful, spinning speaker next to you. There’s no other experience like it in music...it’s very, VERY easy to get bitten by that bug.
It was a genius Mr. Laurence Hammond. The inventor of the tonewheels and the legendary B3 organ. More than 50 years later we still see plenty of B3 on stages around the world (pop rock blues soul funk rythm'n blues gospel and even classical) in recording studios, churches, it's an incredible happiness. Lots of brands have tried to copy the Hammond sound, but Hammond remains the benchmark and the new Hammond SK and XK keep the legend alive, they are the best. I will not forget Leslie who is the perfect companion to the Hammond organ.
The most majestic sounding instrument ever created. Societies should treat old hammond organs like they treat ancient artifacts. They need to be preserved and maintained so people in the future can hear it forever
I have a 1961 M111 I! I love It! It's not a B3, But it has beautiful tone and is fully functional! Sometimes you can't even tell the difference! what an amazing Instrument! TY Hammond!
Cool video, I miss my B3, it got stolen in the late 80’s along with my Leslie 800 .. but never fear Hammond now has a B3 app for the iPad that sounds just as good as it did .. only thing missing is the waterfall keys :)
Until recently. I owned a Hammond RT 3. I wanted to learn how to play it, but I am a terribly undisciplined musician. I ended up selling it to an African-American church where I know it will put to good use. It finally went home!
I have an RT3 hooked up to Leslie 147 and a PR40 It came out of a cathederal in NE of UK, It's got pride of place in my studio now. I still have to pinch myself when I look at it. Sounds awesome!!.. @@mattwalsh9413
Thanks so much for this! Like Hannibal crossing the Alps, or the Hammurabi Stone, or The Flying Buttress! BIG history!! As huge as PULP FICTION, even. And, Little Orphan Leslie, to boot! So much for the Zeppelin, led, or stand alone! ❤ Major!
I once bought a $2 organ at a farm auction for my keyboard playing girlfriend. It didn't seem to be working, and being mechanically curious, I pulled the cover off to see what was inside expecting an air blower and rows of pipes. Well--- it was a Hammond! I don't remember which model but something for home use. Me and my oil can had it working in no time. Some years later the electrician at the lumbermill where I worked thought he was so "smart" when he tried to explain to "dummy me" how the sensor was reading little segments in the wheel and creating the rpm display on my machine. So I says to him--- "yea, like a Hammond organ". And he says to me--- "NO, you idiot, that's NOT how an organ works". I persisted and we had quite a heated discussion, I eventually got an apology out of him! And he is a wiser electrician!
Wonderful video on one of the greatest modern electric instruments of all time, the B-3. Fascinating how Hammond sought to destroy Leslie. But what is one without the other? Leslie speakers were hooked up to guitars as is evidenced on "Tears of Rage" and very effectively IMHO by Robbie Robertson of The Band from "Music from Big Pink." Still the Hammond was and remains completely rounded out, fulfilled, for lack of a better term, by the Leslie speaker. And they're both marvelous vintage pieces of furniture!
Laurens Hammond's contribution to electric clocks was at a time when the manufacturers, like Sessions, had reluctance synchronous motors which required a spin of a small wheel by hand at the rear of the clock to start the motor. This was a chancy thing as sometimes the motor would start and sometimes you had to spin it several times for it to "catch" and get the balky clock running. Hammond's improvement was to put a flexible coupling between the motor and the clock works. His motor always started on the first spin. He used that same principle in his organs, The Hammond organ had two motors: a start motor to get it up to approximate speed, and a run motor using the same principle as his clock motors: a reluctance synchronous motor connected to the organ mechanism through a flexible coupling to allow reliable starting. He also used the reluctance motor principle "backwards" to generate all of the notes. Each pitch was generated with an individual tone wheel and magnet combination to create a small electrical signal that was then mixed and amplified to create the unique "Hammond sound." Interesting that had Hammond not built a better clock, and the clock business declined, he might have never built a organ.
The tone wheels do the same thing as the strings on an electric guitar. I fooled around with various designs for plucked reeds that would vibrate near electromagnetic pickups, and it would have helped if I'd been a better musician.
@@Nikosi9 Those, and others as well. My particular variation was to have the reed attached to the end of the key so that the impact of the key at the end of its travel would set the reed into motion. I was excited enough about the idea to do a patent search, which in 1980 involved learning an elaborate microfilm classification system. I wasn't all that disappointed, however, to find that a fellow in New York had already patented my idea, for that implied that my thinking indeed had some merit to it. A later patent he took out showed, however, that he hadn't had much more luck with the high notes than I did, and then cheap electronic oscillators made both our efforts completely obsolete. I still look fondly upon the experience.
Fascinating story - nothing swings more than Jimmy Smith playing jazz on a Hammond Organ - don’t know why I’ve always loved it, it’s so cheesy, but there you go....
Used to play one in church until I was 18. Beautiful instrument. The minister didn't mind me pretending to be Keith Emerson on it if nomody else was around. Then I went to university and have never played one since
My old Hammonds will never die ! I own 3 1936 Model A hams from wich one is completely converted and upgraded not only to AV but to complete B3 , it plays like a New NOS Hammond organ and no one ever can make a substitute for these beautiful instruments , they will outlast my life and that from my kids I am sure about that . and all the new plastic rubbish clones will not even get their 20th birthday . nobody can build such quality instruments anymore , and I will caress them forever .B.
Keep an eye on Craig's List, you may find a free M3 here and there (the baby B3). It's been used on a bunch of songs, most notably Boston's. This was the one of the more typical home models. No Leslie, but an internal speaker, and there are technicians everywhere who can oil it up and condition it for you when you bring it home. Lots more maintenance.
I fronted 'The Dave Davani Five' for a while in the Sixties, Dave played a Hammond organ with a Leslie Cab', I still remember struggling up stair at some Gigs ( it was heavy!!!!). You can hear Dave on youtube, great player!!!
I’d give a shout out to Canadians Dan Aykroyd who said, “Heaven to me is . . . a burbling Hammond B-3” and Doug Riley, whose playing could bring Earth a little closer to Heaven.
@@petermautner7052 Wow, like Top o' the Senator, I hear The Orbit Room has been shuttered; another Covid causality? Riley lived his final days here on Prince Edward Island where his influence still resonates. I bought and lost a gospel CD he recorded here on PEI, sure wish I could find it because it really exposed his genius.
@@UncleWally3 Walter good day to you. I remember vaguely Doug Riley,s son Drummer Ben. Anyone that listens to jazz like yourself is a special soul . It is not the media that exposes one to Jazz , Salsa , Bossa Nova , Be bop , Classical, Afro Cuban etc. It takes a special inquisitive minded person who thinks outside the box . One either has those genes or doesn't. I feel people who have those genes can expose others that don't, and in some cases influence them. Have a good day .
I love Hammond organ. It has a unique sound that defined music in the 60s.
No mention of the legendary Billy Preston? Preston was definitely one of the greatest Hammond organists of all time.
May He Rest In Power!
Absolutely. Billy, Keith, Goldy, Vinnie Crane...lots! But, I think this is more of the influencers rather than the influence. Oh well. Good to know there are those who know of Billy Preston and folks of his trade.
Then, of course, the late Earl Grant was a notable Hammond player from the 50s. And there was Jimmie Smith, Ethel Smith (no relation to Ethel), ... oh, heck, too many to name - and not all of them named Smith.
Larry Young too please
Joey DeFrancesco incredible on this instrument, saw him twice live in small clubs, blew me away.
Joey should have bolts sticking out of both sides of his neck cause he's a monster on the B3!😎
Tony Monaco is an accomplished B3 master as well!
My Mother was a professional musician. she owned a B3, a A100, and a Grande The B3 only had 1 service call in over 25 years of service. Amazing since it was constantly being moved. The Grande sat at home and always had some problem. Can't beat the tone generator and a leslie highboy.
The Hammond Organ sound is amazing. I think, this is the most beautiful instrument in the world.
It’s definitely up there ❤️
Been in love with the sound of the Hammond since I was 15 years old. I was lucky enough to own a C3 at one point but had to get rid of it when I got divorced. To me these guys, Keith Emerson, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Richard Groove Holmes, Joey DeFrancesco and, ladies, Barbara Dennerlein, are and have been heroes my whole life. Tx for this upload.
Who can forget the heavy Hammond sound in Gimme some Lovin' by The Spencer Davis group? That was , I believe, the first time the organ was used in a rock song with that super beefy sound it produced in that song. In Karn Evil 9 Third Impression by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Keith Emerson, by far, wrote the absolute best Hammond solo ever, with that beefy, aggressive sound. He pushed it to the limit, as he did everything he touched in keyboards.
Yes, you're right....what a song that is, it's incredible. 😁
My father had a Hammond & Leslie, in his house, in the late 40's. i remember musician friends coming over on Sundays to jam. Everybody loved that sound. Also, don't forget Milt Buckner, Brother Jack Mcduff & Ethel Smith.
I'm more a pianist than an organist, but any opportunity i get to play a Hammond of any model, i take it. First played one in church at the age of 12 or 13, and i've been hooked ever since!
Great! The B 3 Hammond Organ. Bought mine in 1970 for 5,283 dollars and still have it. First thing I ever bought coming out of the Vietnam war. I was 22 years old and loved Jimmy Smith. Larry Young, Brian Auger.
The late, great Goldy McJohn, of Steppenwolf, on "Magic Carpet Ride", and Al Kooper on Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" are both outstanding examples of the amazing Hammond at it's best usage.
Awesome... I'm a bass player, but I gotta say the sound of a B3 has gotta be one of my favourite sounds ever.
I was going to comment, "I hope they don't go through the whole short documentary WITHOUT mentioning Ethel Smith!" - and RIGHT at the moment that I started to realize they weren't going to mention Ethel Smith, the narrator MENTIONS ETHEL SMITH! & briefly shows her in action. Some of her music videos showcasing her work have been available on youtube since youtube started in '05, thankfully. She was as an electric a talent as was the amazing Hammond Organs she rythmically played on! Thanks for the upload.
Ethel Smith and Jimmy Smith!!! Two Hammond Organ Legends!!!
Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Charles Kynard, Lonnie Smith, Leon Spencer...all worth your time if you love the Hammond. The mod/beat scene had a lot of it, too. :)
And Larry Young imo the best of them all!
Own music by all these greats!
Don’t forget Greg Allman & the Allman Brothers had so much of their sound with a B3!!
Grace Potter said was inspired to play the B3 by Billy Preston. RIP Billy,you were one of the best ! Grace loves her B3 and always does many classic rock covers including a smoking cover of Cortez the Killer with Joe Satrani !.
Not only is Grace talented, she is awesomenally Hot!!!😄😄😄
The grandfather of a friend of mine invented the Clavinet (and the Pianet as well) while working at the Hohner company. He is over 90 now and still invents new stuff. They should make a documentary about him and the Clavinet as well, me thinks. Afterall, it had significant impact on the sound of funk, r&b and soul.
Who is "they"?
A Hammond retrospective without mentioning Deep Purple's Jon Lord is sacrilege.
AMEN, Brother.
He did play a DP riff though...
Tony Banks as well
Or Keith Emerson!
Ken Hensley, Tony Kaye, etc
Awesome little documentary, although a percussionist, I always love the Hammond organ
One of most interesting videos I've come across in the UA-cam Universe. Thanks for posting!
I love the sound of the B-3 with dual Leslie cabinets. The sound utilized by Roger Smith from Tower of Power. The percussive touch was really outstanding.
Wow! I've never seen this before. Always loved the sound of the B-3 but folks, if you've worked the small rooms and the keyboardist played a B-3, you hated helping him move it after the gig!! That was wonderful and thanks for posting it. Best.
LOL ! 😂 That’s the truth ! The band I was in during the mid 80s through the late nineties was blessed with an amazing keyboardist ; who had a Hammond B3 & Leslie speaker setup ! Did I mention that we had practice in his basement ?! 😮😅 We both loved and dreaded getting gigs to play ! 😁
12:07-12:16 the reason i started learning hammond, gotta love Santana at woodstock
They forgot about one person, that's Billy Preston
Just try carrying one of these around from venue to venue! As a roadie during the 70’s, I nearly snapped my back in half moving this thing around.... but the sound was worth it! Thanks for the video 👍
Thanks for bringing the B3 to the masses!
Yeah I was thinking about this too. How did bands tour with these things? Or maybe they just got a local supplier to bring them to each show.
@@RishonaCampbell Rarely that was the case... Actually it was pure roadie muscle power, and when a venue had no elevator or escalator, trying to carry a B3 or the heavier B2 up one or two flights of stairs was enough to pop you eyes from their sockets
When I was a kid; it was the Rascals, Vanilla Fudge and "The Vagrants" (Leslie West's first band) that ruled, especially their Live Shows !!!!!
Such a classic sound!
I play drums and bass guitar but the Hammond organ is my favorite instrument. I just love 💘 the sound. Gospel, rock, soul, anything with a Hammond
Great to have this History. First fell in love with a Church Pipe Organ. One had to pump the bellows for sound. As young teenagers this was cool. Owned my first Hammond, a Spinet in 1969. Bought my Hammond Porta B 1974. Played it with 2 Leslies. Really Great sounds. Still record with it in my studio. Can be heard on my CDs. Great History. Jimmy Smith was the Man!!!along with Shirley Scott. Reggae great Organist, Jackie Mittoo made that sound a must have at any reputable Studio. My Porta B for a while can be heard on Hits Produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at Black Ark Studio 1976-1977. The sound of the Hammond Organ has been on many Reggae hits including those of Bob Marley.
I grew up with the B-3, then the D--152 (also a chord organ and an Extravoice) as my father was Shay Torrent, first organist for the White Sox and, when they were created, the Angels. Had two PR-40 speakers. Later we got a G-100, their attempt at a tab-type church organ - had antiphonal speakers in bedrooms, etc., later moved it to a church. But the D was my favorite, since it had all the 32 pedals for Bach. Later, with a Skilsaw, a crazy electrical genius friend and a lot of chutzpah, he cut 4 Hammonds into a four-manual organ-plus-synthesizer thing, designed to be unbuckled and carried about on his concert tours (he was now in his 80's) in their motor home. I loved every minute spent on and listening to the wonderful tones of the Hammond.
Nothing better than a ripping jazz set with a killer real B3, guitar and tenor sax going off in a small club. I've been to Chicago many times and listened to the local B3 players, there's a blind black guy Chris Foreman that plays at Andys that is really great, and yes there's a lot of guys in the audience that are obsessed with the B3.
A really good education on the Hammond. Notice the two people who did the most for the Hammond had the same last name: Ethel Smith and Jimmy Smith.
Let's not forget the German organist Klaus Wunderlich who sold more than 20 million lp and cd's almost worldwide. It is a pity that he switched from Hammond to Wersi in the seventies. His early Hammond lp's (the fifties and sixties) are the best, at least that's my opinion.
That is amazing two people who brought the Hammond to its reality today with the last name Smith.
The Hammond company should also be given great credit for reducing registration to the drawbar system, and for building these things really well. Most are still running. And the keyboard action is still the best in the business, something the 1960s imitators simply could not get right.
One of the greatest of all time is Maestro Richard “Groove” Holmes. There is a reason he is called “Groove.” His feel is so beautifully aggressive especially when he is playing the Blues.
His left hand Bass playing was so metronomically steady and inventive. In my opinion, no organist has ever swung so ferociously. Joey DeFrancesco
has a similar hard “take no prisoners” feel in his playing.
The Hammond is just a wonder.
Thanks for this most enlightening expose of that iconic instrument. Been around them most of my life only to find how little I really knew about them.
The sound of the Hammond with the Leslie speaker cabinet is still rocking the music world. Truly an electro - mechanical marvel
The lubrication system is very cool
hate to say, the Hammond model goes back to 1933. I worked at a music store and we got one in and had an inspection date of October 3, 1933. it was a model A serial number 320 built by the Hammond Clock Company. I worked at the music store as an electornic technician for 15 years.i have worked on many Hammond organs and other organs out there. just my 2 cents worth.
I have a Hammond H-111 that is...currently... not functional. A so-called "technician" came to my house to repair it...and that was last June! The unit needed [arts, and he "thought" he had them when he made his return trip. Instead, he needed to take one of the main units out of the cabinet because it supposedly needed to have all of the capacitors tested... which he could only do in his shop.
When he returned to my house, he had to take TWO units back to his shop. He then started to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he was not finished! One was that the area where he had his shop had been flooded and thus he supposedly could not get into the shop. THAT WAS LAST AUTUMN!
I still do not have the "units" back, and he keeps coming up with excuses.
Now, I know that the H-111 is old, and that parts might be hard to find. However, we are no going on 8 months since our first phone conversation. Is this unreasonably long? Is it true that some of the parts...such as capacitors...are very hard to find?
By the way, the so-called "technician is located in Vermont, and I am in New Hampshire. Do you know of anyone in this area who can help me? The guy still has my units!
@@DeedsResearcher Did you get your units back?
OUTSTANDING - Thanks for sharing! It helps me understand why I own a B3,C3,M3. XK3 C, XK1 and SIX Leslies!
Played many Hammond Organs & they are a dream to enjoy. I play Pipe Organs & Concert Grands...became a Headliner in Night Clubs & Theater Clubs & Broadway. Those were all great times & still moonlight. Great UA-cam here. Thanks.
If you like jazz organ, go check out a guy called Lonnie Smith. He's a Sikh so he often looks a bit unusual but he plays the most amazing jazz organ.
+Paul TheSkeptic - nah....larry young is the man. and lonnie aint sikh or a doctor...its all an image
Paul TheSkeptic >>> I saw LS at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, and you’re right... he did not disappoint. He has a more open drawbar style that is unusual amongst jazzers.
progjazzfusion >>> Yes Larry Young had an incredible pure tone that is very hard to describe but beautiful. The first song I was aquatinted with was “African Blues” off the *Young Blues* album. (Sept 30, 1960- Englewood Cliffs, NJ) What a hell of an album!
“Nica’s Dream” another favorite of mine. Thanks for mentioning him... I just had to dust off the CD & give it a spin right now! 😎
Yes, Lonnie is great for sure.
you look weird to someone, as do we all, and so sayth the good lord........all hail Trump haha
Nice tidy little doco about a very worthy subject. Love that Hammond/Leslie sound.
Jon Lord was the first to introduce distortion to the B3. Funny to hear this guy play Smoke On The Water... sans distortion :)
Lord usually played a C-3, not a B-3, but they are the same organ except for the wooden cabinet. He also didn't use a Leslie that much, but would often run it through a Fender Twin Reverb or a Marshall. Trivia: he got the "C" he toured with from Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac back when. :-)
Funny that one of the most famous guitar riffs in history is actually played by a Hammond organ!
@@danielschoen8402 ..well Ritchie Blackmore is playing the riff on guitar as well 🎶
@@rabtab9495 Jon also played the piano in You Really Got Me
@@StanKindly as well as brainwashed
In the 80's you could pick up a used Hammond organ for a less than $1000, especially the C3 whose solid panels made it just a little harder to gig with. I knew about electrical circuitry and worried that buying an instrument that might be over 20 years old was a bad investment. The new keyboard I bought for nearly two grand was obsolete in five years and the company that made them went under. Hammonds are still going strong. Oops.
@cindykrista New can also be better. Today's emulators can create nearly any sound and still have enough power left enough room on the computer for a complete mixing station.
@cindykrista I'm not trying to get into an argument, I think analog and digital have their places. Sound reinforcement is way out of my wheelhouse but I've heard both great digital rooms and lousy analog ones and vice versa. Back in the day tape was the best you could do for home (yes, better than vinyl) but most people couldn't afford reel-to-reel decks or metal cassette decks, let alone the few pre-recorded reel-to-reel albums out there. They just had cheap walkman knockoffs or 8-Track players in their cars that sounded as bad as they were cheap. Today more people have access to better sound than ever, including a reviving vinyl market. If only record companies stopped over-compressing the life out of it. BTW, that keyboard I passed up a B3 for was an ARP 2600 analog synth. A lot of fun to play but not a practical thing to use in a small band.
@cindykrista My ARP 2600 was no lightweight at around 60lbs. I know that's only 1/5th of a B3 but remember it the next time you run into that old video of Edgar Winter wearing the 2600's 20+lb keyboard section like a guitar. Yes, I thought about putting a guitar strap on mine and no, I wasn't that dumb. Just sitting it on my lap made my legs sore. 😉😁
@cindykrista I stare at the guts of a Hammond and think if someone is good at restoring the old mechanical pinball machines they'd have a good shot at figuring out the guts of a Hammond organ. To me they are both very electro-mechanical whirly-jig hoojackapivvies. I love them both :)
Hammond organ is eternal! 💎
The Hammond most likely is the first "portable" synthesizer. Hammond like Rhodes, are names of legendary instruments loved by us all. And the Leslie speaker, like the digital effect pedals used on the Rhodes Piano, has only enhanced a great sounding instrument even more.
Saw Felix playing it and I was hooked, awesome instrument.
I've repaired a total of five Leslie's over the years. One, was modified by an engineering prof from Georgia Tech, Dr. W. Marshall Leach. He had passed away by the time I received the Leslie for repair, there were no included schematics, so I contacted Georgia Tech's engineering department. That, was a blast! The short story is, there are more "Leach Leslie's" out there, treasure them, because I don't believe they'll ever be equaled!
my fav hammond b3 player is and always will be Greg Allman.
The Hammond B3 KING is Jimmy Smith. Hands down. RIP James Oscar Smith.
together with Jimmy McGriff, don't forget him. there are several other kings as Lee Morgan and others
There are kings & queens, of virtually everything but yeah, James Oscar Smith remains the undisputed king of the Hammond.
Agreed! He really was the master of the Hammond B3 organ. There is a magnificent album you might like to listen to: THE DYNAMIC DUO- Jimmy Smith with Wes Montgomery, Beautiful.
Yes the Dynamic duo. Two of my favorite musicians on their respective instruments!
ua-cam.com/video/8xVU_BLow5M/v-deo.html
When you're a professional musician (other than organ) and you show up at a gig with a B3 player, it's like landing on another planet. The organ has command of the universe. Sure it plays the bass, rhythm, comping, and melody, all in about thirteen different voices. But then it adds all those rumbles, swells, crashes, explosions, barks and all that other stuff we love. Us poor solo instrumentalists sit on the side and wait for the organ player to have lunch so we can solo.
After the concert, people go home and talk about "That guy that played the heck out of the organ. And I think there was another guy on stage too".
Thanks, Mr Hammond
The Hammond X66 was the first organ combining two technologies: tone wheel generators and solid state transistor electronic oscillators. Unforgettable and unique organ.
Actually it was 12 tone wheels for the top octave and the rest of the remaining tones were created with discrete analog divider networks.
Hammond B3, C3, and A100 are ALL THE SAME ORGAN with the same internal mechanics. The letter simply represents the furniture the organ was built in.
Exactly!
Same with the RT-3, right?
Thanks for that info!
Wow - Didn't know that. Thanks.
that is not true, A100 is not the same at all. It has fewer keys and other differences.
Wow! I have been playing the Hammond A-105, B-3, XB-3 for a long time and never their history. I'm glad I came across this video.
I love the Hammond Organ!!! It’s the best!! 🎹
We just bought a new house and it had an old Hammond M down in the den. The previous owner said it didn't work and he couldn't even give it away. He was going to haul it to the dump before we moved in. I told him to leave it. After a few days of oiling, it fired up! So far, everything works but one bass pedal and it's got one dry bearing I need to track down. I suppose I should learn how to play the organ now.
Jon Kern AWESOME!!!!
Lucky!
Lucky you. A friend told me a story about a guy who went to a garage sale and bought an electric guitar for $5.00. The guitar was given to the homeowner's son as a gift, and I guess he lost interest and left it behind when he went off to college. Turned out it was a Fender Stratocaster.
Big C What's so special about a Strat? I guess the fact that he paid 5 dollars but I guarantee it wasn't an oversight. Probably a made in Mexico or Asia Stratocaster.
Jon Kern The notes are the same as the piano.
Great video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Hammond is a part of much of the music I love.
"On the inside, most speakers don't
have moving parts."
The Voice coil, and the diaphragm, aren't moving?
If they didn't move, we couldn't hear anything!
You are right, the spinning stuff inside a Leslie
Speaker is pretty DAMN impressive!
steve
Thank you so much for this. full of historical facts about an instrument just as iconic as a fender strat. only a Hammond sounds like a Hammond...……………………………..awesome!
I taught myself to play a B-3 beginning in 1956. I was 16. I worked in the summers at an entertainment pier in Galveston called the Pleasure Pier. They had two B-3s so when the hired organists weren't using them, I was. Until about 10 years ago, I had played the Hammond and piano, often together, professionally. I wish I had one now. In this piece, the organist in the church beats the tar out of the Hammond, and is constantly messing with the draw bars. I wish he would watch the end of the piece where Jimmy Smith is playing. Notice that he honors the keyboards and he doesn't continue messing with the draw bars. Maybe that has a lot to do with why he is universally known as the King of the Hammond.
Hello fellow Galvestonian. I am BOI 1958.
When I was 7 in June of 1959, a big wooden device was brought into our home and I was told that I could play it but I had to wash my hands and take off my shoes. Mom played by ear and that C-3 was finally sold in 2005 one year after mom died. I sold it on ebay. It went from Wisconsin to Louisiana and to my surprise, the guy that bought it didn't even want the tone cabinet. He fixed them up and he said it went to a church. He was surprised how good the wood was and I told him that was because I had to wash my hands and take off my shoes before I touched it. Now every time I see a band play I look to see if they have a Hammond.
When I was 8 in July of 1960, a big wooden box was brought into our home and I was told not open it. My mother told me that my grandpa was sleeping inside and had come to live with us from now on.
When I was 2 Christmas 1959. I recieved a box. I opened it and it was a genuine Mickey Mouse Club guitar!
I got my Hammond R-128 3 days ago. First organ I ever owned, I love it!
Just to set the record straight on terminology, the Leslie speaker does not implement VIBRATO. It actually provides TREMOLO. There is a vibrato setting on the B3 - but not through the Leslie. Vibrato is frequency (pitch) modulation. Tremolo is amplitude (volume or amplitude) modulation. The spinning horns change the amplitude - NOT the frequency.... It is common to use the Vibrato setting (through the B3 signal) to the Leslie (adding tremolo). Just sayin' - the professionals should know this.
Youre right, and good catch that the leslie does tremolo, but you still get the slight doppler effect with the top horns as well as tremolo. So it kinda sounds like a slight pitch modulation, which is why the sound is so popular, dont you think? I still have to find a video on how Leslie got this radical idea in the first place.
@@TuneStunnaMusic And some phase shift.
@@TuneStunnaMusic Your remark about the doppler effect is correct; it _does_ provide a subtle shift in pitch as the horns move closer to the listener and subsequently further away. In fact, there is both pitch, phase, and volume modulation when the Leslie rotates, and that is what gives the Leslie its unique sound.
my super reverb has tremolo, my Stratocaster has vibrato. I've owned Leslie 16"s & 18"s the Vibratone I think it's called. playing through mahogany cab 122 I think was the model, is a whole lotta different (ha) In the top, the horn spinning only has sound coming from half of it. the other side of horn is dummy, to Accentuate Doppler/Phase shift. on bottom, speaker 15'' is static with vented cover that spins opposite direction. at different speeds, with a ramp up and down effect... it all comes together to make not a trem or vibrato, but a Leslie effect is it not?
@@TuneStunnaMusic -- I read that Laurens Hammond said "I never intended for my organ to sound like that.". Too bad, dude... it's ruled for 70+ years I gather...
When inventors and musicians collide, sometimes great things happen. Another great musical instrument developer was NOT a player... I'm sure you've heard of Leo Fender. Very cool stuff. I encourage anyone out there to salvage old instruments that you find, and get them a new home with someone who will enjoy them. I've saved a few Pianos, and it's wonderful to hear them played by their new owners.
One You Tube B3 video I like is Jane Vasey playing with Down Child Blues Band. She does some boogie woogie playing. Also Peter Appleyard is playing the Vibes. It's not just the music it is how much fun they are having. The Down Child Blues Band was the inspiration for the Blues Brothers Band.
For a genius, Laurens Hammond was sure stubborn at times. I wonder what would have happened to the Hammond
company if they went into partnership with Leslie. Some organs even had output jacks that were incompatible with Leslie speakers so that they couldn’t be used. Still, nothing can come close to the original genuine Hammond sound and electronic organs like the Vox Continental and Wurlitzers which sound like they have laryngitis compared to a Lesliefied B3.
I know Stan, he is a very humble organist for him to be so talented! he has given me tips over the years!
Shirley Scott made some really nice jazz music on her B3, as of course, Jimmy Smith was the KING of jazz organ, 'Scotty" was pretty good too. Thank you, Mr. Hammond.
A friend of mine has a classic "Split" C3 painted black and covered in Dymo stickers that formerly belonged to Pete Bardens of Camel.
It's a true monster. Part of the sound is that as they get older, the tone wheels "bleed" so you get this underlying tone coming through that only the old ones give, that result in this "dirty" or even "filthy" rock Hammond sound.
No love for Ingfried Hoffmann, one of the greatest musicians to ever live. He absolutely rocked on this instrument.
I watched the whole video very interesting great info. If you are a musician gotta watch this
Jimmy Smith , Joey Defrancesco , Barbara Dennerlien , Rhoda Scott , Lonnie Liston Smith , Tony Monaco , Jimmy McGriff , John Hammond , Charles Earland etc. The pioneers of Hammond B3 have all been jazz players .
Jack McDuff.
Incredible invention for all of us to enjoy.
I’m a guitar player by trade. It’s my main passion and always will be.
But I also own 3 hammonds....a b3, a c2 and an a100. There’s something completely unique and living about the Hammond organ. It’s the steam locomotive of modern musical instruments. There’s a certain magic to the sights, smells and transcendent sounds that can be matched by no other instrument. You have this whirling, breathing thing in front of you and this beautiful, spinning speaker next to you. There’s no other experience like it in music...it’s very, VERY easy to get bitten by that bug.
It was a genius Mr. Laurence Hammond.
The inventor of the tonewheels and the legendary B3 organ.
More than 50 years later we still see plenty of B3 on stages around the world (pop rock blues soul funk rythm'n blues gospel and even classical) in recording studios, churches, it's an incredible happiness.
Lots of brands have tried to copy the Hammond sound, but Hammond remains the benchmark and the new Hammond SK and XK keep the legend alive, they are the best.
I will not forget Leslie who is the perfect companion to the Hammond organ.
Fully agree hammond players are spesial people! Once hooked, always hooked.
Wow such a great documentary 🤗
Funny but al green organ player was the taste in that music he was the sauce man!!! That swooop on love and happiness 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
The most majestic sounding instrument ever created. Societies should treat old hammond organs like they treat ancient artifacts. They need to be preserved and maintained so people in the future can hear it forever
totally dude!!!
I have a 1961 M111 I! I love It! It's not a B3, But it has beautiful tone and is fully functional!
Sometimes you can't even tell the difference! what an amazing Instrument! TY Hammond!
I am amazed you can have a documentary about the hammond without including Steve Winwood
Watch it again, he's in there with Traffic.
Cool video, I miss my B3, it got stolen in the late 80’s along with my Leslie 800 .. but never fear Hammond now has a B3 app for the iPad that sounds just as good as it did .. only thing missing is the waterfall keys :)
7:13 "Let's go below the border for some South American jive."
Until recently. I owned a Hammond RT 3. I wanted to learn how to play it, but I am a terribly undisciplined musician. I ended up selling it to an African-American church where I know it will put to good use. It finally went home!
That's the best one ever made!
I have an RT3 hooked up to Leslie 147 and a PR40 It came out of a cathederal in NE of UK, It's got pride of place in my studio now. I still have to pinch myself when I look at it. Sounds awesome!!.. @@mattwalsh9413
Thanks so much for this! Like Hannibal crossing the Alps, or the Hammurabi Stone, or The Flying Buttress! BIG history!! As huge as PULP FICTION, even. And, Little Orphan Leslie, to boot! So much for the Zeppelin, led, or stand alone! ❤ Major!
Very informative video. I really had no clue about the history of the Hammond. Thanks for sharing this gem.
I've been all over listening to Dr. Lonnie Smith lately
I once bought a $2 organ at a farm auction for my keyboard playing girlfriend. It didn't seem to be working, and being mechanically curious, I pulled the cover off to see what was inside expecting an air blower and rows of pipes. Well--- it was a Hammond! I don't remember which model but something for home use. Me and my oil can had it working in no time.
Some years later the electrician at the lumbermill where I worked thought he was so "smart" when he tried to explain to "dummy me" how the sensor was reading little segments in the wheel and creating the rpm display on my machine. So I says to him--- "yea, like a Hammond organ". And he says to me--- "NO, you idiot, that's NOT how an organ works". I persisted and we had quite a heated discussion, I eventually got an apology out of him! And he is a wiser electrician!
Jon Lord played a Hammond
Wonderful video on one of the greatest modern electric instruments of all time, the B-3. Fascinating how Hammond sought to destroy Leslie. But what is one without the other? Leslie speakers were hooked up to guitars as is evidenced on "Tears of Rage" and very effectively IMHO by Robbie Robertson of The Band from "Music from Big Pink." Still the Hammond was and remains completely rounded out, fulfilled, for lack of a better term, by the Leslie speaker. And they're both marvelous vintage pieces of furniture!
Lee Michaels Stormy Monday!
cengeb >>>> Oh yeah!!!! The live version I’ve heard is especially nice!
He is the reason I have a Hammond today.
Laurens Hammond's contribution to electric clocks was at a time when the manufacturers, like Sessions, had reluctance synchronous motors which required a spin of a small wheel by hand at the rear of the clock to start the motor. This was a chancy thing as sometimes the motor would start and sometimes you had to spin it several times for it to "catch" and get the balky clock running. Hammond's improvement was to put a flexible coupling between the motor and the clock works. His motor always started on the first spin.
He used that same principle in his organs, The Hammond organ had two motors: a start motor to get it up to approximate speed, and a run motor using the same principle as his clock motors: a reluctance synchronous motor connected to the organ mechanism through a flexible coupling to allow reliable starting. He also used the reluctance motor principle "backwards" to generate all of the notes. Each pitch was generated with an individual tone wheel and magnet combination to create a small electrical signal that was then mixed and amplified to create the unique "Hammond sound." Interesting that had Hammond not built a better clock, and the clock business declined, he might have never built a organ.
This post makes me wish i knew more things.
The tone wheels do the same thing as the strings on an electric guitar. I fooled around with various designs for plucked reeds that would vibrate near electromagnetic pickups, and it would have helped if I'd been a better musician.
@@markkinsler4333 isn't that how a Fender Rhoades and Wurlitzer work?
@@Nikosi9 Those, and others as well. My particular variation was to have the reed attached to the end of the key so that the impact of the key at the end of its travel would set the reed into motion. I was excited enough about the idea to do a patent search, which in 1980 involved learning an elaborate microfilm classification system. I wasn't all that disappointed, however, to find that a fellow in New York had already patented my idea, for that implied that my thinking indeed had some merit to it. A later patent he took out showed, however, that he hadn't had much more luck with the high notes than I did, and then cheap electronic oscillators made both our efforts completely obsolete. I still look fondly upon the experience.
the new B-3s will never be the same.. because of the way Hammond organs are played and maintained...they all have a different and distinct sound!
Thank you, Mr. Hammond.
Fascinating story - nothing swings more than Jimmy Smith playing jazz on a Hammond Organ - don’t know why I’ve always loved it, it’s so cheesy, but there you go....
Used to play one in church until I was 18. Beautiful instrument. The minister didn't mind me pretending to be Keith Emerson on it if nomody else was around. Then I went to university and have never played one since
That is a pity!
@@willys6529 yes. I have played some rather nice pianos anf keyboards, but not a Hammond
My old Hammonds will never die ! I own 3 1936 Model A hams from wich one is completely converted and upgraded not only to AV but to complete B3 , it plays like a New NOS Hammond organ and no one ever can make a substitute for these beautiful instruments , they will outlast my life and that from my kids I am sure about that . and all the new plastic rubbish clones will not even get their 20th birthday . nobody can build such quality instruments anymore , and I will caress them forever .B.
would love to see the comeback of the analog Hammond organs
the cool thing is that so may of them are still around and in great condition.
Keep an eye on Craig's List, you may find a free M3 here and there (the baby B3). It's been used on a bunch of songs, most notably Boston's. This was the one of the more typical home models. No Leslie, but an internal speaker, and there are technicians everywhere who can oil it up and condition it for you when you bring it home. Lots more maintenance.
"Whiter Shade of Pale", Procol Harum
Steve Winwood..
Must have been the greatest 'Hammondhit' !!
I fronted 'The Dave Davani Five' for a while in the Sixties, Dave played a Hammond organ with a Leslie Cab', I still remember struggling up stair at some Gigs ( it was heavy!!!!). You can hear Dave on youtube, great player!!!
Piękna muzyka!***..
I’d give a shout out to Canadians Dan Aykroyd who said, “Heaven to me is . . . a burbling Hammond B-3” and Doug Riley, whose playing could bring Earth a little closer to Heaven.
Doug Riley. Saw him numerous times at The Orbit Room .
@@petermautner7052 Wow, like Top o' the Senator, I hear The Orbit Room has been shuttered; another Covid causality? Riley lived his final days here on Prince Edward Island where his influence still resonates. I bought and lost a gospel CD he recorded here on PEI, sure wish I could find it because it really exposed his genius.
@@UncleWally3 Walter good day to you. I remember vaguely Doug Riley,s son Drummer Ben. Anyone that listens to jazz like yourself is a special soul . It is not the media that exposes one to Jazz , Salsa , Bossa Nova , Be bop , Classical, Afro Cuban etc. It takes a special inquisitive minded person who thinks outside the box . One either has those genes or doesn't. I feel people who have those genes can expose others that don't, and in some cases influence them. Have a good day .