Hammond B3 Heaven

What do songs as diverse as Frank Sinatra’s That’s Life, Spencer Davis’s Gimme Some Lovin’, Santana’s Black Magic Woman, Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone, Three Dog Night’s Eli’s Coming, the Beatles Let It Be and Booker T and the MG’s Green Onions have in common? Answer: the distinctive, soulful sound of the Hammond B3 organ, a staple on dozens of soul, rock and pop hits over the last fifty or more years. (You can check out the sound by clicking on Green Onions above).

Last year the Hammond Company launched its Hall of Fame and the freshman class included rock legends Al Kooper, Billy Preston and Steve Winwood, jazz greats Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Fats Waller and rock blues giant Gregg Allman. The aforementioned Booker T. Jones was also in the group, as were eighteen others.

Felix Cavaliere, leader of the (Young) Rascals made the cut. Last night I heard him fronting his current band through a parade of Rascals hits, standing, as ever, behind his beloved Hammond B3. My Notre Dame buddy John Burrows and I were there, at the Tarrytown Music Hall. It was an epic night!

At 72 Cavaliere’s voice isn't what it once was but his musicianship is intact and that B3 sounded terrific. His band features lead and bass guitars, a drummer and a back-up vocalist. I wish I could tell you their names because they were all excellent.

From the opening In the Midnight Hour to the closing Good Lovin’ we were treated to ninety minutes of (mostly) non-stop hits, including A Beautiful Morning, You Better Run, Mustang Sally, I've Been Lonely Too Long, How Can I Be Sure, People Got To Be Free and the immortal Groovin’. The audience was mainly people our age but, singing along and pumping fists, we were kids again.

I return next week to Tarrytown to hear the Turtles, the Buckinghams, the Association, the Grass Roots and Mark Lindsay. A completely different trip down memory lane.

Probably not as loud, probably not as intense.

Then

Now