This is my favorite story to tell, and what better place to tell it than here on Blogsboro.

Dr. Lonnie Smith is a highly regarded Hammond B3 jazz musician with a long long history and discography, from the mid-60's to today.

I first became aware of Lonnie's work in 1984, when I had moved to Jacksonville,  Florida.  Jacksonville had a jazz station, which was pretty rare back in those days, and it was part of a program of Jones College, a local business school.  They had a radio broadcasting department, and it just so happened that I was coming to Jacksonville to attend a competing radio broadcasting school, Radio Broadcasting Institute.  Well, I love jazz. And when I started listening to Jones College Radio, (WKTZ), I heard 2 songs from Lonnie Smith's album, Drives.  And I noticed that the same DJ was always on the radio.  So, to make a long blog entry shorter, we became friends and eventually married.  During the course of our "courting", I managed to make my way up to the Jones College radio studio, and find a copy of this album, Drives, and learned that the station manager had taken a razor blade and scratched certain tracks off the album so the students wouldn't be tempted to play what was not in their format.  Then's when I learned about "cut-outs".  I was young and naive and thought I could just go down to my local record store and buy this album.  Not to be.  Out of print for a long time.

So time went by, the radio station changed its format, and I longed for a copy of this album, and wondered what had ever happened to this jazz great.  Mind you, this was pre-Internet where you could go look everything up -  you had to actually use a *gasp* LIBRARY and go look stuff up in BOOKS. 

I hunted and hunted for any information I could find about Lonnie - I knew he recorded for Blue Note, I knew he had played with George Benson and Lou Donaldson, but in the surprisingly vast music reference library that the University of North Florida had, I could find barely a mention of Lonnie - and nothing else.

A few years went by, I had finally obtained a used demo copy of Drives from a seller in California that I found in Downbeat, and paid $50 - the light bill for us at the time.  I would have paid $500 if I had to.  A few more years went by, and my husband (at the time, we're divorced now, but remain the dearest of friends) was to have a rare weekend off from his current job, and we were going to go to Disneyworld.  Well, as it turns out, he couldn't get the whole weekend off, so, not being properly medicated at the time, I threw a temper tantrum.  He consoled me by promising to take me to a jazz club that we knew of in St. Augustine for dinner.

We're having a lovely evening at this jazz club, and the band is good, and I notice the piano player is a man wearing a turban.  The singer gets up and introduces the band, and says, "On piano is Dr. Lonnie Smith."  I looked at my husband and said, "It can't be..."  So I asked the waitress, "Is this the same Lonnie Smith that recorded for Blue Note in the '70s, played with George Benson, Lou Donaldson..." and she replied that she didn't know, but would find out.  A few minutes later, she came back and said, "It IS the same Lonnie Smith, and he'll be stopping by your table at the break."  I thought I would pee in my pants.

Imagine if you will, your musical idol.  Elvis, Bono, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney,  whoever it is for you.  It's Lonnie Smith for me.  And here he was, at my table, making a special effort to see me.  Well, I was overwhelmed to say the least, and stammered and told him how his music had changed my life, and tried to spit out the "IboughtauseddemocopyofDrivesforfiftydollars" as fast as I could.  He said, "Yeah, that was a fun album to make".  I told him of trying so hard to find information about him, and asked where he had been all these years, and learned he had toured and recorded in Europe pretty extensively. We talked a little more, and he graciously gave me his autograph and a hug and went back to play. Halfway between the next set, he got up and walked out of the club.  I turned to my husband and said, "There he goes, he just walked out of my life."

Fast forward to 2001. I'm married (again) and on my honeymoon in London, England.  My 2nd husband and I were in a Virgin Megastore to get Andy Williams' autograph, and I picked up a flyer that had venues and dates in it, and lo and behold, Lonnie Smith and Lou Donaldson are playing THAT NIGHT at the Jazz Cafe in London.  Well, of course, we had to go.  As he walked into the room, I felt so starstruck, but my husband encouraged me to go speak to him.  I walked up to him, and said, "I don't know if you remember me, but we met many years ago in Richards' in St. Augustine..." and he said, "You know, I wanted to buy that club, and yes, I do remember you".  And it was magical all over again.  He played in top form, I danced on the upper deck overlooking the bar and the band, and when it was all over, he gave me his contact information.  I owned a chocolate shop on State Street at the time, and as soon as we were stateside again, sent him the biggest basket of gourmet chocolates I had.

Our friendship has stayed true through the years - once he called me on my cell phone as I was leaving the chocolate shop after a particularly grueling day - he was playing that night in Durham, and he said, "You are coming to see me, aren't you?"  How could I say no?  Imagine your idol calling you on the phone and saying that. We spent the evening backstage with Lonnie, and afterwards, on the stage as he showed technique to jazz students from North Carolina Central.  It was yet another magical night.

Most recently, Budd and I have seen him in Cary, and he will be appearing with David 'Fathead' Newman at Duke University's Page Auditorium on January 19, 2008.  If you are a jazz aficionado and want to see a master performer, this is the show to see.

My most poignant moment with Lonnie was the night that legendary jazz organist Jimmy Smith died.   I knew Lonnie must have known him and was probably upset, so I took a chance and called him at home.  We hadn't spoken in about 2-3 years, as he travels all over the world touring. He answered the phone. "Lonnie?" I said, and he immediately said, "Tina" (which I couldn't believe) and we talked and cried on the phone over Jimmy.  I'll never forget that.

Dr. Lonnie has gained much notoriety since those days.  He's hit #1 on the jazz charts several times with Too Damn Hot  and Jungle Soul.  One of the best efforts recently, in my opinion, is on Scufflin' Records collaborating with David 'Fathead' Newman, and it's called Boogaloo to Beck.  It's the good doctor and his smokin' hot band covering Beck tunes in most unusual and pleasing fashions.

If you're into funk/soul/jazz, give Lonnie a listen.  Visit his website here.  And if you get a chance to get tickets to see him in Durham, take my advice - don't miss a chance to see him in concert.   Lonnie, I love you.  You changed my life forever, and I can't wait to see you in Durham in January!