What instruments did Jimmy Smith play?

Jimmy Smith was primarily known as a jazz organist, specializing in the Hammond organ, though he also played piano early in his career.

Which record labels was Jimmy Smith associated with?

He recorded extensively for Blue Note Records and later worked with Verve Records, among others.

What genres influenced Jimmy Smith's music?

His work spanned jazz, funk, soul, hard bop, and jazz fusion, reflecting his eclectic approach to improvisation and composition.

Did Jimmy Smith receive any notable awards?

He was recognized as an NEA Jazz Master, a prestigious honor acknowledging his contributions to jazz.

How did Jimmy Smith impact the jazz organ trio format?

He popularized the organ trio (organ, guitar, drums), which became a standard ensemble setup in jazz, emphasizing the organ's versatility as a harmonic and rhythmic instrument.

Jimmy Smith

American jazz organist

Person Human Q318948

Facts

26 properties

Instance of: human
Sex or gender: male^[18]
Date of birth: December 8, 1925, December 8, 1928^[11]
Date of death: February 8, 2005
Place of birth: Norristown
Place of death: Phoenix, Scottsdale^[10]
Country of citizenship: United States^[13]
Ethnic group: African Americans^[14]
Occupation: organist, pianist, jazz musician, recording artist, composer
Educated at: Hamilton School^[15]
Award received: NEA Jazz Masters^[16]
Genre: funk, hard bop, soul, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, indie rock^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]^[24]
Birth name: James Oscar Smith^[37]
Described by source: Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians^[36]
Different from: Jimmy Smith^[39]
Discography: Jimmy Smith discography^[27]
End of work period: 1972^[41]
Family name: Smith^[28]
Given name: James, Oscar^[29]^[30]
Instrument: organ, Hammond organ, voice, guitar^[32]^[33]^[34]^[35]
Member of: Jimmy Smith Trio^[17]
Name in native language: Jimmy Smith^[38]
Place of burial: Merion Memorial Park^[12]
Pseudonym: The Incredible Jimmy Smith^[31]

Show all 26 facts +2

Record label: Blue Note, Verve Records^[25]^[26]
Start of work period: 1956^[40]

🏷️ Also known as

en James Oscar Smith en The Incredible Jimmy Smith en Jimmy Smith (musician) en Jimmy Smith en James Smith en James Oscar ar جيمي سميث cs James Oscar Smith da The Incredible Jimmy Smith de The Incredible Jimmy Smith de James Oscar Smith es The Incredible Jimmy Smith fa جیمی اسمیت fr The Incredible Jimmy Smith he ג'ימי סמית id James Oscar Smith id The Incredible Jimmy Smith it The Incredible Jimmy Smith ja ジミー・スミス nl The Incredible Jimmy Smith

🔖 Identifiers · 73

ISNI: 0000000034293818
VIAF cluster ID: 70675920
Library of Congress Authorities ID: n87137943
GND ID: 134524543
Image (Wikimedia Commons): Jimmy Oscar Smith Hammond.JPG ↗
All About Jazz musician ID: 4432
AllMovie person ID: p165041
AllMusic artist ID: mn0000781172
Allcinema person ID: 745723
AlloCiné person ID: 130429
BAnQ authority ID: 0000446795
BBC Things ID: 0c06287e-727e-4db2-84f4-171d4ca6b0e4

Show all 73 identifiers +61

BIBSYS ID: 3001247
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 138998695
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID: smith-jimmy
Carnegie Hall agent ID: 2733
DDB person (GND) ID: 134524543
DR music artist ID: 18693
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID: 134524543
Dezède person ID: 19908
Discogs artist ID: 29981
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: biography/Jimmy-Smith
Encyclopædia Universalis ID: jimmy-smith
Europeana entity: agent/base/63996
Evene ID: jimmy-smith-17486
FAST ID: 209201
FES digital collections entity ID: 373555
Filmportal ID: 63e258846d25492a9c9be3260ec94bce
Find a Grave memorial ID: 10451990
Freebase ID: /m/0fwg0m
GTAA ID: 155527
Grammy Awards artist ID: jimmy-smith/12554
Gran Enciclopèdia de la Música ID: 14646
Great Norwegian Encyclopedia ID: Jimmy_Smith
Grove Music Online ID: 45697
HAND ID: 1809-3DC2-499C-BE74-66C6
IMDb ID: nm0808732
IdRef ID: 084290102
J9U entity ID: 987007332451105171
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID: 134524543
Kinobox person ID: 908339
Kinopoisk person ID: 329196
LdiF person ID: 56705
Lur Encyclopedic Dictionary ID: 05428/eu_s_2478/s2478
Montreux Jazz Festival person ID: 8228
MusicBrainz artist ID: 4f8a0d9b-5777-40da-b29a-e9753d5ae693
Muziekweb performer ID: M00000100282
NE.se ID: jimmy-smith
NL CR AUT ID: ola2002159257
NLP ID: a0000002655173
NNDB people ID: 124/000088857
NUKAT ID: n2015079489
National Library of Poland MMS ID: 9810589508805606
National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID: XX886018
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID: 071292977
Obálky knih ID: ola2002159257
Oxford Reference overview ID: 20110803100512950
Prabook ID: 1678973
Radio France person ID: jimmy-smith
Rate Your Music artist ID: jimmy_smith
SBN author ID: LO1V174192
SHARE Catalogue author ID: 788007
SNAC ARK ID: w66h5463
SVKKL authority ID: 0258003-Smith-Jimmy-19282005
Setlist.fm artist ID: 53d6bb21
Songkick artist ID: 556032
Spotify artist ID: 5GXruybcLmXPjR9rKKFyS6
Swedish Film Database person ID: 261588
TMDB person ID: 160767
Topic's main category: Category:Jimmy Smith
Union List of Artist Names ID: 500118029
Universal Music France artist ID: 20000123968, 1001320697
WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJvH7ygjrWjHTK44f9xqwC

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Mb:performer of 47

Softly as a Summer Breeze, The Cat, A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One, A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two, A New Sound – A New Star, A New Sound – A New Star, Any Number Can Win, At Club "Baby Grand" Wilmington, Delaware +39 more

Genre 6

soul, funk, indie rock, jazz fusion, hard bop, jazz-funk

Instrument 4

guitar, Hammond organ, organ, voice

Occupation 4

pianist, organist, jazz musician, recording artist

Given name 2

James, Oscar

Mb:composer 2

I Promise to Remember, I Promise to Remember

Place of death 2

Phoenix, Scottsdale

Record label 2

Verve Records, Blue Note

Award received 1

NEA Jazz Masters

Compositions 1

La Métamorphose des cloportes

Country of citizenship 1

United States

Different from 1

Jimmy Smith

Ethnic group 1

African Americans

Family name 1

Smith

Instance of 1

human

Mb:member of band 1

Jimmy Smith Trio

Place of birth 1

Norristown

Sex or gender 1

male

← Cast member 1

Get Yourself a College Girl

← Different from 1

Jimmy Smith

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Jimmy Smith was born on December 8, 1925^[1], in Norristown^[2]. He died on February 8, 2005^[3], in Phoenix^[4]. He worked as an organist^[5], pianist^[6], jazz musician^[7], recording artist^[8], and composer^[9].

FAQs

Where was Jimmy Smith born?

Jimmy Smith's place of birth was Norristown^[2].

Where did Jimmy Smith die?

Jimmy Smith passed away in Phoenix^[4].

What did Jimmy Smith do for work?

Jimmy Smith worked as an organist^[5], pianist^[6], jazz musician^[7], recording artist^[8], and composer^[9].

Where did Jimmy Smith go to school?

Jimmy Smith was educated at Hamilton School^[15].

What awards did Jimmy Smith receive?

Honors received include NEA Jazz Masters^[16].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Jimmy Smith — place of birth (P19): Norristown. Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. Retrieved 2026-10-17. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Jimmy Smith — place of death (P20): Phoenix. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2014-12-31. nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Jimmy Smith — place of death (P20): Scottsdale. Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-10-17. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[18] ↑ Jimmy Smith — sex or gender (P21): male. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Jimmy Smith — country of citizenship (P27): United States. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Jimmy Smith — educated at (P69): Hamilton School. blackpast.org. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Jimmy Smith — occupation (P106): organist. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Jimmy Smith — occupation (P106): pianist. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Jimmy Smith — occupation (P106): jazz musician. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Jimmy Smith — occupation (P106): recording artist. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Jimmy Smith — occupation (P106): composer. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Jimmy Smith — place of burial (P119): Merion Memorial Park. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2024-07-05. wikidata.org.
[19] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): funk. wikidata.org.
[20] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): hard bop. wikidata.org.
[21] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): soul. wikidata.org.
[22] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): jazz-funk. wikidata.org.
[23] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): jazz fusion. wikidata.org.
[24] ↑ Jimmy Smith — genre (P136): indie rock. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-25. wikidata.org.
[16] ↑ Jimmy Smith — award received (P166): NEA Jazz Masters. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Jimmy Smith — ethnic group (P172): African Americans. Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. wikidata.org.
[25] ↑ Jimmy Smith — record label (P264): Blue Note. wikidata.org.
[26] ↑ Jimmy Smith — record label (P264): Verve Records. wikidata.org.
[27] ↑ Jimmy Smith — discography (P358): Jimmy Smith discography. wikidata.org.
[17] ↑ Jimmy Smith — member of (P463): Jimmy Smith Trio. Retrieved 2020-03-02. wikidata.org.
[1] ↑ Jimmy Smith — date of birth (P569): December 8, 1925. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2014-04-27. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Jimmy Smith — date of birth (P569): December 8, 1928. blackpast.org. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Jimmy Smith — date of death (P570): February 8, 2005. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2014-04-27. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
[28] ↑ Jimmy Smith — family name (P734): Smith. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2015-08-13. wikidata.org.
[29] ↑ Jimmy Smith — given name (P735): James. wikidata.org.
[30] ↑ Jimmy Smith — given name (P735): Oscar. wikidata.org.
[31] ↑ Jimmy Smith — pseudonym (P742): The Incredible Jimmy Smith. wikidata.org.
[32] ↑ Jimmy Smith — instrument (P1303): organ. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-25. wikidata.org.
[33] ↑ Jimmy Smith — instrument (P1303): Hammond organ. wikidata.org.
[34] ↑ Jimmy Smith — instrument (P1303): voice. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-25. wikidata.org.
[35] ↑ Jimmy Smith — instrument (P1303): guitar. Montreux Jazz Festival Database. Retrieved 2020-09-25. wikidata.org.
[36] ↑ Jimmy Smith — described by source (P1343): Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. wikidata.org.
[37] ↑ Jimmy Smith — birth name (P1477): James Oscar Smith. wikidata.org.
[38] ↑ Jimmy Smith — name in native language (P1559): Jimmy Smith. wikidata.org.
[39] ↑ Jimmy Smith — different from (P1889): Jimmy Smith. Retrieved 2019-05-30. wikidata.org.
[40] ↑ Jimmy Smith — start of work period (P2031): 1956. wikidata.org.
[41] ↑ Jimmy Smith — end of work period (P2032): 1972. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Jimmy Smith. Retrieved November 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/jimmy-smith

MLA “Jimmy Smith.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/jimmy-smith.

BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_jimmy-smith_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Jimmy Smith}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/jimmy-smith}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-11}}

LLM prompt

According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Jimmy Smith — https://4ort.xyz/entity/jimmy-smith (retrieved 2026-11-11)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/jimmy-smith · Last refreshed: November 11, 2026

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

27d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗

"Changed [nb] labels, descriptions, aliases and claims: other names, source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of birth, source for date of death from Store norske leksik"
9w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-09-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Allcinema person ID → 745723

"Created claim: Allcinema person ID: 745723, Matched to ジミー・スミス (#322476963) in Allcinema person #mix'n"
12w ago · Trivialist · 2026-08-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗

HAND ID → 1809-3DC2-499C-BE74-66C6

"Created claim: HAND ID: 1809-3DC2-499C-BE74-66C6, batch #269215"
20w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗

FES digital collections entity ID → 373555

"Created claim: FES digital collections entity ID: 373555, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
22w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗

SVKKL authority ID → 0258003-Smith-Jimmy-19282005

"Created claim: SVKKL authority ID: 0258003-Smith-Jimmy-19282005, batch #259494"

Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.

Jimmy Smith

Facts

Summary

FAQs

Where was Jimmy Smith born?

Where did Jimmy Smith die?

What did Jimmy Smith do for work?

Where did Jimmy Smith go to school?

What awards did Jimmy Smith receive?

Related Entities

References

Direct Wikidata claims

📑 Cite this page

Edit History