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Johnny Hammond, born Johnny Hammond Smith on December 16, 1933, in Louisville, Kentucky, was an American organist, composer, and artist. He passed away on June 4, 1997, in Victorville, California, at the age of 63. To distinguish himself from guitarist John Smith and renowned organist Jimmy Smith, he adopted the name Johnny 'Hammond' Smith in the mid-1950s, later dropping "Smith" when he signed with a label in 1971. Hammond began his career playing with Paul Williams and Chris Columbo before forming his own group. His bands featured notable musicians, including singers Byrdie Green, saxophonists Houston Person and Earl Edwards, guitarists Eddie McFadden, Floyd Smith, and James Clark, and vibist Freddie McCoy. He gained prominence as an accompanist to singer Nancy Wilson, for whom he wrote the song "Quiet Fire" for her 1989 release "Nancy Now." After a decade of recording throughout the 1960s, he signed with the soul/R&B influenced Kudu imprint of the CTI label in 1971. His first album for CTI, "Breakout," launched Kudu and featured Grover Washington Jr. as a sideman. Following this, he released three more albums on Kudu, during which he began to refer to himself simply as "Johnny Hammond." His musical style evolved to become increasingly funky, highlighted by two popular albums with

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