ed albums for Criss Cross, Mel Bay, and his own label, New For Now M.

n 2017 he published Offerings of Note, his first book of compositions and transcriptions

of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with,

the next four albums, all in the soul jazz style, including Think! (with Lee Morgan, David
Newman, Melvin Sparks and Marion Booker) and Turning Point.

Larry McGee on guitars, and Joe Dukes.

Tours and performances

Smith toured the northeastern United States heavily during the 1970s. He concentrated
largely on smaller neighborhood venues during this period. His sidemen included Donald
Hahn on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber, Dave Hubbard, Bill Easley and George Adams on
saxes, George Benson, Perry Hughes, Marc Silver, Billy Rogers, and Larry McGee on
guitars, and Joe Dukes, Sylvester Goshay, Phillip Terrell, Marion Booker, Jimmy
Lovelace, Charles Crosby, Art Gore, Norman Connors and Bobby Durham on drums.

Smith has performed at several prominent jazz festivals with artists including Grover
Washington Jr., Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Donaldson, Ron Holloway, and
Santana. He has also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick,
Gladys Knight, Etta James, and Esther Phillips

Dr. Lonnie Smith is among the well respected organists, who demonstrate instruments for
fellow musicians. Dr. Lonnie has been a regular performer at the NAMM Shows since the 1960s.
He was born in Lackawanna, New York, and soon joined his singing family on the radio
performing everything from gospel to jazz. Over the years he has recorded with a long list of jazz
artists such as George Benson, King Curtis and Joey DeFrancesco. His recordings on the Blue
Note Record label beginning in 1967 captured some of the most memorable performances in his
career. Several of those albums have become classic examples of jazz organ performances,
especially the albums “Think” and “Turning Point.”