Hammond Organ

The Hammond organ helped artists like Jimmy Smith explore a whole new terrain of sounds.
Hammond organ on Music 101

The Hammond organ came on the scene in 1935, and revolutionized keyboard-driven songs. The Hammond has been used in many genres of music from rock to jazz to reggae. Since its inception, almost two million Hammonds have been manufactured. 

Building a Hammond organ was no easy task, yet the sound it enabled musicians to embrace was worth it.

Even early on, the Hammond made its way into popular culture. Take a look at this video, from the 1944 movie Bathing Beauty.

Today, the instrument is nearly ubiquitous across all genres, and even earned a famed spot on The Simpsons.

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