John L

Speaking of gospel organ players, I recall that we were having a related discussion a while back on the BNBB. Jim S was trying to identify a certain gospel organist who he used to hear in Texas. It struck me then that the information archive on gospel organ players seems to be pretty thin, at least in the public domain. Where does one go to get information in this area? In the "Golden Age of Gospel," Horace Clarence Boyer lists (in a box) who he believes to be the most significant gospel organ players, although he doesn't discuss them in the text. We have all heard of at least one of them (Billy Preston) and some of us have heard of several. But can anybody here identify everyone in this list? I can't. Alfred Bolden James "Blind" Francis Ralph Jones Alfred Miller Kenneth Morris Billy Preston "Little" Lucy Smith Gerald Spraggins Herman Stevens Louise Overall Weaver Willie Webb Maceo Woods Kenneth Morris is the Godfather here, having first introduced the Hammond organ into gospel music in 1939.

Three of my favorites haven't been mentioned yet: Hank Jones, Randy Weston, and Misha Mengelberg. I would add maybe Andrew Hill or Ray Bryant or Ahmad Jamal or Cecil Taylor or Cedar Walton or McCoy Tyner or...