He was born in Lackawanna, New York, into a family with a vocal group and radio program. Smith says that his mother was a major influence on him musically, as she introduced him to gospel, classical, and jazz music. He was part of several vocal ensembles in the 1950s, including the Teen Kings. Art Kubera, the owner of a local music store, gave Smith his first organ, a Hammond B3.
Smith's affinity for R&B melded with his own personal style as he became active in the local music scene. He moved to New York City, where he met George Benson, the guitarist for Jack McDuff's band. Benson and Smith connected on a personal level, and the two formed the George Benson Quartet, featuring Lonnie Smith, in 1966.
After two albums under Benson's leadership, It's Uptown and Cookbook, Smith recorded his first solo album (Finger Lickin' Good) in 1967, with George Benson and Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Marion Booker on drums. This combination remained stable for the next five years.
After recording several albums with Benson, Smith became a solo recording artist and has since recorded over 30 albums under his own name. Numerous prominent jazz artists have joined Smith on his albums and in his live performances, including Lee Morgan, David "Fathead" Newman, King Curtis, Terry Bradds, Blue Mitchell, Joey DeFrancesco and Joe Lovano.
In 1967, Smith met Lou Donaldson, who put him in contact with Blue Note Records. Donaldson asked the quartet to record an album for Blue Note, Alligator Bogaloo. Blue Note signed Smith for the next four albums, all in the soul jazz style, including Think (with Melvin Sparks, Marion Booker, Lee Morgan and David Newman) and Turning Point (with Lee Morgan, Bennie Maupin, Melvin Sparks and Idris Muhammad).
Smith's next album Move Your Hand was recorded at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1969. The album's reception allowed his reputation to grow beyond the Northeast. He recorded another studio album, Drives, and one more live album, Live at Club Mozambique (recorded in Detroit on May 21, 1970), before leaving Blue Note.
Smith toured the northeastern United States heavily during the 1970s. He concentrated largely on smaller neighborhood venues during this period. His sidemen included Ronnie Cuber, Dave Hubbard, Bill Easley and George Adams on sax, Donald Hahn on trumpet, George Benson, Perry Hughes, 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 and Ron Holloway. He has also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Etta James, Joan Cartwright, and Esther Phillips.
He was named the "Organ Keyboardist of the Year" in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 by the Jazz Journalist Association.
In the mid-1970s, Smith became known as "Dr. Lonnie Smith" although the honorific does not represent an academic doctorate degree. His beard and turban do not reflect a conversion to Sikhism; they are strictly for stylistic reasons.
Lonnie Smith.1967- Finger Lickin' Good Soul Organ
Lonnie Smith.1968- Think!
Lonnie Smith.1969- Move Your Hand
Lonnie Smith.1969- Turning Point
Lonnie Smith.1970- Drives
Lonnie Smith.1970- Live At Club Mozambique
Lonnie Smith.1971- Mama Wailer
Lonnie Smith.1976- Keep On Lovin'
Lonnie Smith.1977- Afrodesia
Lonnie Smith.1977- Funk Reaction
Lonnie Smith.1978- Gotcha
Lonnie Smith.1980- When The Night Is Right!
Lonnie Smith.1991- The Turbanator
Lonnie Smith.1993- Afro Blue
Lonnie Smith.1994- Purple Haze (Tribute to Jimi Hendrix)
Lonnie Smith.1996- Foxy Lady (Tribute to Jimi Hendrix)
Lonnie Smith.2003- Boogaloo To Beck
Lonnie Smith.2004- Too Damn Hot
Lonnie Smith.2006- Jungle Soul
Lonnie Smith.2009- Rise Up!
Lonnie Smith.2010- Spiral
Lonnie Smith.2012- The Healer
Lonnie Smith Octet-(2013)- In the Beginning Volumes 1 & 2
Lonnie Smith-(2016)- Evolution
Lonnie Smith-(2018)- All In My Mind
