The Hammond organ – it's heavy, it's hard to move, you basically become a lifelong van owner if you play one, and I've often said, "If your back doesn't hurt – it doesn't sound right." But I ...

We all know the sounds of the mighty Hammond organ when we hear them, from the ghostly sorrow and majesty of Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale to the bubbling glide and splash of Booker T and ...

The feel and powerful sound of the "real deal" is still unbeatable. Used in almost all musical genres, the Hammond Organ sound became famous in gospel, blues, soul, jazz and rock music. Today we find ...

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with music critic Nate Chinen about the legacy of iconic jazz Hammond organ player Joey DeFrancesco, who died on Thursday. The jazz world has lost its preeminent specialist ...

Instead, he was left to wonder about retirement, as Hammond organ gigs vanished, synthesizers became tech royalty, DJs dealt disco hits, and rappers grabbed the mic into the 1980s and '90s.

On the turn of the 20th century, and a turn away from spirituals and toward gospel "One of the things that has often plagued music in the African-American church is this idea of respectability ...

CHINEN: His father, "Papa" John DeFrancesco, who is still with us, was an accomplished organ player coming up. And so Joey learned firsthand. He's a second-generation Philly jazz organist. He ...

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with music critic Nate Chinen about the legacy of iconic jazz Hammond organ player Joey DeFrancesco, who died on Thursday. Remembering Joey DeFrancesco, pioneering Hammond ...

The Hammond was introduced in 1935 as a cheaper version of the pipe organ. A musician could now play melodies and harmonies but had the added feature of using his feet to play the bass as well.

"This is the kind of music I grew up skating to at places like Rocky Springs, when organ music was it," says the 56-year-old. "I don't skate as much as I used to, but I'll sit and listen to Ralph ...

The Hammond organ can be plugged into the wall with an ordinary electric cord, costs less than 1¢an hour to operate. Tone quality in a pipe organ is limited to the number of pipes.