Great Organists in Rock


The recent thread about the greatest rock guitarists got me thinking about great rock organists. Here's my list so far...who have I forgotten?

Hammond

Keith Emerson (ELP)
Jon Lord (Deep Purple)
Gregg Allman (All Bros Band)
Lee Michaels
Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep)
Doug Ingle (late Iron Butterfly)
Jerry Corbetta (Sugarloaf)
Al Kooper (BS&T, Blues Project, etc)
Booker T.
T. Lavitz (Dixie Dregs, Jazz is Dead)
Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic)

Vox Continental

Doug Ingle (early Iron Butterfly)
Ray Manzerek (Doors)
77jovian

Showing 2 responses by mapman

Hugh Banton.

His organ related credentials are perhaps unmatched among "rock organists".

Check out some of his low pipe organ like notes on the VDGG album "Still Life".
How many people have heard Hugh Banton and Van Der Graff Generator?

Not only does he have the credentials and chops, but organ is such a central part of that groups music and is so prominently displayed on many of their recordings that there can be no other champion in my mind, at least for any music that categorizes cleanly as rock.

Plus those guys are becoming more recognized over the years for doing so many things that no body else ever thought of doing until many years later so their influence is quite large for an act relatively unknown to most.

BTW, I read an argument the other day that in hindsight Kraftwerk was perhaps the most influencial group in rock other than The BEatles themselves. I had never thought about that prior, but I find that a hard thing to argue with.
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