I was taken with the B3 when the Rascals hit the music scene, although my parentsw had albums from greats like Lenny Dee and Jimmy Smith in our collection. Felix Cavalieri really set my Hammond senses burning. When I was 16 I worked for the church organist as apprentice and flower delivery boy. He had a BV with a large PR cabinet in his house - wow, was that great. One day I was delivering flowers to a doctor's wife and she asked me to put them on a table in the den - and there it was... a beautiful cherry B3 with a matching Leslie. The lady could tell I was taken by it and offered to let me play it. She offered to let me stop by and play it whenever I wanted. I think if it were up to her, she would have given it to me. Since then I can't get that vision out of my mind.

I've played almost every type of drawbar organ Hammond put out until 1975 as I gave lessons and did some selling for the local dealer. The store manager would let me take out a Porta-B or M3 for my weekend gigs, AND let me use the store truck and dollies. I've owned two M's and now an XK-1.