The Three Sounds

The Three Sounds (also known as The 3 Sounds) were a jazz trio that formed in 1956. The trio played and recorded with Lester Young, Lou Donaldson, Nat Adderley, Johnny Griffin, Anita O'Day, Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Stitt among others. They disbanded in 1973.

The band formed in Benton Harbor, Michigan as the Four Sounds. The original line-up consisted of Gene Harris on piano, Andrew Simpkins on double bass and Bill Dowdy on drums, along with saxophonist Lonnie `The Sound' Walker, who dropped out the following year. The group moved to Washington and then New York, where as the Three Sounds, they cut a record for Riverside Records, before signing an exclusive contract with Blue Note.