The Three Sounds (also known as The 3 Sounds) were a jazz trio that formed … Read Full Bio ↴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 (September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) on piano, Andrew Simpkins (April 29, 1932 – June 2, 1999) on double bass and Bill Dowdy (August 15, 1932 - May 12, 2017) 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.

Between 1958 and 1962, the group released nine LPs for Blue Note. They toured nationally during this period, building a large following in jazz clubs across the country. Later Three Sounds recordings were also released by Limelight and Verve Records.

The Three Sounds song "Put On Train", from the 1971 Gene Harris album The 3 Sounds was featured as the prominent background sample in the hip-hop group Beastie Boys song "What Comes Around" on their 1989 album Paul's Boutique. It previously stated here that this sample came from the Three Sounds album Live at the It Club, recorded in 1970, however this was not released (on Live at the It Club Vol. 2) until 2000.