A talented session drummer died this week
I would have said Jim Gordon, but I doubt that would have rung any bells, even though every one has a record he played on
Famed and infamous drummer Jim Gordon died in prison this weekend. He was 77.
Who was Jim Gordon I hear you ask?
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Pick your favorite record album before 1983. Jim Gordon probably played drums on it. He was likely the greatest session drummer of the '60s and '70s. When someone was recording an album and needed a competent drummer behind the kit they called Jim Gordon. He would hop a flight and show up at the studio with a pair of sticks in his hand. He saved money in recording fees by needing no rehearsal or guidance. He instinctively knew what the artist wanted and what the song needed, hammered it out, and flew home to cash his check.
When Clapton and Duane Allman needed a drummer for Derek and the Dominos they called in Gordon. With the title track Layla nearly finished, Eric walked out of the studio during a break. There was Jim Gordon sitting at a piano playing the haunting melody that would later become the coda in Layla. It's argued whether Layla would have been a hit without it, and even where Gordon got the melody, but he received 50% song writing credit. Then every time that song played, his daughter Amy got a share of the royalties and he got commissary money for toiletries.
That was because in 1984 voices told Gordon to beat his mother with a hammer and stab her with a butcher knife. Unfortunately for him, this was during a period when people were fed up with killers walking free and laws were changed to make it all but impossible to plead insanity in a murder case, so off he went for 15 to life. He was eventually moved to a prison asylum around 2004.
I always hoped he would parole out and get the old Dominos back together. They could put his drum kit right out front of the band. That way everyone could keep an eye on him.
This is a partial list of the albums and artists Jim Gordon lent his talents to:
Duane Allman: An Anthology
Hoyt Axton: My Griffin Is Gone
Joan Baez: Diamonds & Rust; From Every Stage; Gulf Winds; Blowin' Away
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds; Smiley Smile; Friends; 20/20
The Beau Brummels: Triangle
Stephen Bishop: Careless
Cilla Black: It Makes Me Feel Good
Bread: Bread
Teresa Brewer: 16 Most Requested Songs
Jackson Browne: The Pretender
Jack Bruce: Out of the Storm
The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Carpenters: Horizon; A Kind of Hush; Interpretations
Chad and Jeremy: The Ark
Cher: Stars
Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton
Gene Clark: Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers
Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Judy Collins: Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper Goes to Hell; Lace and Whiskey
Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Burton Cummings: Burton Cummings; Dream of a Child
Delaney & Bonnie: On Tour with Eric Clapton; D&B Together
Derek and the Dominos: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs; In Concert; Live at the Fillmore
Neil Diamond: Beautiful Noise
Donovan: Essence to Essence
Dr. John: The Sun, Moon & Herbs
The Everly Brothers: Gone Gone Gone; Beat & Soul; Two Yanks in England; Roots; Stories We Could Tell
Art Garfunkel: Angel Clare; Breakaway
David Gates: First
Lowell George: Thanks, I'll Eat It Here
Merle Haggard: Same Train, a Different Time
Hall & Oates: Daryl Hall & John Oates; Bigger Than Both of Us
Albert Hammond: It Never Rains in Southern California; The Free Electric Band; Albert Hammond
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass; Living in the Material World; Extra Texture (Read All About It)
Jim Henson: The Muppet Movie
Richard "Groove" Holmes: Six Million Dollar Man
John Lee Hooker: Endless Boogie
Jim Horn: Through the Eyes of a Horn; Jim's Horn
Thelma Houston: I've Got the Music in Me
The Hues Corporation: Freedom for the Stallion; Rockin' Soul; Love Corporation; I Caught Your Act
Incredible Bongo Band: "Apache"; Bongo Rock
Phil Keaggy: Love Broke Thru; Ph'lip Side
B.B. King: B.B. King in London
Carole King: The City
Cheryl Ladd: Dance Forever
John Lennon: "Power to the People"[18]
The Lettermen: Lettermen 1; Spin Away
Gordon Lightfoot: Sundown; Cold on the Shoulder; Gord's Gold; Summertime Dream
Nils Lofgren: Cry Tough
Manhattan Transfer: Coming Out; Pastiche
Dave Mason: Alone Together
Country Joe McDonald: Love is a Fire
Maria Muldaur: Maria Muldaur; Waitress in a Donut Shop
Elliott Murphy: Elliott Murphy; Lost Generation
Oliver Nelson: Skull Session
Tracy Nelson: Time Is on My Side
Randy Newman: Randy Newman; 12 Songs
Harry Nilsson: Aerial Ballet; Skidoo (Soundtrack); Harry; Nilsson Schmilsson; Son of Dracula (Soundtrack)
Goro Noguchi: Goro in Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Yoko Ono: Fly
Van Dyke Parks: Song Cycle; Discover America
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Playback
Kenny Rankin: Silver Morning
Redeye: Redeye
Emitt Rhodes: The American Dream
Righteous Brothers: Give It to the People
Minnie Riperton: Adventures in Paradise
Johnny Rivers: L.A. Reggae; Blue Suede Shoes; Last Boogie in Paris; New Lovers and Old Friends; Wild Night; Outside Help
Leon Russell: Leon Russell and the Shelter People
Seals and Crofts: Seals & Crofts; Summer Breeze; Diamond Girl
John Sebastian: Tarzana Kid
Louie Shelton: Touch Me
Judee Sill: Heart Food
Carly Simon: No Secrets; Hotcakes; Playing Possum
Tom Snow: Taking It All in Stride; Tom Snow
The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band: The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
Joey Stec: Joey Stec
Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic; "Here at the Western World"
B. W. Stevenson: Lead Free; My Maria; Calabasas
John Stewart: The Phoenix Concerts
Stone Poneys: "Different Drum";[19] Evergreen, Volume 2
Barbra Streisand: Barbra Joan Streisand
Mariya Takeuchi: Love Songs
Bob Thiele & His Orchestra: I Saw Pinetop Spit Blood
Mel Tormé: Right Now!
Traffic: Welcome to the Canteen; The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
John Travolta: John Travolta
John Valenti: Anything You Want
Tom Waits: The Heart of Saturday Night
Tim Weisberg: Hurtwood Edge; Dreamspeaker
Bobby Whitlock: Bobby Whitlock; Raw Velvet
Andy Williams[clarification needed]
Mason Williams: "Classical Gas"
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe ('); Läther; 'Grand Wazoo' (tour) and 'Petit Wazoo' (tour); Imaginary Diseases; Wazoo; Little Dots
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RIP sweet brilliant drummer boy. Hope to hear you play in heaven some day.
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