Jim Gordon (musician)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Jim Gordon


Img_capt = Derek and the Dominos original lineup, left to right: Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle| Landscape = Yes
Background = group_or_band
Birth_name = James Beck Gordon
Born =
Died =
Instrument = drums
percussion
Genre = Blues
Blues-rock
Hard rock
Pop, psychedelic rock
Occupation =
Years_active = 1963-1981
Label = Polydor and many others
Associated_acts = Derek and the Dominos
Delaney, Bonnie & Friends
Eric Clapton
George Harrison
The Everly Brothers
The Beach Boys
Mason Williams
Gene Clark
The Byrds
Joe Cocker
Traffic
Frank Zappa
Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
Dave Mason
Incredible Bongo Band
Steely Dan|

Jim Gordon (born James Beck Gordon, 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s [ [http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Jim_Gordon.html Drummerworld: Jim Gordon ] ] and was a member of the blues-rock supergroup, Derek & The Dominos.

Music career

Gordon began his career backing the Everly Brothers in 1963 at age 17, he went on to become one of the most sought after recording session drummers in Los Angeles where, in 1968, he recorded with Mason Williams on the hit "Classical Gas". During this period, he performed on many notable recordings including "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys, "Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers" by Gene Clark and "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" by The Byrds. Gordon at the top of his career was so busy as a studio musician that he would fly back to Los Angeles every night when playing in Las Vegas to do two or three record dates, then return in the afternoon in time for the 8pm show at Caesars Palace.

In 1969 and 1970, he toured as part of the backing band for the group Delaney & Bonnie, which at the time included Eric Clapton. Clapton subsequently took over the group's rhythm section — Gordon, bassist Carl Radle and keyboardist-singer-songwriter, Bobby Whitlock. They formed a new band which was eventually called Derek & The Dominos. The band's first studio work was as the house band for George Harrison's 3 disc set All Things Must Pass. Gordon then played on the Derek & The Dominos' 1970 double album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs", Gordon contributing the elegiac piano coda for the title track, "Layla", co written by Gordon and Clapton. He also toured with the band on subsequent U.S. and UK tours, but the group split in spring 1971 before having completed the recording of their second album.

In 1970, Gordon was part of Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour. In 1971, he toured with Traffic, appearing on two albums with them, including "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys". Later in 1972, Gordon was part of Frank Zappa's 20-piece "Grand Wazoo" big band tour, and the subsesequent 10-piece "Petit Wazoo" band. Perhaps his most well-known recording with Zappa was the title track of the 1974 album "Apostrophe (')", a jam with Zappa and Tony Duran on guitar and Jack Bruce on bass guitar, for which both Bruce and Gordon received a writing credit. He worked with Chris Hillman again when he was the drummer in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band from 1973 to 1975. Some of his best work was with Dave Mason on his 1970 album "Alone Together", where Gordon set new standards for rock drumming.

Gordon was also the drummer on the Incredible Bongo Band's "Bongo Rock" album, released in 1972. His drum break on the LP's version of "Apache" has been repeatedly sampled by rap music artists.cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/arts/music/29herm.html | title=All Rise for the National Anthem of Hip-Hop | publisher=New York Times | date=October 29, 2006 | first=Will | last=Hermes | accessdate= 2006-11-01]

Retirement and incarceration

In the late 1970s, Gordon complained of hearing voices in his head, primarily those of his mother. Unfortunately, his physicians did not diagnose his condition as schizophrenia and instead treated him for alcohol abuse.

In June 1983, he murdered his mother with a hammer. It was not until his trial in 1984 that he was properly diagnosed. Due to the fact that his attorney was unable to use the insanity defense, he was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison with a possibility of parole. He has served his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero State Hospital in Atascadero, and the State Medical Corrections Facility in Vacaville. As of 2008, he remains incarcerated. Currently, there is a petition on line to assist him in either being released from prison or placed in a facility where he is able to receive more sophisticated treatment.

Discography

During his career, Gordon played with a long list of top musicians and record producers, including:

*The Carpenters "Horizon"; A Kind of Hush
*Duane Allman "Anthology" (Organ, Piano, Drums)
*Hoyt Axton "My Griffin Is Gone"
*Joan Baez "From Every Stage"; "Diamonds and Rust"; "Gulf Wind"
*The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations"; "Spirit of America"; "Pet Sounds"
*Stephen Bishop "On & On: Hits of Stephen Bishop"
*Bread "Bread"
*Teresa Brewer "16 Most Requested Songs"
*Jackson Browne "Saturate Before Using" (organ), "The Pretender"
*The Byrds "The Notorious Byrds Brothers"
*Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"
*Eric Clapton "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs"; "Derek & the Dominos in Concert"; "Derek & the Dominos- Live at the Fillmore";
*Gene Clark "Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers"
*Joe Cocker "Mad Dogs And Englishmen"
*Judy Collins "Who Knows Where The Time Goes"
*Alice Cooper "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell"
*Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Box Set"
*Burton Cummings
*Delaney & Bonnie "On Tour With Eric Clapton And Friends"
*John Denver
*Donovan "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting"; "Atlantis"; "Life Is A Merry-go-round"; "Yellow Star"; "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth"; "Lazy Daze"
*Neil Diamond "Beautiful Noise" (Conga, Drums, Harmony Vocals)
*Everly Brothers "Heartaches & Harmonies"
*Art Garfunkel "Angel Clare"
*Lowell George " Thanks I'll Eat It Here"
*Hall & Oates "Bigger than the Both of Us"
*Merle Haggard "Same Train, Different Time"
*George Harrison "All Things Must Pass", "Extra Texture"; "Living in the Material World"
*Jim Henson "The Muppet Movie"
*John Lee Hooker "Endless Boogie"
*Jim Horn "Through the Eye"
*Thelma Houston "I've Got the Music in Me"

*Incredible Bongo Band "Apache"
*Dr John "Sun, Moon & Herbs"
*Carole King
*B.B.King "In London"; "The Best of B.B.King"
*John Lennon "It's So Hard"; "Imagine"; "The Plastic Ono Band- Sometime in New York City"
*Gordon Lightfoot "Sundown"; "Gord's Gold"; "Cold On The Shoulder"
*Manhattan Transfer "Pastiche"; "Anthology: Down in Birdland"
*Country Joe McDonald "Classics"
*Dave Mason "Alone Together"
*The Monkees "Monkees"; "More of the Monkees"; "Instant Replay"
*Maria Muldaur "Maria Muldaur"; "Waitress in a Donut Shop"
*Randy Newman "Randy- 12 Songs"
*Harry Nilsson "Nilsson Schmilsson"; "Aerial Ballet"
*Van Dyke Parks "Discover America"
*Tom Petty "Playback"
*Emitt Rhodes "American Dream"
*Minnie Riperton "Adventures in Paradise"
*Johnny Rivers "Last Boogie in Paris"; "Blue Suede Shoes"
*Linda Ronstadt "Don't Cry Now"
*Leon Russell "The Shelter People"; "Will O' The Wisp"
*Seals & Crofts "Humming Bird"
*John Sebastian "Tarzana Kid"
*Carly Simon "No Secrets"
*Phil Spector "Back to Mono (1958-1969)"
*B.W. Stevenson "Pass This Way"; "Calabasas"
*Barbara Streisand "Barbra Joan Streisand"
*Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
*Steely Dan "Pretzel Logic "
*John Stewart "Phoenix Concerts "
*Mel Torme "Mel Tormé Collection"
*Traffic "Welcome To The Canteen"; "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"
*John Travolta "Best of John Travolta"
*John Valenti "Anything You Want, 1976"
*Andy Williams
*Judee Sill "Heart Food"
*Mason Williams "Classical Gas"; "Phonograph Record"
*Frank Zappa "Apostrophe"; "Läther"; "Grand Wazoo" (tour) and "Petit Wazoo" (tour); "Imaginary Diseases"; "Wazoo"

References

External links

* [http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Jim_Gordon.html Drummerworld - Jim Gordon]
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drum2/JimGordon2.jpgPhoto Derek and the Dominos]
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drum2/jimGordon1.jpgDerek and the Dominos]
* [http://www.united-mutations.com/g/jim_gordon.htm Friends Remember]
* [http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/musicians/m-jimgordon.php Full List Discography]
* [http://www.granatino.com/sdresource/md1.htm Drummers of Steely Dan]