Jim Gordon (musician)

Jim Gordon (musician)
James Beck Gordon (July 14, 1945 – March 13, 2023) was an American musician, songwriter, and convicted murderer. Gordon was a session drummer in the late 1960s and 1970s and was the drummer in the blues rock supergroup Derek and the Dominos.
In 1983, in a psychotic episode associated with undiagnosed schizophrenia, Gordon murdered his mother and was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison, remaining incarcerated until his death in 2023.
Music career
Gordon was raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and attended Grant High School. He passed up a music scholarship to UCLA in order to begin his professional career in 1963, at age 17, backing the Everly Brothers. He went on to become one of the most sought-after recording session drummers in Los Angeles. The protégé of studio drummer Hal Blaine, Gordon performed on many notable recordings in the 1960s, including Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys (1966); The Spirit of '67, by Paul Revere & The Raiders; Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers, by Gene Clark (1967); The Notorious Byrd Brothers, by the Byrds (1968); and the hit "Classical Gas", by Mason Williams (1968). At the height of his career Gordon was reportedly so busy as a studio musician that he flew back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas every day to do two or three recording sessions and then returned in time to play the evening show at Caesars Palace.
In 1969 and 1970 Gordon toured as part of the backing band for Delaney & Bonnie, which at the time included Eric Clapton. Clapton subsequently took over the group's rhythm section — Gordon (drummer), Carl Radle (bassist), Bobby Whitlock (keyboardist, singer, songwriter) — and they formed a new band, later called Derek and the Dominos. The band's first studio work was as the house band for George Harrison's three-disc set All Things Must Pass (1970).
Gordon then played on Derek and the Dominos' 1970 double album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and also played with the band on subsequent U.S. and UK tours. The group split in spring 1971 before they finished recording their second album. In addition to his drumming, Gordon was credited with contributing the elegiac piano coda for the title track, "Layla". In later years, Whitlock claimed that the coda was not actually written by Gordon: "Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend Rita Coolidge. I know because in the D&B days I lived in John Garfield's old house in the Hollywood Hills and there was a guest house with an upright piano in it. Rita and Jim were up there in the guest house and invited me to join in on writing this song with them called "Time". (Her sister Priscilla wound up recording it with Booker T. Jones) Jim took the melody from Rita's song and didn't give her credit for writing it. Her boyfriend ripped her off". Graham Nash (who later dated Coolidge) substantiated Whitlock's claim in his memoir. "Time" was not released by Priscilla Coolidge and Booker T. until 1973, on their album Chronicles.
In 1970 Gordon was part of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour and played on Dave Mason's album Alone Together. In 1971, he toured with Traffic and appeared on two of their albums, including The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. That same year he played on Harry Nilsson's album Nilsson Schmilsson, contributing the drum solo on the track "Jump into the Fire".
Gordon was the drummer on the Incredible Bongo Band's album Bongo Rock, released in 1972, and his drum break on the LP version of "Apache" has been frequently sampled by rap music artists. He recorded with Frank Zappa, including on the title track of the 1974 album Apostrophe ('). Also in 1972, Gordon played drums on Helen Reddy's Top 20 US album I Am Woman.
In 1973 Gordon played on Johnny Rivers' Blue Suede Shoes as well as on Art Garfunkel's Angel Clare albums, and toured with Rivers through 1974 appearing on the Last Boogie in Paris live album. Also in 1974, Gordon played on most of the tracks on Steely Dan's album Pretzel Logic, including the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". He again worked with Chris Hillman of the Byrds as the drummer in the Souther–Hillman–Furay Band from 1973 to 1975. He also played drums on three tracks on Alice Cooper's 1976 album, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell.
Mental health
Gordon developed schizophrenia and began to hear voices (including his mother's) which compelled him to starve himself and prevented him from sleeping, relaxing or playing drums. His physicians misdiagnosed the problems and instead treated him for alcohol abuse.
While on tour with Joe Cocker in the early 1970s, Gordon reportedly punched his then-girlfriend Rita Coolidge in a hotel hallway, thereby ending their relationship.
Murder of mother, conviction and incarceration
On June 3, 1983, Gordon attacked his 71-year-old widowed mother, Osa Marie (Beck) Gordon, with a hammer, then fatally stabbed her with a butcher knife, claiming that a voice told him to kill her.
Only after his arrest for murder was Gordon properly diagnosed with schizophrenia. At his trial, the court accepted that he had acute schizophrenia, but he was not allowed to use an insanity defense because of changes to California law arising from the federal Insanity Defense Reform Act.
On July 10, 1984, Gordon was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison. He was first eligible for parole in 1991, but it was denied several times because he never attended a parole hearing.
In 2014, he declined to attend his hearing and was denied parole until at least 2018. A Los Angeles deputy district attorney stated at the hearing that Gordon was still "seriously psychologically incapacitated" and "a danger when he is not taking his medication".
In November 2017, Gordon was rediagnosed with schizophrenia. On March 7, 2018, he was denied parole for the tenth time and was tentatively scheduled to become eligible again in March 2021. At the time of his death in 2023, he was serving his sentence at the California Medical Facility, a medical and psychiatric prison in Vacaville, California.
Death
Gordon died in prison on March 13, 2023, at the age of 77. Two marriages, to singer Renee Armand and dancer Jill Barabe, both ended in divorce. He was survived by his daughter, Amy Gordon, who was born in 1968.
Partial discography
During his career, Gordon played with a long list of musicians and record producers, including:
Peter Allen: Taught by Experts
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
Glen Campbell: "Wichita Lineman"
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"
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"; 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
Mason Williams: "Classical Gas"
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe ('); Läther; 'Grand Wazoo' (tour) and 'Petit Wazoo' (tour); Imaginary Diseases; Wazoo; Little Dots
References
External links
Drummerworld - Jim Gordon
Photo Derek and the Dominos
Derek and the Dominos
Friends Remember
Full List Discography
Drummers of Steely Dan
1945 births
2023 deaths
American rock drummers
American blues drummers
American session musicians
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends members
Derek and the Dominos members
Plastic Ono Band members
Souther–Hillman–Furay Band members
Traffic (band) members
American people convicted of murder
People with schizophrenia
American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California
Grammy Award winners
Songwriters from California
Warner Music Group artists
People convicted of murder by California
Matricides
The Wrecking Crew (music) members
People from the San Fernando Valley
Hall & Oates members
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
Grant High School (Los Angeles) alumni