Take Five: Jim Gordon

The life story of Jim Gordon is a tragic one; convicted of a brutal murder, he would spend the second half of his life in prison. After years dealing unsuccessfully with paranoid schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, he died in 2023. But none of that takes away from the fact that in the 1960s and ‘70s, Gordon was one of the best – and most in-demand – session drummers in all of music. Gordon played on literally hundreds (if not thousands) of recordings, working closely with some of the greatest and most well-known figures in music. Here are five from among the staggering number of great sessions featuring drummer Jim Gordon.

“I’m Waiting for the Day” from The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds (1966)
Brian Wilson led a long list of session musicians through his recordings for the Beach Boys’ landmark Pet Sounds LP. While the so-called Wrecking Crew played extensively on the sessions, Jim Gordon lent his percussion skills to several tracks. That’s him on the drum kit for the emotionally resonant “I’m Waiting for the Day.” According to acclaimed music journalist Joel Selvin (author of the definitive work on Gordon, Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon), the drummer also played orange juice bottles on sessions for “God Only Knows,” and drums – alongside Hal Blaine – for “Good Vibrations.”

“Classical Gas” from Mason Williams’ The Mason Williams Phonograph Record (1968)
Mason Williams was the musical director for the groundbreaking variety show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. While the brothers had a contentious relationship with CBS, the program provided American television viewers with on-screen performances by many of the era’s biggest pop and rock groups. Mason Williams earned an Emmy Award for his work on the show, and he premiered his breathtaking orchestral-pop single “Classical Gas” – produced and arranged by Mike Post – on the program; the single soared to #1. Jim Gordon played drums on the song as well as the album’s 11 other tracks.

“Now That Everything’s Been Said”” from The City’s Now That Everything’s Been Said (1968)
While she initially made her name as a songwriter – half of a hit team with then-husband Jerry Goffin – Carole King’s artistry was too substantial to apply only to the work of others. In 1968 she put together a trio with The Fugs’ bassist Charles Larkey (her soon-to-be second husband) and acclaimed session guitarist Danny Kortchmar. Though he wasn’t technically a member of The City, Jim Gordon effectively took on that role as drummer on the group’s sole album. That record was critically-acclaimed but sold poorly. Due in part to King’s disinterest in touring, the group was not successful, and broke up within a year. King, of course, went on to a massively successful solo career, with a sound and style that got its first hearing through The City.

“Layla” from Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
After high-profile success with The Yardbirds, Cream and Blind Faith, guitarist Eric Clapton sought a different kind of group. So he put together Derek and the Dominos, writing some of his best material for the group’s debut double album. The band would only make that one studio record before splitting (they did release a live LP without co-lead guitarist Duane Allman), but what a record it is. Jim Gordon was the drummer in the short-lived group, and he received a songwriting credit for the elegiac extended coda the “Layla.” According to authoritative sources, however, the piano-centric melody was in fact written by Gordon’s then-girlfriend, Rita Coolidge.

“Here at the Western World” from Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic (1974)
As opposed to affecting a signature style of his own, Jim Gordon was acclaimed for his ability to play in whatever style a given song or album needed. That meant that he was comfortable shifting from a blues or r&b style to light pop, rock or most anything else, as a sessions demanded. In 1974, Gordon leaned in an urbane jazz direction to help Walter Becker and Donald Fagen record Pretzel Logic. Prior to their third studio album, Steely Dan had been a band-proper, but from Pretzel Logic onward, Becker and Fagen led a revolving cast of top studio players.