Jim Gordon

From Wikipedia: On 10 July 1984 Gordon was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison. As of March 2013, James Beck Gordon, prisoner #C89262, age 67, admission date 13 July 1984, is still serving his sentence at the California Medical Facility, a specialist medical and psychiatric prison in Vacaville, California.
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hmmm... Am thinking to write this prison/facility, and inquire if one can send letters to prisoners. I wouldn't care if they censored or read it, just to 'drop him a line' t say that the music he made was so great and influential to a bunch of people.
Maybe this has been done. Somebody must have been in contact with him all these years.
 
hmmm... Am thinking to write this prison/facility, and inquire if one can send letters to prisoners. I wouldn't care if they censored or read it, just to 'drop him a line' t say that the music he made was so great and influential to a bunch of people.
Maybe this has been done. Somebody must have been in contact with him all these years.

Please keep us updated if you go ahead with this. I have read that there was some odd clause that keeps him from being able to be paroled. I have no clue how or why that would happen and/or if he is a forensic patient and that may be a different story.
 
Thanks again Brian.

According to this, any of us can send a letter to Jim. It will be opened and read by staff.
His name and number can be found on the 2nd url. I saw no mention of email (which would be way easier) but, being male, didn't read all rules

http://cdcr.ca.gov/Reports_Research/howtocontact.html

http://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/

I will put it on my 'to do' list.
Thanks for posting that information. I wonder how Jim Gordon feels about people contacting him?

I really liked this article, too:
http://www.granatino.com/sdresource/md1.htm
1974: Pretzel Logic

This album featured the hit "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" a bluesy bossa nova that borrowed from Horace Silver's "Song For My Father." The writing on this album is more expansive, with nods to country music ("With A Gun") and jazz (a surprising, note-for-note rendition of Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo"). With Pretzel Logic, the studio became an instrument, the sound was richer; and they used full orchestration with horns and strings.

The drummer for the bulk of the album was studio musician Jim Gordon. Tall and good-looking with curly blond hair, Gordon was technically gifted and possessed a golden sense of feel and rhythm. During the '60s and early '70s, his trademark right-hand-driven 16th-note groove was in constant demand among artists like John Lennon, George Harrison, Traffic, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Delaney & Bonnie, and Eric Clapton. He was the drummer on Derek & the Dominos' Layla & Other Love Songs and the early Clapton solo albums. He wrote the beautiful second half of "Layla," all lush piano chords and trembling guitars. Unfortunately, Gordon's remarkable talent was mired by mental disease that tracked him from the age of seven and eventually ended his career. He heavily influenced two other drummers, though: Jeff Porcaro and Jim Keltner.

According to Keltner, "When he was on, he exuded confidence of the highest level-incredible time, great feel, and a good sound. He had everything." "On Pretzel, " says Porcaro, I played on 'Night by Night' and Gordon and I played double drums on 'Parker's Band.' Gordon was my idol. Playing with him was like going to school. Keltner was the bandito in town. Gordon was the heir to Hale Blaine. His playing was the textbook for me. No one ever had finer-sounding cymbals or drums, or played his kit so beautifully and balanced. And nobody had that particular groove. Plus his physical appearance - the dream size for a drummer - he lurched over his set of Camcos."
 
/watch?v=RxrBnuT84Ws

17 year old Jim Gordon on a west-coast session.

I'm trying to find the album/band he led in 1968. It's not on youtube to my knowledge, but I've seen pictures of the record.
*edit*

/watch?v=l6DeSLpcAYo
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rol6urYDftQ

Jim Gordon's drum parts in this one are just fantastic, so I uploaded a decent quality sounding mp3. He was obviously playing well in 1973. lol

Didn't know Johnny Rivers was so rockin'!
I discovered my wife has CD's of the Derek&Dominoes1970 Fillmore show - not sure how she got them. Wow, what a show. I'd even say Jim's playing way outshines EC on them.
They are now in my truck playing non-stop.
 
Brian I just wanted to thank you for digging up all these clips of one of my heros. I appreciate it more than you may know. Keep spreading the word.
 
I love finding obscure music from decades past...it seems like the Wrecking Crew's best performances were usually the obscure things. I think Hal Blaine mentioned that most of his best work is pretty much unknown.
 
Didn't know Johnny Rivers was so rockin'!
I discovered my wife has CD's of the Derek&Dominoes1970 Fillmore show - not sure how she got them. Wow, what a show. I'd even say Jim's playing way outshines EC on them.
They are now in my truck playing non-stop.

There was some pretty impressive drumming, not easy to replicate!
 
In recalling his time with Derek and the Dominos in his book, "Clapton: The Autobiography," Eric Clapton stated that "To this day I would say that the bass player Carl Radle and the drummer Jimmy Gordon are the most powerful rhythm section I have ever played with. They were absolutely brilliant. When people say that Jim Gordon is the greatest rock 'n' roll drummer who ever lived, I think it's true, beyond anybody."
 
If there was a drummer I model myself after, it would be Jim Gordon. I just can't get enough of his playing. I love how Clapton talks about Jim...only in the most loving and respectful manner. To me that is the most coveted mark of a great drummer, when an acknowledged great guitarist/musician/writer/singer publicly sings heartfelt praises.

Thanks for that Mr. GBaslDrums. Fellow Pennsylvanian! Where are you?
 
If there was a drummer I model myself after, it would be Jim Gordon. I just can't get enough of his playing. I love how Clapton talks about Jim...only in the most loving and respectful manner. To me that is the most coveted mark of a great drummer, when an acknowledged great guitarist/musician/writer/singer publicly sings heartfelt praises.

Thanks for that Mr. GBaslDrums. Fellow Pennsylvanian! Where are you?

I'm in the same boat as you, Larry. Jim's playing sets the standard when it comes to rock/blues drumming and I think more guitarists would notice it long before most drummers. That tells you something right there.

I'm in the Greater DuBois Area, about 2 hours northeast of Pittsburgh. You?
 
A bump, in case anyone wants to check out a more full discography of Jim Gordon's music and drumming.

This is an absolute must site below, along with his facebook page. I am not affiliated with either, just passing it along..

http://jimgordondiscography.blogspot.com

Loads of precise information and links.
 
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