by Jim Gordon was a virtuoso. At the age of 21, he played on the iconic Beach Boys album pet Sounds and is among the credits of immortality lailaalbum theme laila and But Of different kinds love songs by Derek and the Dominos, featuring Eric Clapton. He died Monday, aged 77, of natural causes at a state medical facility in Vacaville, California, where he was serving time for his mother’s murder.
Born James Beck Gordon, on July 14, 1945, in Los Angeles, because Jim’s music was always in the foreground, he even turned down a scholarship to study music at UCLA so that he could take his first professional steps earlier. At the age of 17, he was backing up the Everly Brothers and soon after became Hal Blaine’s protégé, becoming one of the most sought-after drummers on the California music scene.
In the studio, it was recorded pet Sounds with the Beach Boys (1966) or classical Gin the with Mason Williams (1968), but his gift is found in the repertoire of names such as John Lennon, Cher, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, George Harrison and Yoko Ono.
In the early 70s, he collaborated with Eric Clapton, first in a backing band. Then Derek and the Dominos, which also featured Carl Radle on bass and Bobby Whitlock on keyboards, vocals and songwriting. It is one of his most recognized works lailawhose chords were jointly credited to Gordon (Whitlock would later reveal that the drummer had stolen the tune from Rita Coolidge, whom he was dating at the time).
Regardless of whose chords they were lailaGordon didn’t lose his way, taking over the drums for American music legends like the demanding Frank Zappa.
What no one expected is that while revealing himself to be a talented drummer, Gordon heard voices. And drinking alcohol and drugs didn’t relieve his insanity. “He was talking to me about hearing voices, but I told him it was his conscience talking,” Whitlock said. Rolling rock in 2013. “[Gordon] he replied that it was someone else.
Eric Clapton said he “had no idea there was a psychotic history of visions and hearing voices from a young age.” In statements to Rolling rockin 1991, Clapton said he had thought Gordon’s “bad vibes” were simply a reflection of drug use.
In the late 1970s, the mother called the musician for help. In the mental hospital, Jim confided that his mother was “his only friend.” And the doctors, instead of diagnosing him with schizophrenia, which would later be confirmed, chose to treat his alcoholism.
On June 3, 1983, Gordon attacked his 71-year-old mother with a hammer and a butcher’s cleaver. He later stated that a voice instructed him to kill. And only after his arrest, Gordon saw him diagnosed with acute schizophrenia – although the court did not accept the declaration of insanity. In 1984 he was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison, never appearing at a parole hearing.
“I had no interest in killing [a minha mãe]Gordon said Rolling rock in 1985, recalling that it was “like being led around like a zombie”.
