Classic rock studio drummer Jim Gordon, who played on a number of hit records with leading musicians – and also was jailed for stabbing his mother to death – died from natural causes Wednesday.
Gordon died at a California mental facility at the age of 77 following decades behind bars and combating mental illness, according to Consequence.net. The drummer was credited for co-writing the Derek and the Dominoes Eric Clapton-backed band’s smash hit “Layla,” playing on the 1970 best-selling double-album dubbed “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”:
Jim Gordon, Drummer for Eric Clapton and ‘Layla’ Co-Writer Who Was Convicted of Murder, Dies at 77 https://t.co/QBGUklKY3p via @variety
— Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) March 16, 2023
The song “Layla” is widely considered one of the most iconic rock songs in history. The band never recorded a second album. (RELATED: Red Hot Chili Peppers Achieve Major Feat By Releasing Two No. 1 Albums Within A Year)
Gordon is featured on drums in hits from a number of other notable musicians, including, but not limited to, solo post-Beatles work by George Harrison and John Lennon, Traffic, Tom Petty, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Everly Brothers and many more, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
The Southern-California-born drummer also played on a record for 60’s psychedelic staples the Byrds and the Beach Boys, as a member of the famous studio outfit “The Wrecking Crew,” the outlet continued.
In 1983, the rocker stabbed his 72-year-old mother to death in what has been described as a psychotic episode, the outlet noted. Following his arrest, the popular percussionist was diagnosed with schizophrenia. (RELATED: REPORT: Good Samaritan Shoots Man Who Was Stabbing His Neighbor As She Screamed For Help)
At his trial, Gordon testified that a “voice inside his head told him to do it,” Ultimate Classic Rock reported.
Gordon was convicted of murdering his mother and sentenced to 16 years to life in prison. While eligible for parole since 1991, the rocker reportedly never turned up at any of his hearings, Consequence reported. As a result, Gordon spent the rest of his life behind bars. (RELATED: Police Charge Daughter After Finding 96-Year-Old Mother Dead In Freezer)
Jim Gordon, one of rock’s all-time greatest drummers, has died at the age of 77.
Not only did he play in the Wrecking Crew, but also with Derek and the Dominos, Joe Cocker, Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, Joan Baez, Tom Petty, and hundreds of others, and will be missed. pic.twitter.com/m3jP5LKaqB— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) March 15, 2023
The late drummer first started playing the drums as a teenager.