James Gadson

Last updated
James Gadson
Born (1939-06-17) June 17, 1939 (age 84)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1968–present

James Edward Gadson (born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. [1] He is also a singer and songwriter. [2]

Contents

Career

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Gadson played with the first line-up of Charles Wright's Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, [3] and recorded three albums with them between 1968 and 1970. Along with other members of Wright's band, he went on to appear on many hit records, including with Dyke & the Blazers. [4] Gadson started to become well known as a drummer following the release of the album Still Bill by Bill Withers, [5] released by Sussex Records in 1972. He played on The Temptations album 1990 , [6] released on the Motown label in 1973.

In 1975, he played with Freddie King on Larger Than Life [7] and went on to record with Martha Reeves, Randy Crawford, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Albert King, Rose Royce, Elkie Brooks and many more artists. [8] In 1975, he anchored the Motown classic double platinum album City Of Angels, recorded by Billy Griffin & The Miracles.

Gadson was also the drummer on Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" in 1976 and Diana Ross's hit 1976 single Love Hangover and appeared on two tracks, "At The Mercy" and "Riding To Vanity Fair", on the 2005 Paul McCartney album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard .

He has a brief appearance in the Adam Sandler 2009 movie Funny People as a member of the jam band that Sandler's character hires to play with him.

In April 2009, Gadson joined Alex Dixon, grandson of Willie Dixon, on his 2009 release titled Rising From The Bushes, in which he appeared on two tracks, "Fantasy" and Willie Dixon's famous song "Spoonful". [9]

In June 2009, Gadson joined Beck, Wilco, Feist and Jamie Lidell covering Skip Spence's Oar as part of Beck's Record Club series, with videos appearing on Beck's website beginning November 2009. [10] He has drummed on Beck's albums Sea Change , The Information and Morning Phase , as well as Jamie Lidell's 2010 album Compass . Gadson played drums, as well as hambone (slapping his legs), on the D'Angelo song "Sugah Daddy", on the Black Messiah album (2014). [11] He appeared in the 2016 video for “Mama Can’t Help You No More,” by Doyle Bramhall II.

In 2019, James Gadson, who resides in Los Angeles, was featured on Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back as his paternal niece's and nephew-in-law's restaurant, Bayou on the Vine, was renamed "Gadson's Restaurant & Jazz Club", named after him and his late brother, guitarist Thomas Maurice 'Tutty' Gadson (died 2014). [12]

Discography

Singles

James Gadson & Lou Washington

As sideman

With Mindi Abair

With Arthur Adams

With Alessi Brothers

With Herb Alpert

With Corinne Bailey Rae

With Philip Bailey

With Anita Baker

With Jimmy Barnes

With Beck

With Booker T. & the M.G.'s

With Doyle Bramhall II

With Dianne Brooks

With Elkie Brooks

With Peabo Bryson and Natalie Cole

With Solomon Burke

With Jerry Butler

With Terry Callier

With G. C. Cameron

With David Castle

With Kelly Clarkson

With Jimmy Cliff

With Joe Cocker

With Adam Cohen

With Leonard Cohen

With Natalie Cole

With Nikka Costa

With Randy Crawford

With Jamie Cullum

With D'Angelo

With Lana Del Rey

With Jackie DeShannon

With Marcella Detroit

With The 5th Dimension

With Donovan

With Yvonne Elliman

With The Emotions

With Donald Fagen

With Yvonne Fair

With José Feliciano

With Aretha Franklin

With Toko Furuuchi

With Charlotte Gainsbourg

With Terry Garthwaite

With Terry Garthwaite and Toni Brown

With Marvin Gaye

With Gloria Gaynor

With Benny Golson

With Herbie Hancock

With John Handy

With Thelma Houston and Jerry Butler

With Thelma Houston

With The Hues Corporation

With Jermaine Jackson

With La Toya Jackson

With Norah Jones

With Rickie Lee Jones

With Al Johnson

With Margie Joseph

With The Keane Brothers

With Eddie Kendricks

With Albert King

With Ben E. King

With B.B. King

With Elle King

With Freddie King

With Charles Kynard

With Labelle

With Patti LaBelle

With Amos Lee

With Jamie Lidell

With Jon Lucien

With Cheryl Lynn

With Florence and the Machine

With Melissa Manchester

With Teena Marie

With Ziggy Marley

With Paul McCartney

With Gwen McCrae

With Lonette McKee

With Shannon McNally

With Bette Midler

With Blue Mitchell

With Barbara Morrison

With Ian Moss

With Aaron Neville

With Paolo Nutini

With David Oliver

With Freda Payne

With Sweet Pea Atkinson

With Teddy Pendergrass

With Billy Preston

With Margo Price

With Helen Reddy

With Martha Reeves

With Terry Reid

With LeAnn Rimes

With Minnie Riperton

With Smokey Robinson

With Rockie Robbins

With Nate Ruess

With David Ruffin

With Patrice Rushen

With Lara Saint Paul

With Evie Sands

With Boz Scaggs

With Lalo Schifrin

With Nancy Shanks

With Marlena Shaw

With Michelle Shocked

With Simply Red

With Lynwood Slim

With Josh Smith

With Phoebe Snow

With Barbra Streisand

With Harry Styles

With Tavares

With Justin Timberlake

With Keith Urban

With Frankie Valli

With Thijs Van Leer

With Kenny Vance

With Vulfpeck

With Leon Ware

With Was (Not Was)

With Mary Wilson

With Bill Withers

With Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

With Syreeta Wright

With Michael Wycoff

With Richard "Popcorn" Wylie

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References

  1. Amendola, Billy (September 2007). "R&B / Soul Legend James Gadson". Modern Drummer .
  2. "James Gadson". Drummerworld.com. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  3. Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band at AllMusic
  4. Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One
  5. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1972-10-06). "Still Bill - Bill Withers | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  6. "AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands". AllMusic . Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  7. Larger than life at AllMusic
  8. "James Gadson | Credits". AllMusic . 1968-05-18. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  9. Michael G. Nastos. "Rising from the Bushes - Alex Dixon | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  10. Schonfeld, Zach (2009-11-12). "Beck's Record Club draws Wilco, Feist, and others for Skip Spence remake". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  11. "D'Angelo Reborn". The New Yorker . Retrieved 2017-05-06.
  12. "Watch Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back S2E6 | TVNZ OnDemand". Archived from the original on 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  13. Discogs James Gadson Discography

Bibliography