He’s on 3 albums that everyone loves, Layla, ATMPass & Low Spark - not to mention D&B & for sure many others - he was a great musician & drummer, involved w/the music just like MMitch was w/the Experience
RIP
Sad story, for sure. From what I've read, he was a protoge of Hal Blaine of the Wrecking Crew. Jim Gordon was a drummer in high demand, even before the period of D&B, ATMP, and the Dominoes. So much talent, so sad in many ways.
Without a doubt one of the more tragic tales in the history of rock and roll music
Jim Gordon plays on Rikki Don't Loose That Number by Steely Dan. Jim was a drummer on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour.
Here is Jim Gordon on the Johnny Cash show in 1970.
And as we now know, Jim Gordon plays the piano on the long coda here and because of the coda, shares the writing credit with Eric Clapton but Rita Coolidge actually wrote it while she and Jim Gordon were dating.
Last I read anything from Rita, she said she tried to contact Eric Clapton when the Layla album came out to let him know that progression was written by her not Jim Gordon but only received a call from Robert Stigwood who was Clapton's manager at the time he he told her to go take a hike and hung up.
Rita said at least Jim's daughter gets her half of the Layla royality since Jim is in jail.
For decades I thought that was Bobby Whitlock playing the piano on Layla and Jim Gordon wrote the song with Clapton.
I was surprised to find out the ending was brought in after Layla was written by Clapton only and it's the drummer, Jim Gordon, on the piano. And I was disgusted Jim stole the piece from Rita Coolidge when they were dating.
I always wait for Duane Allman do his bird chirp at the end with his medicine bottle. Without that, the song really isn't much. Just average!! 
In his book, Clapton said Gordon was his favorite drummer to play with (the guy from Cream wasn't too bad...). I always loved Gordon's drumming. The Layla album, D&D live (Why does Love and Let it Rain both stand out), Low Spark among others. Some of those are among my favorite songs to play along to.
A tragic life.
RIP
Funny I had plans to put up a Duane slanted Bobby Whitlock video and I see the sad news that Jim Gordon has passed away so so much for my video. I heard they were sedating him every day there at the end, so an end to his turmoil at least. In regards to his playing piano on Layla, Whitlock says Tom Dowd had him overdub some piano two or three courses in. This video 3 minutes in speaks to the impact of Gordon's playing. If I had to pick one record.
@tenorsfan I'm not sure Bobby Whitlock is accurate.
Some time back he confirmed Clapton tried to steal Duane Allman from the Allman Brothers Band and was successful in getting Duane to leave the ABB long enough to play on a few live shows but it didn't work. Whitlock claimed Duane couldn't keep up with Clapton and the rest of the band when they were really kicking it live.
That's the only time I ever heard someone say that about Duane Allman. And much of the live stuff on Eat A Peach and much of At Fillmore East is smoking hot. I'm skeptical that is accurate from Bobby Whitlock.
Plus Duane Allman to my ears played some solos with the ABB that had more energy than any of the other guitarists that ever played with the ABB.
This one for example.
Yea, that statement about Duane not being able to keep up has to be his most absurd. I think those three solos from Florida you can hear have to be just about my most favourite Duanes, Key to the Highway and all. I guess that notion that Duane had to come in and rescue their record really grated on him, and while him and Eric made so much great stuff, Layla with Duane is their one transcendental moment. Still his folksy videos are valuable and enjoyable even when he takes a shot at Allman. He praises him mightingly too.
@tenorsfan: Both of those interviews you posted with Whitlock were great but especially the second, 20 minute segment. Loved it. Hilarious story of why the fade-in to Key To The Highway exists at the beginning of the tune. Tom Dowd had just taken a crap and came running out of the bathroom still pulling his pants up, yelling "turn up the faders, turn up the faders!!"
I would disagree 100% with those here who have said that Whitlock criticized Duane and said he couldn't keep up. I didn't hear that in the conversation at all. What he said was that they had already recorded some stuff before Duane came in, in fact the first three tunes on Layla are without Duane. Whitlock said that when Duane came in it was a natural progression for them to start off doing the real bluesy stuff, specifically Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out and Have You Ever Loved A Woman. That was a way for Duane to blend into the band easily, and then they progressed with Duane to other material on the record.
@robslob A few years ago an interview was posted here with Bobby Whitlock and on that particular interview he did say Duane couldn't keep up with Clapton and the band LIVE. So it didn't work out for Duane to be part of Derek and the Dominos. I doubt Duane was seriously considering Clapton's offer to leave the Allman Brothers Band and join Derek and the Dominos.
No big deal I guess. I can't think of one band that Eric Clapton was in that lasted more than two or three years. Eric just couldn't hang in a band setting long.
I remember an interview years ago, it may have been Rolling Stone, and Clapton said he remembered thinking he would like to replace Duane Allman in the Allman Brothers Band after Duane died but they never asked him.
Doubt he would have stayed long if he had been asked.
Tom Dowd explained why this fades in back in the early 70's. Another artist was playing Key To The Highway in the studio next door and Clapton could hear it so Clapton began playing it too and the band and Duane Allman joined in. Dowd wasn't in the control room but as he entered, he could tell it was going to be special and eased the faders up to get the rest of it on tape. I guess they chose not to start over from the top as the spontaneous play here was too good to re-record.
Whitlock said Duane couldn't "hang" with the Dominos on stage: https://thelosangelesbeat.com/2012/05/keep-on-growing-an-interview-with-bobby-whitlock/
To give him the benefit of the doubt, Duane had been playing non-stop with the Allman Brothers Band for 2 years, while he played only twice on stage with the Dominos, who I'm sure had developed their own musical communication. It might just be Duane wasn't locked in with the Dominos (that takes time), or perhaps not as interested. But Duane was able to seamlessly sit in with a number of diverse groups on stage and in the studio. It's sour grapes.
Whitlock has said a lot of things, often contradicts himself or just inaccurate. Chalk it up to the fog of time and drugs and alcohol. Sometimes he praises Duane (how can you not?), sometimes he goes out of his way to minimize and disregard Duane's arrival and contributions. He's even said Layla would have been just as good without Duane and the live Dominos album at the Fillmore is better. The Dominos is Whitlock's career peak, and I bet more people know who Carl Radle and Jim Gordon are than Bobby Whitlock. That has to sting.
These is a scan of a letter Duane wrote Donna in Galadrielle's book about her Dad, he says in the letter he has an offer to join Eric's band and move to England, and says it will pay big money and for her not to mention it to anyone as he was thinking about it. I believe it was written on Holiday Inn letterhead. I don't have a copy of the book here in my office but that is close to what it said. So he was offered a spot in the Dominoes. He didn't mention wanting to bring Gregg with him. Whitlock is all over the place in his interviews, hard to believe anything he says. Hell of a singer and player though!
Maybe Bobby was referring to having Duane in the studio where he's pretty much tamped down, cept for Highway, was a different kettle of fish from having that ultimate live musician dropping those Elizabeth Reed type A bombs right in the middle of Bobby's precious song. Seems like Bobby was all about worshipping the song rather than using it as an escape point as Duane might have been prone to. There's that funny but sad moment in the Tampa Highway where Duane is about to burst into a Hallelujah moment when Eric comes in and cuts him off. Like, Eric, "C'mon Dog, don't embarrass me in front of the folks." and Duane, " Sorry boss, it's music, can't help myself."
Duane even looks different in those Layla pictures, red haired freckles, more boy next store look, not fierce at all. Jim Gordon looks fierce. There's another Bobby video where he says Eric was so fed up with Gordon, he got up from his book, took Jim's duffle bag, opened it and threw it out the window, silk shirts flying all over the train tracks, and sat back down to his book. You didn't mess with Eric. I guess they all had an intensity to be able to make such music.
Maybe Bobby was referring to having Duane in the studio where he's pretty much tamped down, cept for Highway, was a different kettle of fish from having that ultimate live musician dropping those Elizabeth Reed type A bombs right in the middle of Bobby's precious song. Seems like Bobby was all about worshipping the song rather than using it as an escape point as Duane might have been prone to.
He says the exact opposite in the quote I posted above, that the Allman Brothers were "structured" and the Dominos were "sophisticated" and Duane couldn't stretch out solos. More likely Whitlock's ego is as fragile as his memory.
@porkchopbob Bobby Whitlock is just simply wrong. Outrageously wrong. The Allman Brothers Band was a structured southern rock band with everything planned out and they played the same solos and notes every night??? That is simply a lie! Maybe out of ignorance but a lie. As we all know the ABB was an improv jam band with an outline of their songs with notes to play that cue the band a member's solo is ending but the actual solo was different every night. The band members NEVER played a solo the same way twice.
Depending on how long a player held on to a specific solo, the length of the songs varied night after night.
The Fillmore East full release CD easily proves this as we have the album versions and alternative versions played at the theatre during that March run and every version of every song is different!
Whitlock simply doesn't know what he is talking about.
Also I seriously doubt Gregg was part of the deal. We heard the rumor in 1970 and apparently Duane was impressed and flattered Eric Clapton wanted to have him in the Dominos. Clapton was impressed with Duane's guitar on Wilson Pickett's version of Hey Jude and called Atlantic Records to find out who the guitar player is on the track. Tom Dowd knew that and ask Clapton if he wanted to go down to the Allman Brothers Band show and see the player on Hey Jude. Clapton said absolutely. That is how the ABB ended up at the Dominos recording session in Miami.
Fillmore East had not been recorded or released yet. It sold over 600,000 copies while Duane was alive and went on to sell over 1.5 million! When Duane and Clapton got together in Miami the ABB wasn't that big. You could see it coming perhaps but the first album sold 30,000 copies and Idlewild South about 50,000. Gregg Allman was starting to doubt his brother's band was going to make it big.
And at that time in 1970, Eric Clapton was one of the most famous and successful guitarists and musicians IN THE WORLD!! And Clapton continues to be one of the most famous. So this was a big opportunity for Duane.
We heard in 1970 that Duane tried the Dominos for a few shows and the busy Allman Brothers played for a couple of weeks without Duane and Duane absolutely wanted to play with Clapton but he didn't click with the other Dominos and with his own band, the Allman Brothers, Duane clicked and was tight with every one in the band so he reluctantly told Clapton he better stay where he is. Actually Clapton lost interest in Derek and the Dominos not long after Duane decided not to join and it wasn't long until they broke up.
One studio album and one live album??!! Maybe it would have lasted a little longer if Duane had joined but not much longer.
Also At Fillmore East and Eat A Peach have sold as well if not a little better than the Layla album. All three have sold over 1 to 2 million copies and Eat A Peach has sold the most of the three.
If I heard from one of his videos correctly today is Bobby's birthday, I guess that makes 75. Raconteur of precious memories, spinner of yarns, ramblin man, and integral part of one of music's supreme magic moments. Happy birthday, Bobby. He did a nice video on Carl Radle too with some bits on Jim, too. Relistening to the Key to the Highway above, I noticed for the first time I didn't much like the sound of the drums. The overall drive of the rhythm section, tremendous, the banging of the snare, bit too much.
@tenorsfan The thing I noticed on Key To The Highway is Duane Allman or Bobby Whitlock or someone yells their approval when Eric Clapton hits that weird CLANK note Clapton still goes to occasionally today.
But when Duane Allman plays his slide guitar solo, Eric Clapton yells out his approval all through Duane's solo!
Have enjoyed all these clips - thanks to all for sharing them & Happy Birthday Bobby!! Man that huge swirling organ intro to Anyday can’t be topped - thanks for the recollections bro
