James Beck Gordon (born 1945), known as Jim Gordon, is an American-born musician active during the 1960s and 1970s.

Gordon began his career as a session drummer in Los Angeles. During this period, he performed on many famous recordings including Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers by Gene Clark and The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds; he remained an in-demand session drummer well into the seventies.

In 1969 and 1970, he toured as part of the backing band for the group Delaney & Bonnie, which at the time included Eric Clapton. Clapton subsequently took over the group's rhythm section — Gordon, bassist Carl Radle and keyboardist-singer-songwriter Bobby Whitlock.

They formed a new band which was eventually called Derek & The Dominos. Gordon played on the group's acclaimed 1970 double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and composed and played the elegiac piano coda for the title track, Layla. He also toured with the band on a subsequent U.S. tour, but the group split in spring 1971 before having completed the recording of their second LP.

In 1970, Gordon was part of Joe Cocker's famous Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. In 1971, he toured with Traffic, appearing on two albums with them, including The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Later in 1972, Gordon was part of Frank Zappa's 20-piece "Grand Wazoo" big band tour, and the subsesequent 10-piece "Petit Wazoo" band.

Perhaps his most well-known recording with Zappa was the title track of the 1974 LP Apostrophe ('), a jam with Zappa and Tony Duran on guitar and Jack Bruce on bass, for which both Bruce and Gordon received a writing credit. He worked with Chris Hillman again when he was the drummer in the Souther Hillman Furay Band from 1973 to 1975.

During his career, Gordon played with (or for) a long list of top musicians and producers, including Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, The Carpenters, Alice Cooper, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, John Denver, Neil Diamond, George Harrison, Dr John, Carole King, John Lennon, The Monkees, Linda Ronstadt, Leon Russell, Glen Campbell (Wichita Lineman), Carly Simon ("You're So Vain"), Steely Dan, Gordon Lightfoot and Traffic.

In the late 1970s, Gordon complained of hearing voices in his head. He was later diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia, and in 1981 it ended his music career.

In 1983, Gordon was convicted of murdering his mother and was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison. He currently spends most of his time at Atascadero State Hospital.

James Beck "Jim" Gordon (born on January 1, 1945) is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of that time and was the drummer of the blues-rock supergroup, Derek & The Dominos. A diagnosed schizophrenic, Gordon murdered his mother in 1983 and was sentenced to sixteen years to life in prison.

Beck was born in Los Angeles on New Year's Day of 1945. He was a bright child and apparently had a talent for music at a young age, mastering how to play drums when he was 6 years old. Gordon graduated from U. S. Grant High School in 1963, and had shortly after began his career as a musician.

Gordon began his career backing the Everly Brothers in 1963 at age 18, he went on to become one of the most sought after recording session drummers in Los Angeles where, in 1968, he recorded with Mason Williams on the hit "Classical Gas". During this period, he performed on many notable recordings including Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers by Gene Clark and The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds. Gordon at the top of his career was so busy as a studio musician that he would fly back to Los Angeles every night when playing in Las Vegas to do two or three record dates, then return in the afternoon in time for the 8pm show at Caesars Palace.

In 1969 and 1970, he toured as part of the backing band for the group Delaney & Bonnie, which at the time included Eric Clapton. Clapton subsequently took over the group's rhythm section — Gordon, bassist Carl Radle and keyboardist-singer-songwriter, Bobby Whitlock. They formed a new band which was eventually called Derek & The Dominos. The band's first studio work was as the house band for George Harrison's 3 disc set All Things Must Pass. Gordon then played on the Derek & The Dominos' 1970 double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Gordon contributing the elegiac piano coda for the title track, "Layla", co-written by Gordon and Clapton. He also toured with the band on subsequent U.S. and UK tours, but the group split in spring 1971 before having completed the recording of their second album.

In 1970, Gordon was part of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. In 1971, he toured with Traffic, appearing on two albums with them, including The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Later in 1972, Gordon was part of Frank Zappa's 20-piece "Grand Wazoo" big band tour, and the subsequent 10-piece "Petit Wazoo" band. Perhaps his most well-known recording with Zappa was the title track of the 1974 album Apostrophe ('), a jam with Zappa and Tony Duran on guitar and Jack Bruce on bass guitar, for which both Bruce and Gordon received a writing credit. He worked with Chris Hillman again when he was the drummer in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band from 1973 to 1975. Some of his best work was with Dave Mason on his 1970 album Alone Together, where Gordon set new standards for rock drumming. Gordon was also the drummer on the Incredible Bongo Band's Bongo Rock album, released in 1972. His drum break on the LP's version of "Apache" has been repeatedly sampled by rap music artists.

Imprisonment

In the late 1970s, Gordon complained of hearing voices in his head, primarily the voice of his mother, telling him to starve himself and filling him with violent rage if he disobeyed. His physicians failed to diagnose his mental illness and instead treated him for alcohol abuse. His condition worsened.

On June 3, 1983, Gordon brutally murdered his mother with a hammer and a butcher's knife. It was not until his trial in 1984 that he was properly diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia. Unable to use the insanity defense, which California had recently narrowed, Gordon was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to sixteen years to life in prison with a possibility of parole.

He has served his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero State Hospital in Atascadero, and the State Medical Corrections Facility in Vacaville. He has twice been denied parole.

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Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, Eric Clapton and Jeep.

Jim Gordon