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Murderer and Eric Clapton drummer dies at 77

<p>Jim Gordon, an infamous session drummer from the ‘60s and ‘70s, has passed away at the age of 77. </p> <p>Gordon, who in his prime played with the likes of the Beach Boys and George Harrison, died in a psychiatric prison in California’s Vacaville. He had been sentenced to 16 years to life after killing his mother during a psychotic episode in 1983, and it is reported that he never attended parole hearings, or ever left prison. </p> <p>His publicist Bob Merlis confirmed the news in a statement, where he also explained that Gordon had died of natural causes. </p> <p>Gordon was born and raised in Los Angeles, and opted to pursue a career as a drummer while a teenager, even turning down a scholarship to UCLA. At just 17, he toured the United Kingdom with the Everly Brothers. </p> <p>His professional resume only grew from there, with Gordon going on to become on the primary drummers for George Harrison’s <em>All Things Must Pass</em>. Additionally, he contributed to songs by The Beach Boys on <em>Pet Sounds</em>, Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Judy Collins, and Bobby Darin. </p> <p>In 1970, he formed a group - Derek and the Dominos - with Eric Clapton. Together they wrote the hit ‘Layla’, with Gordon playing both piano and drums. Gordon’s girlfriend at the time, Rita singer Coolidge, claimed she had written the piano section. </p> <p>Gordon’s relationship with Coolidge ended when he physically assaulted her. </p> <p>As the years went by, Gordon developed issues with addiction, telling <em>Rolling Stone</em> in 1985 that he considered himself to be an alcoholic, and admitted to using heroin. By the late ‘70s, after he had confessed to hearing voices in his head, his mother had requested he seek help. </p> <p>“He used to talk to me about hearing voices,” Bobby Whitlock informed <em>Rolling Stone</em> in 2013, “but I told him that it was his consciousness speaking to him. He said it was someone else. Evidently he never stopped or even lightened up on his drug and alcohol intake. </p> <p>“The end result was the destruction of his family.”</p> <p>As Gordon’s mental health deteriorated, so did his career. He claimed to often hear his mum’s voice, and despite a number of medical interventions, he never maintained a consistent treatment schedule. </p> <p>And in June 1983, his mother paid the price, when Gordon fatally struck the 71-year-old Osa Marie Gordon with a hammer and knife. </p> <p>In the wake of her murder, Gordon was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and sentenced to his 16-years-to-life in prison. In 2018, he was deemed to still pose “an unreasonable risk of threat to public safety.” </p> <p>However, those who had known and worked with Gordon before the dark period of his life wanted to pay tribute to the late drummer, taking to social media to write of his professional success, citing some of his greatest hits and collaboration. </p> <p>Gordon’s publicist, Eric Alper, did so while confirming the news, adding that he “will be missed.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jim Gordon, one of rock’s all-time greatest drummers, has died at the age of 77.<br />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. <a href="https://t.co/m3jP5LKaqB">pic.twitter.com/m3jP5LKaqB</a></p> <p>— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThatEricAlper/status/1636133384853282818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Eric Clapton’s ex-wife - Pattie Boyd - to whom he was married 10 years, paid her respects with a throwback picture of Gordon at a drum kit, writing that she was “sorry to hear of the passing of Jim Gordon.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I'm sorry to hear of the passing of Jim Gordon. Some of you will know that Jim co-wrote 'Layla' with Eric when they were both in Derek &amp; The Dominoes.<br />Jim also worked with George on the 'All Things Must Pass' album.<br />RIP <a href="https://t.co/83YPA664yt">pic.twitter.com/83YPA664yt</a></p> <p>— Pattie Boyd (@thepattieboyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/thepattieboyd/status/1636388726850072576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Images: Twitter, Getty</em></p>

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Foo Fighters deliver emotional tribute to late drummer Taylor Hawkins

<p dir="ltr">The Foo Fighters have delivered an emotional tribute to the band’s late drummer, Taylor Hawkins, at a fundraiser concert in London. </p> <p dir="ltr">The American rock band were joined by a series of music icons to honour Hawkins, who died of a drug overdose at age 50 in March 2022 while on tour with the band in Colombia.</p> <p dir="ltr">An emotional performance came from Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane, who took to his father’s drum kit to perform the Foo Fighters song <em>My Hero</em> in honour of his dad. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P2KnD7sfpoA" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">As well as the tear-jerking performance from the young musician, frontman Dave Grohl also had the crowd in pieces with a stripped back version of the song <em>Times Like These</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Playing with no instrumental backing, Grohl broke down in tears as he performed the 2002 track in honour of his friend, with the crowd cheering him on in support.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grohl then launched into an emphatic performance as the band played their hits <em>The </em><em>Pretender</em> and <em>Everlong</em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A stone would be moved to tears by Dave Grohl breaking down, then being urged on by the roar of the crowd, at the start of Times Like These during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TaylorHawkins?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TaylorHawkins</a> tribute concert. <a href="https://t.co/LLBTuRimi0">pic.twitter.com/LLBTuRimi0</a></p> <p>— Kevin (@caoimhinof) <a href="https://twitter.com/caoimhinof/status/1566158409325592579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The performance also featured Guns N' Roses drummer Josh Freese,  Blink-182's Travis Barker, Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Beatles' Paul McCartney, AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and Nile Rogers also joined the impressive lineup of musical stars. </p> <p dir="ltr">The performance was held at London's Wembley Stadium, with the proceeds going towards charities Music Support and MusiCares. </p> <p dir="ltr">A second tribute concert is scheduled for Los Angeles at the end of September. </p> <p dir="ltr">The announcement of Taylor’s untimely death came just hours before the band was due to take the stage at a music festival in Bogota. </p> <p dir="ltr">He is survived by his wife Alice, and children Shane, Anabelle and Everleigh.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-6c7be902-7fff-9689-c125-8ac4b8a73dda"></span></p>

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Celebrities mourn Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charlie Watts, the legendary drummer for The Rolling Stones, has passed away at the age of 80.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts,” the band said in a statement on Wednesday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/wi6333F6QF">pic.twitter.com/wi6333F6QF</a></p> — The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) <a href="https://twitter.com/RollingStones/status/1430209721567416323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watt’s spokesperson added that the musician was “a cherished husband, father and grandfather” and “one of the greatest drummers of his generation”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bandmate Mick Jagger shared a simple tribute on social media, sharing a photo of Watts laughing while sitting at a drum kit on stage.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/MrPpJI0Hxd">pic.twitter.com/MrPpJI0Hxd</a></p> — Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickJagger/status/1430294856774135817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stones guitarist Keith Richards followed suit, sharing a single picture of a drum kit with a “CLOSED” sign draped over it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watts played drums on all of the band’s 30 albums, was a jazz drummer in his earlier years, heading his own jazz band and getting involved in several side projects.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the tragic news was announced, tributes to the drummer have poured in from music stars - including Sir Elton John, Slash, Lenny Kravitz, and fellow drumming legend Ringo Starr.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company,” Elton John wrote, sharing a photo of the pair. “My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And, of course, The Rolling Stones.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company. My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And of course, The Rolling Stones. <br /><br />@therollingstones <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CharlieWatts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CharlieWatts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> <a href="https://t.co/9rjSSgioZL">pic.twitter.com/9rjSSgioZL</a></p> — Elton John (@eltonofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/eltonofficial/status/1430213430095630343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lenny Kravitz had no words, sharing a photo of the drummer with his sticks with the caption: “The beat of The Stones. There are no words, every groove has spoken for itself.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ringo Starr also shared a picture, writing: “God bless Charlie Watts, we’re going to miss you man, peace and love to the family, Ringo.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHARLIEWATTS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHARLIEWATTS</a>. The beat of The Stones. There are no words, every groove has spoken for itself. <br />6/2/41 - 8/24/21 <a href="https://t.co/Lw2USKaxYH">pic.twitter.com/Lw2USKaxYH</a></p> — Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/LennyKravitz/status/1430221907899654156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/God?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#God</a> bless Charlie Watts we’re going to miss you man peace and love to the family Ringo 😎✌️🌟❤️🌈🎶☮️ <a href="https://t.co/3tSFg7EMQG">pic.twitter.com/3tSFg7EMQG</a></p> — #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/ringostarrmusic/status/1430214308101705730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fellow Beatle Paul McCartney said Watt’s death was a huge blow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He was a lovely guy. Condolences to the Stones. A huge blow for them because Charlie was a rock,” McCartney said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A fantastic drummer, steady as a rock. Love you, Charlie, will always love you. Beautiful man, and great condolences and sympathy to his family.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beach Boy Brian Wilson also paid tribute to Watts, who he described as a “great drummer”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I feel terrible for Charlie’s family. Charlie was a great drummer and I loved the Stones music, they made great records. Love &amp; Mercy,” Wilson said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Celebrities outside the music world also shared their sympathies, with Monty Python star Eric Idle writing on Twitter: “Saddened by the loss of Charlie Watts. A kind and gentle man. He will be very missed.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Irvine Welsh, the author of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trainspotting</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, also penned a tribute to the drummer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“RIP Charlie Watts. Always steadfastly came over as a no-nonsense honest broker in a situation where acclaim, wealth, pomposity and egotism could corrupt the sweetest of souls,” he shared on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes several weeks after the drummer pulled out of The Rolling Stones’ upcoming US tour to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Mick Jagger / Twitter</span></em></p>

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5 things you didn’t know about the Red Hot Chili Peppers

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) have been around for 36 years and have created some amazing music in their time, including songs like </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Otherside</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under The Bridge</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. However, with a band that’s been around for so long, there’s bound to be some interesting facts. Here are the top five.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Their first album, <em>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</em> was recorded in Harry Houdini’s old haunted mansion</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was detailed in the documentary </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Funky Monks</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, where producer Rick Rubin explained that members of the band had found it to be creepy. Rubin has since made the mansion into his home studio, but this is where the RHCP made their first album. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Kiedis, Flea and John Frusciante stayed in the house while recording, whereas drummer Chad Smith found it too creepy.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPfvTFHq0L/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPfvTFHq0L/" target="_blank">let me stand next to your 🔥</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/chilipeppers/" target="_blank"> Red Hot Chili Peppers</a> (@chilipeppers) on Feb 23, 2019 at 3:06pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><strong>2. They’ve had seven guitarists during the band’s existence</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guitarists in the RHCP changed like the weather. The list of guitarists is as follows:</span></p> <ul> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hillel Slovak: 1983, 1984 – 1988</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jack Sherman: 1983 – 1984</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Arik Marshall: 1992 – 1993</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dave Navarro: 1993 – 1998</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesse Tobias: 1993</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">John Frusciante: 1988 – 1992, 1998 – 2009</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Josh Klinghoffer: 2009 – present</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesse Tobias: 1993<br /></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p><strong>3. Seven out of the RHCP’s eleven albums are certified platinum.</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For an album to go platinum, this means that they have to have sold at least one million copies. Out of the seven that are platinum, six are certified multi-platinum.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The awards don’t stop there. The RHCP have also won six Grammy awards with a further sixteen nominations.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Flea, the band’s bassist, has a surprisingly normal name</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flea’s real name is Michael Balzary, and he was born in Australia. He met Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons in Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, which is where the band was born.</span></p> <p><strong>5. There are only two original members left in the RHCP</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988 and was found in his Hollywood home. Their drummer, Jack Irons, left soon after because he “didn’t want to be a part of something where my friends are dying.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only two members of the RHCP that have been with the band since the beginning are Anthony Kiedis, on vocals, and Michael “Flea” Balzary, who’s the bassist. </span></p>

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