James Gadson

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. He is also a singer and songwriter.

Career
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Gadson played with the first line-up of Charles Wright's Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, 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. Gadson started to become well known as a drummer following the release of the album Still Bill by Bill Withers, released by Sussex Records in 1972. He played on The Temptations album 1990, released on the Motown label in 1973.

In 1975, he played with Freddie King on Larger Than Life 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. 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".

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. 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).  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).

Singles
James Gadson & Lou Washington
 * "Express Yourself" (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Band) - (1970)
 * "Lean On Me" (Bill Withers) - (1972)
 * "Use Me" (Bill Withers) - (1972)
 * "Got To Find My Baby" / "Let The Feeling Belong" - Cream Records 1014 - (1972)
 * "Good Vibrations" / "Just To Love You Girl" - Cream Records 1019 - (1972)
 * "Dancing Machine" (Jackson 5) - (1974)
 * "I Want You" (Marvin Gaye) - (1976)
 * "Love Hangover" (Diana Ross) - (1976)
 * "Go By What's In Your Heart" / "Go By What's In Your Heart" - United Artists UA-XW815-Y - (1976)
 * "Got To Be Real" (Cheryl Lynn) - (1978)
 * Gadson & Washington - "Ain't No Way To Live" / "Indian Village" - B And W Records – BW-011, B And W Records – BW-012 (12" 33rpm single)

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 High Inergy 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 Gladys Knight With Gladys Knight & the Pips 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 The Miracles With Blue Mitchell With Barbara Morrison With Ian Moss With Aaron Neville With Paolo Nutini With David Oliver With The Originals With Freda Payne With Sweet Pea Atkinson With Peaches & Herb 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 The Supremes With Tavares With The Temptations 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 The Whispers With Mary Wilson With Lenny Williams With Bill Withers With Stevie Woods With Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band With Syreeta Wright With Michael Wycoff With Richard "Popcorn" Wylie
 * In Hi-Fi Stereo (Heads Up, 2010)
 * Wild Heart (Heads Up, 2014)
 * Back on Track (Blind Pig, 1999)
 * Soul of the Blues (PM Records, 2004)
 * Stomp the Floor (Delta Groove, 2009)
 * Here to Make You Feel Good (Cleopatra, 2019)
 * Driftin' (A&M Records, 1979)
 * Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela (Horizon, 1978)
 * The Heart Speaks in Whispers (Virgin Records, 2016)
 * Continuation (Columbia Records, 1983)
 * The Songstress (Elektra Records, 1983)
 * Soul Deeper... Songs From the Deep South (Mushroom Records, 2000)
 * The Rhythm and the Blues (Liberation Records, 2009)
 * Sea Change (Geffen, 2002)
 * The Information (Idenscope Records, 2006)
 * Morning Phase (Capitol Records, 2014)
 * That's The Way It Should Be (Columbia, 1994)
 * Rich Man (Concord Records, 2016)
 * Back Stairs in My Life (Reprise Records, 1976)
 * Live and Learn (A&M Records, 1979)
 * We're the Best of Friends (Capitol Records, 1979)
 * Make Do with What You Got (Shout! Factory, 2005)
 * Power Of Love (Mercury Records, 1973)
 * Fire on Ice (Elektra, 1979)
 * You're What's Missing in My Life (Motown, 1977)
 * Castle in the Sky (Casablanca, 1977)
 * Love You Forever (Casablanca, 1979)
 * Wrapped in Red (RCA Records, 2013)
 * Follow My Mind (Reprise, 1975)
 * Hymn for My Soul (EMI, 2007)
 * Adam Cohen (Columbia Records, 1998)
 * The Future (Columbia Records, 1992)
 * Thankful (Capitol Records, 1977)
 * Don't Look Back (Capitol Records, 1980)
 * Pebble to a Pearl (Stax Records, 2008)
 * Everything Must Change (Warner Bros. Records, 1976)
 * Raw Silk (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
 * Nightline (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)
 * Catching Tales (Verve, 2005)
 * Black Messiah (RCA Records, 2014)
 * Paradise (Polydor Records, 2012)
 * You're the Only Dancer (Amherst Records, 1977)
 * The Vehicle (Right, 2013)
 * High on Sunshine (Motown, 1978)
 * Lady of the Stars (RCA Records, 1984)
 * Love Me (RSO Records, 1977)
 * Night Flight (RSO Records, 1978)
 * Rejoice (Columbia, 1977)
 * The Nightfly (Warner Bros. Records, 1982)
 * The Bitch Is Black (Motown, 1975)
 * José Feliciano (Motown, 1981)
 * Sweet Passion (Atlantic Records, 1977)
 * Aretha (Arista Records, 1986)
 * Hourglass (Sony Records, 1996)
 * IRM (Beck, 2009)
 * Terry (Arista, 1975)
 * The Joy (Fantasy, 1977)
 * I Want You (Motown, 1976)
 * Midnight Love (Columbia Records, 1982)
 * Love Tracks (Polydor Records, 1978)
 * I Have a Right (Polydor Records, 1979)
 * Stories (Polydor Records, 1980)
 * Killer Joe (Columbia, 1977)
 * Man-Child (Columbia, 1975)
 * Hard Work (ABC, 1976)
 * Carnival (ABC, 1977)
 * Steppin' Out (Gordy, 1978)
 * Frenzy (Gordy, 1979)
 * Shoulda Gone Dancin' (Gordy, 1979)
 * High Inergy (Gordy, 1981)
 * Thelma & Jerry (Motown, 1977)
 * Ready to Roll (Motown, 1978)
 * Breakwater Cat (RCA Records, 1980)
 * Your Place or Mine (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (Motown, 1982)
 * La Toya Jackson (Polydor, 1980)
 * The Fall (Blue Note, 2009)
 * The Evening of My Best Day (V2 Records, 2003)
 * Back for More (Columbia, 1980)
 * Hear the Words, Feel the Feeling (Cotillion, 1976)
 * Feeling My Way (Atlantic, 1978)
 * Taking Off (ABC Records, 1979)
 * Boogie Down! (Tamla, 1974)
 * The Hit Man (Tamla, 1975)
 * Truckload of Lovin' (Tomato Records, 1976)
 * Let Me Live in Your Life (Atlantic Records, 1978)
 * Midnight Believer (ABC Records, 1978)
 * Take It Home (MCA Records, 1979)
 * Love Stuff (RCA Records, 2015)
 * Larger Than Life (RSO Records, 1976)
 * Miss Gladys Knight (Buddah, 1978)
 * Touch (Columbia, 1981)
 * Charles Kynard (Mainstream, 1971)
 * Chameleon (Epic, 1976)
 * Patti LaBelle (Epic Records, 1977)
 * Tasty (Epic Records, 1978)
 * Winner in You (MCA Records, 1986)
 * Amos Lee (Blue Note Records, 2005)
 * Last Days at the Lodge (Blue Note Records, 2008)
 * Mission Bell (Blue Note Records, 2011)
 * Compass (Warp Records, 2010)
 * Romantico (Zamajo, 1980)
 * Cheryl Lynn (Columbia Records, 1978)
 * In Love (Columbia Records, 1979)
 * In the Night (Columbia Records, 1981)
 * High as Hope (Virgin, 2018)
 * Don't Cry Out Loud (Arista Records, 1978)
 * Starchild (Epic Records, 1984)
 * Fly Rasta (Tuff Gong Worldwide, 2014)
 * Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Parlophone, 2005)
 * On My Way (Atlantic, 1982)
 * Lonette (Sussex, 1974)
 * Words and Music (Warner Bros., 1978)
 * Jukebox Sparrows (Capitol Records, 2002)
 * Bette (Warner Bros. Records, 2000)
 * City of Angels (Tamla, 1975)
 * The Power of Music (Tamla, 1976)
 * Stratosonic Nuances (RCA, 1975)
 * African Violet (Impulse!, 1977)
 * Summer Soft (Impulse!, 1978)
 * Love'n You (P.C.H., 1990)
 * Soul on West 53rd (Liberation, 2009)
 * Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics (Sony Music, 2006)
 * Caustic Love (Atlantic, 2014)
 * Mind Magic (Mercury, 1978)
 * Rain Fire (Mercury, 1979)
 * Here's To You (Mercury, 1980)
 * Another Time, Another Place (Fantasy, 1978)
 * Hot (Capitol, 1979)
 * Get What You Deserve (Blue Note, 2017)
 * 2 Hot (Polydor, 1978)
 * Twice the Fire (Polydor, 1979)
 * Worth the Wait (Polydor, 1980)
 * Sayin' Something (Polydor, 1981)
 * Workin' It Back (Asylum Records, 1985)
 * Late at Night (Motown, 1979)
 * The Way I Am (Motown, 1981)
 * Pressin' On (Motown, 1982)
 * That's How Rumors Get Started (Loma Vista, 2020)
 * Reddy (Capitol Records, 1979)
 * Martha Reeves (MCA Records, 1974)
 * We Meet Again (Fantasy Records, 1978)
 * Seed of Memory (ABC, 1976)
 * Today Is Christmas (Kobalt Label Service, 2015)
 * Stay in Love (Epic Records, 1977)
 * Love Breeze (Tamla, 1978)
 * Where There's Smoke... (Tamla, 1979)
 * Warm Thoughts (Motown, 1980)
 * Being with You (Motown, 1981)
 * Touch the Sky (Motown, 1983)
 * Love, Smokey (Motown, 1990)
 * Rockie Robbins (A&M, 1979)
 * You and Me (A&M, 1980)
 * Grand Romantic (Fueled, 2015)
 * Me 'N Rock 'N Roll Are Here To Stay (Motown, 1974)
 * Shout It Out (Prestige, 1977)
 * Patrice (Elektra, 1978)
 * Pizzazz (Elektra, 1979)
 * Posh (Elektra, 1980)
 * Straight from the Heart (Elektra, 1982)
 * Saffo Music (Lasapa, 1977)
 * Suspended Animation (RCA Victor, 1979)
 * Slow Dancer (Columbia Records, 1974)
 * Rollercoaster (MCA, 1977)
 * Nancy Shanx (United Artists, 1977)
 * Sweet Beginnings (Columbia Records, 1977)
 * Mexican Standoff (Mighty Sound, 2005)
 * Home (Simplyred.com, 2003)
 * Last Call (Delta Groove, 2006)
 * I'm Gonna Be Ready (Crosscut, 2011)
 * It Looks Like Snow (Columbia Records, 1976)
 * Wet (Columbia Records, 1979)
 * Fine Line (Columbia Records, 2019)
 * High Energy (Motown, 1976)
 * Mary, Scherrie & Susaye (Motown, 1976)
 * Check It Out (Capitol, 1974)
 * Sky High! (Capitol, 1976)
 * Future Bound (Capitol, 1978)
 * 1990 (Gordy, 1973)
 * A Song for You (Gordy, 1975)
 * The Temptations Do The Temptations (Gordy, 1976)
 * Power (Gordy, 1980)
 * Back to Basics (Gordy, 1983)
 * Milestone (Motown, 1991)
 * FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive Records, 2006)
 * Ripcord (Capitol, 2016)
 * Heaven Above Me (MCA Records, 1980)
 * O My Love (Phillips Records, 1975)
 * Short Vacation (Gold Castle, 1988)
 * Mr Finish Line (Vulf, 2017)
 * Running Away (Vulf, 2017)
 * Musical Massage (Gordy, 1976)
 * Leon Ware (Elektra, 1982)
 * Boo! (Rykodisc, 2008)
 * Open Up Your Love (Soul Train, 1977)
 * Whisper in Your Ear (Solar, 1979)
 * Mary Wilson (Motown, 1979)
 * Choosing You (ABC, 1977)
 * Sparks of Love (ABC, 1978)
 * Love Current (MCA, 1979)
 * Still Bill (Sussex, 1972)
 * +'Justments (Sussex, 1974)
 * Take Me to Your Heaven (Cotillion, 1981)
 * Express Yourself (Warner Bros., 1970)
 * You're So Beautiful (Warner Bros., 1971)
 * Rich Love, Poor Love (Motown, 1977)
 * One to One (Motown, 1977)
 * Set My Love in Motion (Motown, 1981)
 * Love Conquers All (RCA Records, 1982)
 * On the Line (RCA Records, 1983)
 * Extrasensory Percepition (ABC, 1974)