James Gadson, Soulful Drummer, Passes Away

0:00It's April 3rd. Welcome in. This is Music News Today, where the industry meets AI. James Gatson, the legendary session drummer behind hits from Diana Ross, the Jackson 5, and Bill Withers, has passed away at 86. His wife Barbara shared that he had recent surgery, followed by a bad fall. Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1939, Gatson came from a musical family. His dad was a drummer too, and started out playing cornedon. Schooled before switching to drums after the Air Force. He cut his teeth backing up torn grates like Otis Redding and Sam Cook in Kansas City, then headed to Los Angeles where Motown producer Hal Davis brought him in for the Jackson 5's Dancing Machine. That groove opened doors to smashes like Withers' lean on me and use me. Gloria Gainers, I will survive, and Thelma Houston's don't leave me. This way, Gatson's pocket defined soul, funk, and disco for generations, missing breakbeats that dancers still move to today. Questlove called him unmatched, and

1:02that danceable drum art on Instagram, while Flea noted his beats will keep sparking joy and freedom forever. Later in life, he drummed on Bex C-Change, Justin Timberlake's future sex slash love sounds, Harry Styles' fine line, and even slapped his legs on. DeAngelo's Sugar Daddy from Black Messiah, though he dropped only a handful of his own tracks, like the 1976 disco joint, go buy what's in your heart, his shadow looms large. Over modern music, Gatson's feel was pure magic, time was grooves that heal and hype, his legacy beats on and every track he touched.