Legendary drummer James Gadson, who played with Paul McCartney and Diana Ross, dies aged 86

James Gadson, a legendary R&B drummer who played with some of the biggest names in music history, has died at the age of 86.

The veteran musician is known for performing alongside superstars, such as Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye.

Tributes have poured in for Gadson after his wife, Barbara, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone.

‘He was a wonderful man,’ she said.

‘He was a great husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and one hell of a drummer.’
Fellow musician Nick Perri also paid his respects, as he described the drummer as ‘the best’.

He said: ‘James was one of my all-time favourite drummers, and his mark on music will forever reign’.’
Throughout an illustrious career that spanned more than five decades, Gadson established himself as one of the most versatile drummers in the business, performing across a range of genres such as pop, rock, soul and funk.

Often called the ’16th note king’ for his funk and soul grooves, Gadson was one of the most recorded drummers in history and played on thousands of hits for music legends.

Specialising in high-hat grooves that blended disco, funk and Latin influences, his credits stretched from the 1960s to the 2020s.

In the early 1970s, he played on hits such as Lean on Me and Use Me with Withers.

Other notable songs included Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, Thelma Houston’s Don’t Leave Me This Way along with tracks by The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones.

Later in his career, hee went on to work with artists such as Beck, who he played on three albums with, Justin Timberlake, D’Angelo and Harry Styles.

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