10 Musicians Who Committed Real Crimes, Did Real Time - And Had Real Impact

By far the most tragic tale on our list, Jim Gordon won’t be a household name to many these days but, as one of the most in-demand session drummers of the '60s and '70s, he played on countless classic tracks and hit singles. Beginning his career by touring England with the Everly Brothers in his teens he became known as the ‘only living metronome’ in a career which saw him play on tracks such as Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walking as well as sessions for John Lennon’s Imagine album. His greatest achievement came in 1993 when he was awarded a songwriting Grammy for his work on Derek & The Dominoes’ Layla with Eric Clapton. Ironically his biggest contribution to the track wasn’t even on the drums; Gordon played the delicate, beautiful piano coda which adds a startling extra dimension to one of the great rock songs.

Sadly by the time he was awarded the Grammy, Gordon had already served nearly ten years for the horrific killing of his mother in 1983. The drummer suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia, possibly from as early as the start of the 1970s. The rampant drug use of the time didn’t help his condition, and provided an explanation to others of his unusual behaviour. By the late '70s he was constantly hearing voices which told him not to eat, not to play drums, not to sleep. Despite checking himself into hospital more than ten times he couldn’t get sufficient help. The strongest voice was that of his mother – who in real life was nothing but a good parent. The imagined version of Osa Marie Gordon controlled her son, however, terrorising and tormenting him, and in 1983 he snapped, murdering the real Osa Gordon with a hammer and a knife at her home in Hollywood.

He was given a sentence of sixteen years to life, with a recent change to California law denying him a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental illness. Over thirty years later he is still incarcerated, having been denied parole ten times as a potential danger to himself and others. It’s a devastatingly sad end for an extremely talented musician who by all accounts was pleasant, kind and well-liked until his illness took hold. The impact of his talent should continue to be acknowledged however, as his drumming continues to be listened to on songs by artists from The Beach Boys to Frank Zappa, Jackson Browne to Traffic and even Alice Cooper – while the gorgeous piano denouement that caps Layla will be enjoyed for decades to come.