James Oldaker (September 5, 1951 – July 16, 2020) was an American

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

drummer and percussionist.

Biography

James Oldaker was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. One of the first bands that he was a member of was called the Rogues Five, who saw regional success in the mid 1960s and opened for other more popular bands such as

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

at the Tulsa Convention Center. Oldaker and the Rogues Five were a regular band on local Tulsa television station KOTV's teen dance show: ''Dance Party''. After a stint in Bob Seger's band (on the album '' Back in '72''), he then was with Leon Russell's band when he was asked by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

to participate in the recording of '' 461 Ocean Boulevard''. Oldaker remained a member of Clapton's studio and touring bands through 1979, when the entire band was dismissed. Oldaker would return to the Clapton band in 1983, playing on Clapton's '' Behind the Sun'' album, released in 1985, and performing with Clapton at Live Aid that same year, before leaving in 1986. Jamie Oldakerat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Oldaker appears on the blues side of the live recording '' 24 Nights'' from 1990 and 1991. Not long after leaving Clapton's band, Oldaker briefly became a member of Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley's project, Frehley's Comet, appearing on the 1988 album '' Second Sighting''. He was also a onetime member of the alt country band, The Tractors. Oldaker recorded with musicians such as the Bellamy Brothers,

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...

, Peter Frampton, Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, Ace Frehley, Freddie King, and

the Bee Gees ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

. In August 2005, Oldaker released ''Mad Dogs & Okies'' on Concord Records, a collection celebrating the music and musicians of Oklahoma, which he produced. Collaborators include

, Vince Gill,

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

, Ronnie Dunn, and Bonnie Bramlett. ''Mad Dogs & Okies/Survivors'' was re-released in 2019 under Jamokie Productions.

Personal life

Oldaker was involved in working with the organizers and the building of the OKPOP museum in Tulsa. He and his wife, Mary, were also hosts of an annual fundraiser, MOJO Fest, to raise money for the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Oldaker battled lung cancer in the 2010s, eventually becoming cancer-free by late-2019. However, the cancer had returned by the following year, and he died on July 16, 2020, in his hometown of

, at age 68. In addition to his wife, he was survived by two children, Andrew and Olivia.Erwin, Corey (2020). "Jamie Oldaker, Drummer for Eric Clapton, Dead at 68." @ultimateclassicrock.com (16 July 2020)
Retrieved September 18, 2021.

Discography

*1973 - Bob Seger - '' Back in '72'' *1974 -

- '' 461 Ocean Boulevard'' *1974 -

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie Wilson (musician), Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it wa ...

- '' Magicians Holiday'' *1974 - Leon Russell - '' Stop All That Jazz'' *1974 - Freddie King - ''Burglar'' *1975 - Eric Clapton - '' E.C. Was Here'' *1975 - Eric Clapton - '' There's One in Every Crowd'' *1976 - Eric Clapton - '' No Reason to Cry'' *1977 - Eric Clapton - '' Slowhand'' *1977 - Freddie King - ''1934-1976'' *1978 - Eric Clapton - ''

Backless ''Backless'' is the sixth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released in November 1978. Produced by Glyn Johns, and released by RSO Records, ''Backless'' reached no. 8 on the pop charts. While the single "Promises (Eric Clapton song), Promises ...

'' *1979 - Peter Frampton - '' Where I Should Be'' *1980 - Peter Frampton - '' Rise Up'' *1980 -

Asleep At The Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...

- '' Framed'' *1982 - Marcy Levy - Marcella *1985 - Eric Clapton - '' Behind the Sun'' *1988 - Frehley's Comet - '' Second Sighting'' *1991 - Eric Clapton - '' 24 Nights'' *1994 - The Tractors - '' The Tractors'' *1995 - The Tractors - '' Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas'' *1995 - Peter Frampton - '' Frampton Comes Alive II'' *1998 - The Tractors - ''Farmers in a Changing World'' *2005 - Jamie Oldaker - ''Mad Dogs and Okies''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldaker, Jamie 1951 births 2020 deaths American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters American country drummers The Tractors members Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Country musicians from Oklahoma American rock drummers American blues drummers Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians Frehley's Comet members American male singer-songwriters Drummers from Oklahoma