Legendary R&B drummer James Gadson who played with Diana Ross and Jackson 5 passes away at 86

Drummer James Gadson, a famed musician who played with the likes of Diana Ross and Kelly Clarkson, to name a few, has passed away. He was 86 when he passed away. His wife, Barbara, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone in their latest report. In her statement, she revealed that her husband had been having health issues and had also undergone surgery recently. She further added that he had also fallen and hurt his back, which added to the complications.Describing the drummer, she concluded her statement by saying, “He was a wonderful man. He was a great husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and one hell of a drummer.”Gadson was born on June 17, 1939, in Kansas City, Missouri, and started his career as a musician when he was in his early 20s. Slowly rising to the top, he became one of the biggest pioneering names in the R&B music scene. In an old interview with Modern Drummer, the artist revealed that when he started, he was completely unaware of how to play drums. “At first, during the time I didn’t really know how to play R&B, it was awful. I wouldn’t even charge them; it was so bad. I felt bad about wasting their studio time. I couldn’t keep a steady pattern because I was coming from a free-jazz mindset,” he admitted at the time. Some of the most popular songs Gadson was a part of included Cheryl Lynn’s ‘Got to Be Real,’ Smokey Robinson’s ‘Cruisin,’ Jackson 5’s ‘Dancing Machine,’ Yvonne Elliman’s ‘If I Can’t Have You,’ Tavares’ ‘Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,’ and many others.