Born 74 Years Ago Today in Tulsa, Eric Clapton’s “Perfect” Drummer Who Also Recorded With Willie Nelson and Vince Gill

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on this day (September 5) in 1968, Jamie Oldaker’s drumming skills were legion. Eric Clapton once described those skills in effusive terms, declaring his longtime band member’s playing style as “unique” and “perfect.”

“The kind of man he is matches his drums,” Clapton told Tulsa World.

Oldaker’s illustrious career included stints with artists as varied as Bob Seger, Peter Frampton, Ace Frehley, Asleep at the Wheel, and the Bee Gees.

Learning the music industry inside and out, he also worked in artists management and publishing, helping promote the career of fellow Oklahoman Ronnie Dunn before he joined world-famous duo Brooks & Dunn.

Additionally, Oldaker occasionally sported the producer hat. One example includes the 2005 album Mad Dogs & Okies, which included music from other Sooner State artists such as Vince Gill, J.J. Cale, and Dunn — along with one of the Lone Star State’s greatest exports, Willie Nelson.

Finally, Jamie Oldaker was an original member of country-rock outfit The Tractors, who hit Platinum with their 1994 self-titled debut album. The CMA Award-winning band also scored a top 40 hit with their lead single, “Baby Likes to Rock It”.

James Robert “Jamie” Oldaker died on July 16, 2020, at age 68 after battling lung cancer off and on for the better part of a decade. Today, we’re diving into his life and career on what would have been Oldaker’s 75th birthday.

Jamie Oldaker Was a Multi-Genre Master of the Drums

Inspired by both his drummer father and jazz icon Gene Krupa, Jamie Oldaker took up drumming at age nine.

By high school, he was picking up a steady stream of gigs around the Tulsa area. One of those gigs was with regionally successful band the Rogues Five, who once opened for the Doors at the Tulsa Convention Center in the mid-1960s.

In the early 1970s, Oldaker linked up with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Bob Seger, playing on the album Back in ’72. He also played with J.J. Cale and Leon Russell.

Those connections led Oldaker to iconic rock bassist Carl Radle, who had been playing with Eric Clapton. After Radle sent Clapton recordings of Oldaker’s drum work, the “Tears in Heaven” singer asked him to play on Clapton’s 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard.

“Carl said to me, ‘I got a call from a friend of mine, and he wants to do a record.’ Apparently, Eric had been woodshedding at home in England with a demo tape that Carl had given him,” Oldaker recalled in a 2018 interview with Modern Drummer magazine. “Eric then called, saying, “’I’m going to Miami to do a record with [famed producer] Tom Dowd; bring that kid from Tulsa with you!’”

Oldaker played drums on Clapton’s next 10 albums. His work includes some of Clapton’s biggest hits, such as I Shot the Sheriff” (1974), “Wonderful Tonight” (1978), and ”Lay Down Sally” (1978).

Oldaker remained with the 18-time Grammy winner until 1979 — when Clapton fired the entire band.

He would return for one more album — 1985’s Behind the Sun — before leaving again in 1986.

A Dazzling Career

After the colossal success of Clapton’s 1977 album Slowhand, British singer-songwriter Peter Frampton began to take note of Jamie Oldaker’s drumming skills. He hired the Oklahoma drummer to play on his 1979 album Where Should I Be.

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Additionally, Oldaker briefly played with Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley’s side project, Frehley’s Comet, before joining The Tractors.

Determined to give back to his hometown, Oldaker also spearheaded fundraising efforts for museums and other cultural endeavors in Tulsa.

Featured image by Michael Putland/Getty Images