Oldaker, Jamie

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Drummer Jamie Oldaker, whose career included stints alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Frampton, has died at the age of 68.

The rocker reportedly passed away at his Tulsa, Okla. home, surrounded by his family. He had battled cancer in recent years.

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oldaker took up drumming at a young age. One of his earliest moments of inspiration was watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. He’d later grace that same iconic studio stage while performing with Phil Driscoll.

In 1974, Oldaker played on Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard, the rocker’s first LP following a three-year absence due to heroin addiction. Clapton claimed that hearing a demo recording of Oldaker alongside keyboardist Dick Sims helped inspire him to get back in the studio. 461 Ocean Boulevard would go on to great success, buoyed by the hit single “I Shot the Sheriff.” It would be the first of 11 Clapton albums to feature Oldaker on drums, a list which includes Slowhand (1977), Backless (1978) and Behind the Sun (1985).

“He has the best snare sound I’ve ever heard,” Clapton explained to Tulsa World. “He has the best restrained fills I’ve ever heard, and his bass drum is as solid as rock. He is unique, and the pocket is always perfect. The kind of man he is matches his drums.”

Frampton reportedly heard one of Clapton’s songs with Oldaker and determined he had to recruit him for his own band. The drummer would appear on several of Frampton’s releases - including Where I Should Be (1979) and Rise Up (1980) - while also regularly touring alongside the famed rocker.

“Jamie Oldaker has been my dear friend and brother for over 40 years,” Frampton said in a statement provided to Tulsa World by Oldaker’s family. “He was a very warm, caring, true friend with a gentle heart. He cared about us all almost more than he did himself.
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