Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. An

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

, he recorded in

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

, at

FAME Studios FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the ...

as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

's " When a Man Loves a Woman",

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bil ...

's " Mustang Sally", and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

's "

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Released on Atlantic Records, as the first big hit of her career, it became a defining song for Franklin, peaking at number one on the r ...

". As a songwriter, Oldham teamed with Dan Penn to write such hits as " Cry Like a Baby" (the Box Tops), " I'm Your Puppet" ( James and Bobby Purify), and "A Woman Left Lonely" and "It Tears Me Up" (

Biography

Oldham is a native of Center Star, Alabama, United States. He was blinded in his right eye as a child; when reaching for a frying pan, he was hit in the eye by a spoon he knocked from a shelf. Schoolmates gave him the name "Spooner" as a result. Oldham started his career in music by playing piano in bands during high school. He then attended classes at the University of North Alabama but turned instead to playing at FAME Studios. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1967 and teamed with Penn at

Chips Moman Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman (June 12, 1937 – June 13, 2016) was an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for working in R&B, pop music and country music, operating American Sound Studios and producing hit albums li ...

's American Studios. Oldham later moved to Los Angeles and has continued to be a sought-after backing musician, recording and performing with such artists as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Delaney Bramlett Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett (July 1, 1939 – December 27, 2008) was an American singer and guitarist. He was best known for his musical partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a ...

, Willy DeVille,

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

, the Hacienda Brothers,

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

, the

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

, Dickey Betts,

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

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

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

, and

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite th ...

. Frequently a backing musician for

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

, he played on Young's critically acclaimed 1992 album '' Harvest Moon''. Oldham also appeared in the concert film '' Neil Young: Heart of Gold'' and backed

Crosby Stills Nash & Young Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth memb ...

on their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour. In 1993, he joined a host of Memphis soul music veterans to record

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...

's comeback and un-intended final studio recording, the album '' Lonely Just Like Me''. In 2007, Oldham toured with the

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

on their The Dirt Underneath tour. In 2008, Oldham played on '' Last Days at the Lodge'', the third album released by folk/soul singer Amos Lee. In May 2011, Oldham backed Pegi Young on a six-show tour of California. Oldham was among the hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the

2008 Universal fire On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm asph ...

Awards

Oldham was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

in 2009 as a sideman. In 2014, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Solo album

''Pot Luck'' (Family Productions, 1972)

Collaborations

With

* 1962: ''You Better Move On'' (

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

) * 1993: ''Lonely Just Like Me'' (Elektra) With Shelby Lynne * ''

Tears, Lies and Alibis ''Tears, Lies, and Alibis'' is the eleventh studio album by Shelby Lynne, released on April 20, 2010, on Lynne's own newly founded record label, Everso Records. Critical reception It received generally positive reviews, with a composite review o ...

'' (Everso, 2010) With

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

* ''Dedicated – A Salute to the 5 Royales'' (429 Records, 2011) With

* '' Comes a Time'' (Reprise Records, 1978) * '' Old Ways'' (Reprise Records, 1985) * ''

Silver & Gold Silver and Gold may refer to: Chemistry Electrum, also called white gold, is gold that has silver added to it. Music * ''Silver & Gold'' (Vanessa Williams album), also featuring the song by Burl Ives * ''Silver & Gold'' (Neil Young album), ...

'' (Reprise Records, 2000) * '' Prairie Wind'' (Reprise Records, 2005) With

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

* ''The SnakeDoctor Circus'' (BBR, 2019) With Rita Coolidge * '' Rita Coolidge'' (A&M Records, 1971) With

* '' Don't Cry Now'' (Asylum Records, 1973) With

* '' The Exciting Wilson Pickett'' (Atlantic Records, 1966) * ''The Wicked Pickett'' (Atlantic Records, 1967) * '' The Sound of Wilson Pickett'' (Atlantic Records, 1967) With John Prine * ''

Aimless Love ''Aimless Love'' is the eighth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1984. It is his first release on his independent record label, Oh Boy Records. Background Prine and his longtime manager Al Bunetta formed Oh B ...

'' (Oh Boy Records, 1984) * '' A John Prine Christmas'' (Oh Boy Records, 1994) With Jennifer Warnes * '' Jennifer'' (Reprise Records, 1972) With

* ''

Aretha Arrives ''Aretha Arrives'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 4, 1967, by Atlantic Records. Its first single release was " Baby I Love You", a million-selling Gold 45 which hit #1 R&B and #4 on the ''Bil ...

'' (Rhino Records, 1967) * '' Lady Soul'' (Rhino Records, 1968) * '' Aretha Now'' (Atlantic Records, 1968) * '' Soul '69'' (Atlantic Records, 1969) With Dan Penn * ''Nobody's Fool'' (Bell Records, 1973) * ''Do Right Man'' (Sire Records, 1994) * ''Moments From This Theatre'' (Proper American, 1999) * ''Something About the Night'' (Dandy Records, 2016) With

* ''

Honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal prismatic wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey. Honey bees consume about of honey ...

'' (Cooking Vinyl, 2005) * '' Fast Man Raider Man'' (Cooking Vinyl, 2006) With Jewel * '' Pieces of You'' (Atlantic Records, 1995) With

* ''

Beautiful Loser ''Beautiful Loser'' is the eighth studio album by American rock artist Bob Seger, released in 1975. This album marked Seger's return to Capitol Records after a four-year split. His previous record with Capitol was '' Brand New Morning'' in 197 ...

'' (Capitol Records, 1975) With

* '' For Everyman'' (Asylum Records, 1973) With

Tony Joe White Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit " Polk Salad Annie" and for " Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first ...

* '' Closer to the Truth'' (Festival Records, 1991) With

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

* '' Threads'' (Big Machine Records, 2019) With J. J. Cale * '' 8'' (Mercury Records, 1983) * '' Travel-Log'' (Silvertone Records, 1990) * '' Number 10'' (Silvertone Records, 1992) * '' Closer to You'' (Virgin Records, 1994) With Amos Lee * '' Last Days at the Lodge'' (Blue Note Records, 2008) With

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

* '' Illuminations'' (143 Records, 2010) With

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song " Midnight at the Oasis" and has ...

* ''

'' (Reprise Records, 1973) * ''Waitress in a Donut Shop'' (Reprise Records, 1974) With

* '' Saved'' (Columbia Records, 1980) With

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

* ''

Crosseyed Heart ''Crosseyed Heart'' is the third solo album by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Released on 18 September 2015, it is Richards' first studio album in 23 years since ''Main Offender''. As with his first two albums, it was recorded with his ...

'' (Reprise Records, 2015) With

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until ...

* '' Memphis'' (429 Records, 2013) With Peter Parcek * ''Mississippi Suitcase'' (Lightnin' Records, 2020)

References

External links

* * *
Spooner Oldham Interview

NAMM Oral History Library The NAMM Oral History Program is a collection of one-on-one interviews with people involved in the music products industry, including music instrument retailers, instrument and product creators, suppliers and sales representatives, music educators ...

(2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham, Spooner 1943 births Living people American session musicians Songwriters from Alabama Musicians from Alabama People from Lauderdale County, Alabama Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section members Drive-By Truckers members American rock keyboardists American rock pianists American male pianists American organists American male organists Rhythm and blues pianists American soul keyboardists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century organists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American keyboardists Proper Records artists American male songwriters The Stray Gators members