He was a bass guitarist born Timothy Lee Drummond in Bloomington, Illinois who was the Tim of Tim & Jim, with the Jim being the well known drummer Jim Keltner . Together they performed regularly as a session rhythm duo.
He began playing guitar while still young and took a huge interest in rock and roll and R&B after his father had moved the family to South Carolina where he was stationed with the US Air Force. This was enough to set him on his way and after returning to Illinois he became a member of Wild Child Gibson and then the bass guitarist with Eddie Cash & The Cashiers. Conway Twitty, who was still a rockabilly singer, was his next artist to accompany but when he moved into country music Tim moved on and worked with Lonnie Mack, Hank Ballard and Troy Seals before becoming one of James Brown’s Famous Flames. After James Brown & The Famous Flames toured extensively throughout the world and feeling tired out he decided to move to Nashville and become a session musician.
His name became known quickly an he was soon heard with artists such as Margie Hendricks, Jimmy Buffett , Charlie Daniels and was requested by Neil Young to work on his platinum album, Harvest. He would later be heard as one of Neil Young’s Straygtators and many other recordings of his.
A move to California saw him gaining even further recognition and found himself in great demand in the recording studio. This led him to performing and recording with many acclaimed artists in the music business and from 1986-1988 he performed with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band on several tours including the Floridays Tour and the Hot Water Tour.
Featuring on a myriad of albums he can be heard on Shot of Love and Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan , Naturally and Anyway the Wind Blows by J.J. Cale, In My Lifetime by Neil Diamond , 16 Big Ones by The Beach Boys , Bob Till You Drop and Borderline by Ry Cooder, Say It Loud…I’m Black and I’m Proud, Jazz and Star Time by James Brown, Experience the Divine by Bette Midler, CSN and Carry On by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Building the Perfect Beast by Don Henley , Rush by Eric Clapton, Road Songs by Hoyt Axton , SRV by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Spellbound by Paula Abdul and Wild Tales by Graham Nash among others.
He also worked with Essie Mae Hawk & The Killergrooveband and on the Franktown Blues project with James, Jonas and George Crudup.
In the world of the silver screen he appeared as a musician in the 1991 movie The Indian Runner.
He passed away in St. Louis County, Missouri in 2015 when he was 74 years old.
Here he is on bass with Neil Young & the International Harvesters performing “Down by the River”…
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Drummond
- http://www.buffettnews.com/bandmember285.html
- http://www.bobdylan.com/moderntimes/linernotes/shot.html
- http://www.cherrystreetrecords.com/Tim_Drummond/biography.htm
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1880340/
- http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6436533/tim-drummond-bassist-neil-young-csny-bob-dylan-dies-74
- http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tim-drummond-bassist-neil-young-bob-dylan-dead-20150112