Happy 80th birthday today to the great organist/keyboardist Spooner Oldham (born 6/14/43). As part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Oldham has performed on many a legendary soul hit including Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”, Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally”, and Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”.Oldham has also collaborated with Neil Young and Drive-By Truckers in recent years and continues to flash his brilliancy as a sideman, one that earned him induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Listen to Oldham talk about the Muscle Shoals Sound below…
