Spooner Oldham

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  • Year:
    2009
  • Inducted by:
    Paul Shaffer
  • Category:
    Musical Excellence
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Introduction

Spooner Oldham shaped Southern soul with his formidable talent.

A songwriter, producer and session keyboardist, Oldham made his mark on such classics as “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “Mustang Sally” and “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).”

Hall of Fame Essay

2009

Andy Schwartz

The guy who played organ on Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” in 1966 and on the Box Tops’ “Cry Like a Baby” in 1968.

The guy who played piano on Linda Ronstadt’s breakthrough album, Don’t Cry Now, in 1973. The guy who played keyboards on both the 1967 Aretha Franklin album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and the 2008 Drive-By Truckers album Brighter Than Creation’s Dark.

The guy who played with Bob Dylan and Neil Young, with Aaron Neville and Bettye LáVette, with Frank Black and Gat Power.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 2009
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2009 Inductee Spooner Oldham
sometimes silence is more powerful than the sound.
Paul Shaffer

Photography: Janet Macoska