Dewey Lindon (Spooner) Oldham Jr.
June 14, 1943
2014 Inductee

A native of Center Star, Spooner Oldham gained his first recording experience as a member of the rhythm section at Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals. It was there that he met songwriting partner Dan Penn.

As a studio musician, Oldham spent significant periods of his career working in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, Nashville and California. Oldham's sparse keyboard performances can be heart on recordings by Percy Sledge, James and Bobby Purify, Clarence Carter, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Maria Muldaur, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Neil Young, Dan Penn, and many others. He has also toured extensively with artists such as Dylan and Young.

As a songwriter, he and Penn wrote "I'm Your Puppet" for James and Bobby Purify, "She Ain't Gonna Do Right" for Clarence Carter, "Sweet Inspiration" for the Sweet Inspirations, and "Out Of Left Field" for Clarence Carter.