Jim Hodder (December 17, 1947 – June 5, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the original drummer for Steely Dan. After leading the Boston group Bead Game, Hodder moved to Los Angeles to join Steely Dan. He played on their first three albums before leaving in 1974, and worked as a session musician before his death in 1990.

Hodder was born in the small Long Island hamlet of Bethpage, New York, in 1947. He graduated from Plainedge High School in the Plainedge Union Free School District in 1965 and relocated to the Boston area, becoming active in the local music scene.^[1]

As drummer and lead vocalist, he joined the Boston-based psychedelic rock group Bead Game, named after Hermann Hesse's novel The Glass Bead Game.^[2] They built a local following and attracted the attention of Avco Records and producer Gary Kannon, later known as Gary Katz. Their first album, Baptism, was canceled, though it was released posthumously in 1996.^[3] In 1970, they performed two songs in the film The People Next Door, and recorded the album Easy Ridin' as part of the collective Freedom Express.^[3] The band's only proper album, Welcome, was also issued in 1970 on Avco/Embassy. With Hodder singing lead vocals on all tracks, the album featured a late-psychedelic and early-progressive crossover sound.

In 1972, Hodder accepted an invitation from Katz and Boston guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter to relocate to Los Angeles and join Steely Dan, a new group built around songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.^[4] He made the move with his girlfriend Kathi Kamen Goldmark,^[5] later a successful author and musician. He barely knew the other members prior to tracking their first records.^[1][4]

Hodder was the group's drummer, but also occasionally sang lead vocals due to Fagen's insecurities as a vocalist.^[4] He sang "Dallas", the A-side of the initial Steely Dan single, and "Midnite Cruiser" from the debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill. The band embarked upon extensive touring in the wake of early commercial success. Hodder appeared on Countdown to Ecstasy, a band-focused effort recorded the following year after the group's sound had cohered on the road.^[1] On November 18, 1973, Hodder and Baxter guested on a live broadcast concert by Linda Ronstadt from Sausalito, California.^[6]

Although still a band member, he played a diminished role on Steely Dan's third LP, Pretzel Logic (1974). With session musician Jim Gordon and future Toto member Jeff Porcaro drumming, Hodder's role was relegated to backup vocals. The touring band assembled to promote the record featured simultaneous drumming from Porcaro and Hodder. Hodder was initially uncomfortable with the idea, but later acknowledged the creative potential of the setup.^[1] Both he and Baxter left the group after the tour, as Becker and Fagen reduced band activity to studio sessions with guest musicians.^[1]

Hodder continued working as a session drummer, playing on tracks on the 1976 albums Nine on a Ten Scale by Sammy Hagar^[7] and Sibling Rivalry by The Rowans. He later appeared as the sole drummer on David Soul's Playing to an Audience of One and Rocky Sullivan's 1984 Caught in the Crossfire.

On June 5, 1990, Hodder drowned^[8] in the swimming pool of his Point Arena, California home. He was 42 years old.^[9]

• Jim Hodder discography at Discogs