Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician. He was one of the most prolific studio drummers in the history of the music industry. Blaine is most remembered for his work with the Wrecking Crew, a group of Los Angeles-based musicians who recorded prolifically in the 1960s and 1970s. His drumming is featured on thousands of records, many by popular artists such as the Monkees, the 5th Dimension, and the Byrds, as well as on film and television soundtracks.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943. He played as part of Count Basie's big band and toured with Patti Page and Tommy Sands before taking up session work. Unlike many of his jazz contemporaries, he enjoyed playing rock and roll and started playing on many such sessions during the 1950s. Afterwards, he became one of the key players in Phil Spector's de facto house band, later known as "The Wrecking Crew". Blaine popularized the name in his 1990 memoir, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew. Their contributions to so many hit recordings went largely unnoticed until the memoir's publication and the attention that followed.

Some of the more notable records he played on include the Ronettes' single "Be My Baby" (1963) and the Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds (1966). From the 1980s onwards, Blaine played less session work as computers and electronics began to be used in studios, and producers began to bring in younger players. He kept busy recording advertising jingles for a number of years before semi-retiring from performing. In 2000, he was among the inaugural "sidemen" inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2018 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Career

Blaine was born Harold Simon Belsky to Jewish Eastern European immigrants, Meyer and Rose Belsky, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He moved with his family to California in 1943. The following year, aged 15, Blaine survived the Hartford circus fire - one of the worst disasters in American history.

In the 1940s, Blaine learned drums from Roy Knapp, who had also taught jazz drummer Gene Krupa. He played as part of Count Basie's big band and toured with Patti Page and Tommy Sands before taking up session work. Unlike many of his jazz contemporaries, Blaine enjoyed playing rock 'n' roll and this meant he played on numerous such sessions during the 1950s. He was a key member of The Wrecking Crew, the close-knit group of Los Angeles session musicians that played on hit records during the 1960s.

Blaine played less session work from the 1980s onwards as computers and electronics began to be used in studios, and producers began to bring in younger players. He kept busy recording advertising jingles for a number of years, before semi-retiring from performing.

Hal Blaine Strikes Again

"Hal Blaine Strikes Again" was a rubber stamp used by Blaine to mark music scores and places where he played. Drummer and author Max Weinberg spotted the stamp in Wembley Arena's dressing room while touring with Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band. When asked to explain about the stamp Blaine said, "I always stamp my charts. And there's a reason why I started that; it wasn't all ego." The stamp was used for any piece of music Blaine played on.

Another drummer, Mike Botts, then with the band Bread, recalled: "Every studio I went to in the late sixties, there was a rubber stamp imprint on the wall of the drum booth that said, 'Hal Blaine strikes again.' Hal was getting so many studio dates he actually had a rubber stamp made. He was everywhere!"

Legacy

Blaine was a prolific session player and by his estimation played on over 35,000 recordings, including 6,000 singles. He is widely regarded as one of the most in-demand drummers in rock and roll history, having "certainly played on more hit records than any drummer in the rock era". He can be heard as part of the Wall of Sound on the Ronettes' 1963 single "Be My Baby", produced by Phil Spector at Hollywood's Gold Star Studios. Critic Max Weinberg wrote, "If Hal Blaine had played drums only on ... 'Be My Baby', his name would still be uttered with reverence and respect for the power of his big beat." Rolling Stone magazine listed the song as number 22 on The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Blaine also played on Beach Boys sessions during the mid-1960s (covering for the group's official drummer Dennis Wilson), including for the 1966 album Pet Sounds and single "Good Vibrations".

In March 2000, he was one of the first five sidemen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (one of the other inductees was his long-time friend and drumming colleague, Earl Palmer). He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2010.

Grammy Awards

Blaine played on six consecutive Grammy Award Record of the Year winners:

• Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1966 for "A Taste of Honey"
• Frank Sinatra in 1967 for "Strangers in the Night"
• The 5th Dimension in 1968 for "Up, Up and Away"
• Simon & Garfunkel in 1969 "Mrs. Robinson"
• The 5th Dimension in 1970 for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"
• Simon & Garfunkel in 1971 for "Bridge over Troubled Water"

In 2018, Blaine received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Death

Blaine died on March 11, 2019 at the age of 90. A statement from his family read "May he rest forever on 2 and 4", referring to the second and fourth beats of a measure in music. His son reported that he died from "natural causes".

Number one hits

Blaine played drums on the following recordings that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100:

• "Johnny Angel" – Shelley Fabares
• "He's a Rebel" – The Crystals
• "Surf City" – Jan & Dean
• "I Get Around" – The Beach Boys
• "Everybody Loves Somebody" – Dean Martin
• "Ringo" – Lorne Greene
• "This Diamond Ring" – Gary Lewis & the Playboys
• "Help Me, Rhonda" – The Beach Boys
• "Mr Tambourine Man" – The Byrds
• "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire
• "My Love" – Petula Clark
• "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" – Nancy Sinatra
• "Monday Monday" – The Mamas & the Papas
• "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra
• "Poor Side of Town" – Johnny Rivers
• "Good Vibrations" – The Beach Boys
• "Somethin' Stupid" – Frank & Nancy Sinatra
• "The Happening" – The Supremes
• "Windy" – The Association
• "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel
• "Dizzy" – Tommy Roe
• "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension
• "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" – Henry Mancini
• "Wedding Bell Blues" – The 5th Dimension
• "Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel
• "(They Long to Be) Close to You" – The Carpenters
• "Cracklin' Rosie" – Neil Diamond
• "I Think I Love You" – The Partridge Family
• "Indian Reservation" – The Raiders
• "Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond
• "Half Breed" – Cher
• "Annie's Song" – John Denver
• "Top of the World" – The Carpenters 
• "The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand
• "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" – John Denver
• "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille
• "I'm Sorry"/"Calypso" – John Denver
• "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" – Diana Ross

Discography

• "Deuces, T's, Roadsters and Drums (1963)
• Drums! Drums! A Go Go (1966)]
• Psychedelic Percussion (1967)
• Have Fun!!! Play Drums!!! (1968)
• Buh-Doom (1998)