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Hal Blaine

As a key member of L.A.'s legendary Wrecking Crew coterie of top-tier session musicians, Hal Blaine was one of the most recorded, most successful, and most accomplished drummers in 20th century America. He played on an astonishing number of influential records and huge hits as well as releasing a string of solo instrumental albums. He was born Harold Belsky on February 5, 1929 in Holyoke, Massachusetts to Jewish parents who had immigrated from Eastern Europe. He played drums as a child and after relocating to the West coast with his family, he began to pursue music professionally. He began as a jazz drummer, performing with Count Basie and others, but by the time the '60s rolled around he had shifted into the pop camp. As part of the L.A. session elite, alongside the likes of bassist Carol Kaye, keyboardist Larry Knechtel, et al, Blaine helped define '60s rock and pop. He had a hand in crafting the template for girl-group pop (The Ronettes' "Be My Baby"), surf music (Jan & Dean's "Surf City," The Beach Boys' hits), folk rock (The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man"), sunshine pop (The Association's "Windy") and much more. He released a number of his own LPs in the '60s, beginning with 1963's Deuces, T's, Roadsters, and Drums. His success continued into the '70s, when he played on the defining pop tunes of a new era, including tracks by The Carpenters, The Partridge Family, John Denver, Neil Diamond, and Captain & Tennille. Things slowed down for Blaine in the '80s when production styles shifted towards electronic grooves, but the drummer remained a musical icon. In 2000 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and his contributions were chronicled in the 2008 documentary and 2012 book both titled The Wrecking Crew. Hal Blaine died on March 11, 2019 at the age of 90 in Palm Desert, California.