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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 13 March 2019
Drummer Hal Blaine, played on hits of Sinatra, Elvis, dies

By ANDREW DALTON feel like you were the most
HILLEL ITALIE important person in the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hal room. His inspiration and in-
Blaine, the Hall of Fame ses- fluence to drummers every-
sion drummer and virtual where is immeasurable. Hal
one-man soundtrack of the was a treasure."
1960s and '70s who played Blaine, the son of Jewish
on the songs of Frank Sina- immigrants, was born Har-
tra, Elvis Presley and the old Simon Belsky in Holyoke,
Beach Boys and laid down Massachusetts. By age 8,
one of music's most memo- he was already drumming,
rable opening riffs on the using a pair of dowels he
Ronettes' "Be My Baby," removed from a seat in the
died Monday. living room. He was a pro-
Blaine died of natural fessional by age 20 and
causes at his home in Palm within a few years switched
Desert, California, his son- from jazz to rock after be-
in-law, Andy Johnson, told ing approached during a
The Associated Press. He gig at the Garden Of Allah
was 90. hotel in Hollywood.
On hearing of his death, "This guy came in," Blaine
the Beach Boys' Brian Wil- told Modern Drummer,
son called him "the great- "and said, 'Hey kid, I've
est drummer ever." In this June 25, 2008, file photo, Don Randi, from left, Glen Campbell and Hal Blaine, representing been watching you for a
The winner of a Grammy session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew, hold up their hands after placing them in the ce- couple of days. You want
Lifetime Achievement ment following the induction ceremony for Hollywood's RockWalk in Los Angeles. to make some bucks? I got
Award last year, Blaine's Associated Press a singer (Tommy Sands)
name was known by few over here and he's going
outside the music industry, won Grammys for record of so widely imitated, from for 20 years, sometimes to be signed by Capitol
even in his prime. But just the year, including Sinatra's Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye as many as eight sessions Records, but he needs a
about anyone with a turn- "Strangers in the Night" and to Hollywood" to The Jesus a day, a pace that led to drummer."
table, radio or TV heard his Simon & Garfunkel's and Mary Chain's "Just Like several marriages and di- The use of session musi-
drumming on songs that "Bridge Over Troubled Wa- Honey." vorces for Blaine. cians became a scandal in
included Presley's "Return ter." In a 2005 interview with As more bands played on the late 1960s when it was
to Sender," the Byrds' "Mr. He may be the only drum- Modern Drummer maga- their own records and elec- discovered that the Mon-
Tambourine Man," Barbra mer to back Presley, Sinatra zine, Blaine said that he tronic drums arose, business kees, the million-selling TV
Streisand's "The Way We and John Lennon. wasn't quite sure how he dropped off in the 1980s foursome, did not play on
Were," the Beach Boys' "Godspeed Old Friend," came up with the solo. To even as younger musicians their songs. Blaine, who, of
"Good Vibrations," dozens Sinatra's daughter Nancy the best of his memory, he such as Max Weinberg of course, drummed for the
of hits produced by Phil Sinatra said alongside an accidentally missed a beat the E Street Band cited his Monkees, knew that many
Spector and the theme Instagram picture she post- while the song was being influence. top groups depended on
songs to "Batman," ''The ed of Blaine backing her up recorded and improvised His memoir, "Hal Blaine him and his peers. He even
Partridge Family" and other as she sang. by only playing the beat on & The Wrecking Crew," became friendly with some
shows. Some accounts have the fourth note. came out in 1990, and he of the players he sat in for,
"Hal Blaine was such a great Blaine playing on 35,000 "And I continued to do continued to appear at including Wilson's brother
musician and friend that songs, but he believed that that," he recalled. "Phil symposiums and workshops Dennis Wilson.
I can't put it into words," around 6,000 was more ac- might have said, 'Do that into his 80s. Blaine also was "He was thrilled that I was
Wilson said in a tweet that curate, still making him a again.' Somebody loved seen in the 2008 documen- making their records be-
included an old photo of strong contender for the it, in any event. It's just one tary "The Wrecking Crew" cause while I was making
him and Blaine sitting at most recorded drummer in of those things that some- and was played by Johnny Beach Boy records, he was
the piano. "Hal taught me history. In 2000, he was in- times happens." Sneed in the Wilson biopic out surfing or riding his mo-
a lot, and he had so much ducted into the Rock Hall Blaine nicknamed himself "Love & Mercy." torcycle," Blaine told Mod-
to do with our success — he of Fame. and his peers "The Wreck- Many younger drummers ern Drummer.
was the greatest drummer Out of so many notable ses- ing Crew," because they counted him as a friend "The drummer with The
ever." sions, his signature moment were seen by their more and mentor. Knack, Bruce Gary, was
As a member of the Los was the attention-grabbing buttoned-down elders as "Hal was funny, sweet, and once asked who his favor-
Angeles-based "The Wreck- "on the four" solo — Bum- destructive to the industry genuine," Jon "Bermuda" ite drummer was. And he
ing Crew," studio musi- ba-bum-BOOM — that — an assertion that Kaye Schwartz, drummer for the said he was never so disap-
cians who also included launched the classic "Be My and others disputed. Many "Weird Al" Yankovic Band, pointed in his life to find out
keyboard player Leon Baby," a hit for the Ronettes members of The Wreck- said in email to The Associ- that a dozen of his favorite
Russell, bassist Carol Kaye in 1963 that helped define ing Crew worked nonstop ated Press. "He made you drummers were me."q
and guitarist Tommy Te- Spector's overpowering
desco, Blaine forged a "Wall of Sound" produc-
hard-earned virtuosity and tions. The song remained
versatility that enabled a radio staple for decades
him to adapt quickly to a and got new life in the '70s
wide range of popular mu- when it was used to open
sic. According to the Rock Martin Scorsese's "Mean
& Roll Hall of Fame, he Streets" and again in the
played on 40 No. 1 hits, 150 '80s when it was featured in
top 10 songs. Blaine also "Dirty Dancing."
played on eight songs that Few drum parts have been