This Week's Tech / NASDAQ -- "The Wrecking Crew" -- October 31, 2024

Locator: 48688MUSIC.

Hal Blaine.

Wiki.

When I read Hal Blaine's bio and read through the list of songs for which he was the drummer, I come away wondering what in the world Yuval Noah Hahari was thinking when he wrote his "ground-breaking" Sapiens and then a followup Nexus. But I digress. 

Back to Hal Blaine.

Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943 and began playing jazz and big band music before taking up rock and roll session work. He became one of the regulars in Phil Spector's de facto house band, which Blaine nicknamed "the Wrecking Crew."

Some of the records Blaine played on include the Ronettes' single "Be My Baby" (1963), which contained a drum beat that became widely imitated, as well as works by popular artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, and the Byrds.

When you get to the wiki site, scroll down to "Selected Performances" and scroll through that list. 

You can find video footage of Blaine on YouTube -- one of the better was the studio session with the Beach Boys recording "Good Vibrations." 

Outside of studio sessions Blaine seldom worked for any time with any given performer. There were two exceptions: Nancy Sinatra in Las Vegas and on tour with John Denver. 

Worcester Magazine, March 20, 2019.  Link here.