On this day (February 5) in 1929, Hal Blaine was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Early in his career, he played jazz with legendary big bands. Later, he became a member of the Los Angeles-based group of studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. This allowed him to play on hit singles from some of the biggest names of the day.
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After a three-year stint in the United States Army, Blaine relocated to Chicago to study under legendary drum instructor Roy Knapp. He would study during the day. Then, he played overnight gigs in strip joints around Chicago. This allowed him to practice and hone his sight-reading skills for eight hours a day, according to Drum Magazine.
After honing his skills, he began playing with Count Basie’s band and toured with Tommy Sands and Patti Page, among others. Then, he began doing session work and largely stopped playing live.
Hal Blaine Gave the Wrecking Crew Its Name
According to Variety, Hal Blaine gave the Wrecking Crew its name. At the time, session musicians were largely classically trained. As a result, they had no desire to play rock and roll or most other forms of popular music. This opened the door for a younger, more casual group of musicians, including Blaine and a long list of other legendary players.
“I coined the name the Wrecking Crew,” he said. “All the guys in the suits would say, ‘Oh, no, these kids in their blue jeans and t-shirts are going to wreck the business.”
Blaine Played on Stone-Cold Classics
He played on an estimated 35,000 recordings. That impressive total includes approximately 6,000 singles. Moreover, the tally includes legendary, influential, and timeless songs and albums.
For instance, he regularly replaced Dennis Wilson during the Beach Boys’ recording sessions. Notably, Blaine played on Pet Sounds and “Good Vibrations.”
His work on the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” was highly influential. In the mid-1960s, he used a jazz hi-hat technique on “The Poor Side of Town” by Johnny Rivers. Producers hated the sound before Blaine used it on that song. Then, it became incredibly popular and became the foundation for the disco beat.
It would be nearly impossible to list all of the songs that Hal Blaine played on during his time as a studio musician. Instead, here are a few highlights.
- “Mr. Tambourine Man” –the Byrds
- “He’s a Rebel” –the Crystals
- “Strangers in the Night”–Frank Sinatra
- “Bridge Over Troubled Water”– Simon & Garfunkel
- “The Way We Were”–Barbara Streisand
- “I Get Around”–the Beach Boys
- “Half Breed”–Cher
- “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”–John Denver
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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