Hal Blaine
BORN FEBRUARY 5, 1929 - DIED MARCH 11, 2019, AGED 90
CONSIDERED one of the most influential drummers of his generation, Hal Blaine’s most recognised hit was the opening beats of The Ronettes’ smash hit Be My Baby in 1963.
Over his career, he played on hits by all the greats including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine was the son of Meyer, and his wife Rose.
He began playing drums when he was eight, and in 1943 at the age of 14, Blaine’s family moved to California where he took up drumming lessons with Roy Knapp – the mentor of Gene Krupa.
Becoming a session musician in the 1960s, he joined a group of elite Hollywood players known as the Wrecking Crew – a name he took credit for.
The group came to prominence with the help of producer Phil Spector, and soon Blaine found himself working alongside the biggest artists in the world.
Blaine was a sound expert and wanted to ensure the beats were distinctive, carefully crafting the iconic sounds on Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walking and the Beach Boys’ Caroline, No.
He won seven Grammy awards for Record of the Year, six of them in successive years.
Despite never becoming a household name, it would be difficult for anyone owning a record collection not to have a song that Blaine played on. Over the course of his career Blaine played on almost 6,000 recordings, including more than 150 Top 10 hits.
In 2000 he became one of the first five session musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last year he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Blaine was married seven times. He is survived by his three children.