Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine was the busiest recording session drummer in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s, playing the drums on -- by his count -- tens of thousands of recordings, from the Wall of Sound productions of Phil Spector to Brian Wilson's productions of the Beach Boys, and including most of the pop/rock performers in Los Angeles in the '60s, as well as such notables as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Blaine published a book of his memories, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew, in 1990.

from Wikipedia:

Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky, 5 February 1929, Holyoke, Massachusetts) is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and the 5th Dimension. Blaine is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"Hal Blaine Strikes Again"

Hal Blaine Strikes Again is a rubber stamp used by Blaine to stamp scores that he plays and also places where he played. Drummer and author Max Weinberg, in his introduction to the chapter on Blaine in his book, writes:

Eleven years later our band played Wembley Arena, near London. After the show, while we were relaxing backstage, Bruce asked me to come into his dressing room. I went in, he pointed to the wall and said, "Look at that." I looked at the wall but didn't see anything except peeling wallpaper. "Look closer," he said. Finally, I got right down on the spot he was pointing to. and right there, in a crack in the paper, rubber stamped to the wall, it said HAL BLAINE STRIKES AGAIN. When asked to explain about the stamp Blaine replied, "I always stamp my charts. And there's a reason why I started that; it wasn't all ego." He went on to describe that occasionally he would need to find a particular chart amidst "five hundred pieces of music in a pile" and he needed some mark to do so. "Eventually I had a rubber stamp made up, and from that day on I've always stamped every piece of music I play, whether it's a demo or something I play at a friend's house."

Another drummer, Mike Botts, then with the band Bread, recalls: “Every studio I went to in the late sixties, there was a rubber stamp imprint on the wall of the drum booth that said, ‘Hal Blaine strikes again.’ Hal was getting so many studio dates he actually had a rubber stamp made. He was everywhere!”

Grammy Awards

A little known Grammy Awards record is held by Blaine who played on 6 consecutive Record of the Year winners:

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1966 for "A Taste of Honey";Frank Sinatra in 1967 for "Strangers in the Night";The 5th Dimension in 1968 for "Up, Up and Away";Simon & Garfunkel in 1969 for "Mrs. Robinson";The 5th Dimension in 1970 for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"; andSimon & Garfunkel in 1971 for "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

#1 hits

"Can't Help Falling in Love" - Elvis Presley (12/18/61)"He's a Rebel" - The Crystals (10/06/62)"Surf City" - Jan & Dean (06/22/63)"Everybody Loves Somebody" - Dean Martin (07/11/64)"Ringo" - Lorne Greene (11/07/64)"This Diamond Ring" - Gary Lewis & the Playboys (01/23/65)"Help Me, Rhonda" - The Beach Boys (05/01/65)"Mr Tambourine Man" - The Byrds (06/05/65)"I Got You Babe" -Sonny & Cher (07/31/65)"Eve of Destruction" - Barry McGuire (08/28/65)"My Love" - Petula Clark (01/15/66)"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" - Nancy Sinatra (02/05/66)"Monday Monday" - The Mamas & the Papas (04/16/66)"Strangers in the Night" - Frank Sinatra (07/02/66)"Poor Side of Town" - Johnny Rivers (10/08/66)"Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (10/29/66)"Somethin' Stupid" - Frank & Nancy Sinatra (03/25/67)"The Happening" - The Supremes (04/15/67) "Windy" - The Association (06/03/67)"Mrs. Robinson" - Simon & Garfunkel (05/04/68)"Dizzy" - Tommy Roe (03/15/69)"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The 5th Dimension (04/12/69)"Love Theme - Romeo & Juliet" - Henry Mancini (05/24/69)"Wedding Bell Blues" - The 5th Dimension (10/04/69)"Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel (02/14/70)"(They Long to Be) Close to You" - The Carpenters (06/27/70)"Cracklin' Rosie" - Neil Diamond (08/29/70)"Indian Reservation" - Paul Revere & the Raiders (05/29/71)"I Think I Love You" - The Partridge Family (10/31/71)"Song Sung Blue" - Neil Diamond (05/13/72)"Half Breed" - Cher (09/01/73)"Annie's Song" - John Denver (06/15/74)"Top of the World" - The Carpenters (10/20/74)"The Way We Were" - Barbra Streisand (12/22/74)"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" - John Denver (04/05/75)"Love Will Keep Us Together" - Captain & Tennille (05/24/75)"I'm Sorry"/"Calypso" - John Denver (08/30/75)"Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" - Diana Ross (01/22/76)

Legacy

Hal Blaine's drums can be heard as part of the Wall of Sound on the Ronettes' 1963 #2 hit 'Be My Baby', produced by Phil Spector at Hollywood's Gold Star Studios. Max Weinberg wrote "If Hal Blaine had played drums only on the Ronettes' 'Be My Baby' his name would still be uttered with reverence and respect for the power of his big beat." Rolling Stone magazine listed the song as #22 on The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In March 2000, Hal Blaine was one of the first five sidemen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (One of the other inductees was Hal's long-time friend and drumming colleague, Earl Palmer.)

Artists with whom Blaine has recorded

Some of the famous musicians with whom Blaine has worked include: Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, The Ronettes, Jan and Dean, The Mamas & the Papas, The Byrds, Johnny Rivers, Elkie Brooks, The Association, Sonny & Cher, The Grass Roots, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Captain & Tennille, The Carpenters, Henry Mancini, The 5th Dimension, The Supremes, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Ross, Dean Martin, and The Partridge Family.