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

Blaine's workload declined in the 1980s as recording and musical practices changed. In 2000, he was among the inaugural "sidemen" inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2007 he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum as a member of the Wrecking Crew and in 2018 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life Blaine was born Harold Simon Belsky, one of four children of Meyer and Rose Belsky ( Silverman), who were Jewish Eastern European immigrants, in Holyoke, Massachusetts. When he was seven, his family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. He began playing drums at the age of eight, and got his first drum kit at 13. His father worked at a nightclub and Hal followed him to work, learning drum patterns from the musicians in jazz bands and orchestras.

On July 6, 1944, Blaine was a survivor of the Hartford Circus Fire. He attended the circus primarily to watch the band perform, especially the drummer. When the fire broke out he followed the band escaping under the bottom of the big top’s apron. As ambulances arrived one of the drivers asked Hal to help with a gurney. He ended up assisting victims well into the night.

In 1944, he and his family moved to California.

Blaine was a core member of the Wrecking Crew, the close-knit group of Los Angeles session musicians that played on hit records during the 1960s. Blaine claimed to have invented the name as the "old-school" studio musicians feared these new, younger guys were a "destructive force" in the conservative studio environment of the time.

Blaine drummed for the Ronettes' 1963 single "Be My Baby", produced by Phil Spector at Hollywood's Gold Star Studios, heard as part of the Wall of Sound. The pattern was created when Blaine accidentally hit the snare on just the fourth beat, instead of the two and four. It was a mistake that Spector decided to leave in. Drummer Max Weinberg wrote, "If Hal Blaine had played drums only on ... "Be My Baby", his name would still be uttered with reverence and respect for the power of his big beat." He kept busy recording advertising jingles for a number of years, before semi-retiring from performing. A statement from his family read "May he rest forever on 2 and 4", referring to the second and fourth beats of a measure in music. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson expressed public condolences and praised Blaine's musicianship. The stamp was used for any piece of music Blaine played on.

Blaine was a prolific session player and by his estimation played on over 35,000 recordings, including 6,000 singles.

Blaine is widely regarded as one of the most in-demand drummers in rock and roll history, having "certainly played on more hit records than any drummer in the rock era". Bruce Gary, drummer for the Knack, once said he was disappointed to find that his 10 favorite drummers turned out to all be Hal Blaine. He is also credited with popularising the "disco beat" after he recorded a "pshh-shup" sound by opening and closing the hi-hat at appropriate intervals on Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town". The effect had been widely used in jazz, but professional recording engineers disliked it because of its resemblance to white noise. The sound subsequently became sought after by producers in the 1970s. 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" Simon & Garfunkel in 1971 for "Bridge over Troubled Water"

In March 2000, Blaine was one of the first five sidemen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (one of the other inductees was his long-time friend and drumming colleague Earl Palmer). He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2018, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Works

Selected performances Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special, which introduced the world to the power ballad "If I Can Dream", a dramatic tribute to the recently assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to playing on 150 US top 10 singles, Blaine played drums on 39 recordings that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Johnny Angel" – Shelley Fabares, April 7, 1962 "He's a Rebel" – The Crystals, November 3, 1962 "Surf City" – Jan and Dean, July 20, 1963 "I Get Around" – The Beach Boys, December 5, 1964 "This Diamond Ring" – Gary Lewis & the Playboys, September 25, 1965 "My Love" – Petula Clark, November 12, 1966 "Good Vibrations" – The Beach Boys, May 13, 1967 "Windy" – The Association, July 1, 1967 "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel, June 1, 1968 "Dizzy" – Tommy Roe, March 15, 1969 "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension, April 12, 1969 "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" – Henry Mancini, June 28, 1969 "Wedding Bell Blues" – The 5th Dimension, November 8, 1969 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel, February 28, 1970 "(They Long to Be) Close to You" – The Carpenters, July 25, 1970 "Cracklin' Rosie" – Neil Diamond, October 10, 1970 "I Think I Love You" – The Partridge Family, November 21, 1970 "Indian Reservation" – The Raiders, July 24, 1971 "Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond, July 1, 1972 "Half Breed" – Cher, October 6, 1973 "Top of the World" – The Carpenters, December 3, 1973 "Annie's Song" – John Denver, July 27, 1974 "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" – John Denver, June 7, 1975 "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille, June 21, 1975 "I'm Sorry"/"Calypso" – John Denver, September 27, 1975 "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" – Diana Ross, January 24, 1976

Discography Deuces, T's, Roadsters and Drums (1963) Drums! Drums! A Go Go (1966) Psychedelic Percussion (1967) Have Fun!!! Play Drums!!! (1968) Buh-Doom (1998)