Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Blaine’s death wasannounced in a statementon his Facebook page.
“Hal Blaine – loving father of Michelle Blaine; grandfather of Anthony, Josh, Aaron, Whitney, Tempest, Ever and Lyryk; and inspiration to countless friends, fans and musicians – has passed on today, March 11th, 2019 at the age of 90,” the statement read. “May he rest forever on 2 and 4. The family appreciates your outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Hal from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.”
Hal Blaine.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Hal Blaine.Robert Knight Archive/Redferns
“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,” he said.
Blaine — who was born Harold Simon Belsky on Feb. 5, 1929 to Lithuanian and Polish immigrants in Holyoke, Massachusetts — played on more than 40 No. 1 and 350 Top 10 tracks, he said in his 1990 memoir,Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew.
Don Randi, Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine.Picture Perfect/REX/Shutterstock
Blaine also played drums on more than four Elvis Presley records, and with the Beach Boys, including on their seminal 1966 albumPet Sounds.
On working with the Beach Boys, Blaine wrote in his memoir he was happy he hadn’t discounted their experimental sound as some of the older studio musicians had.
“I felt good about being part of their music. It’s what I had been working for all my life. A lot of the older Hollywood studio musicians said they wouldn’t play that stuff. They packed their bags, and a lot of guys left the business forever,” he wrote. “But some of them got smart. Players who had been badmouthing the Wrecking Crew started hanging around to find out what was going on. I’d hear things like, ‘Hey, I thought it was just a stupid rock and roll thing, a fad. I had no idea.’”
Beach Boy Brian Wilson paid tribute to Blaine on Twitter after his death, writing: “I’m so sad, I don’t know what to say. Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can’t put it into words. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success – he was the greatest drummer ever. We also laughed an awful lot. Love, Brian”
Blaine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a sideman, and in 2018 received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.
source: people.com
