Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine dies

Hal Blaine, the famed session drummer known for his work as part of the Wrecking Crew, has died. He was 90.

Blaine was the go-to drummer for L.A. producers, with his magic touch on almost 200 chart-topping records in the 1960s and ’70s.

Although he worked across many genres, Blaine was especially active with the above-ground rock acts of the time. He played on sessions for the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, Love, the Byrds, John Lennon, the Grass Roots, Simon & Garfunkel and the Monkees.

At the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, he served as bandleader and house drummer, backing Laura Nyro, the Mamas & the Papas and other acts.

Blaine is credited with playing on enduring love-generation hits such as “Good Vibrations,” “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” “Eve of Destruction,” “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” “MacArthur Park,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” “California Dreamin'” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”

All told, Blaine said, he appeared on more than 35,000 tracks. He billed himself as “the world’s most-recorded musician.”

News of the death broke March 11 on social media: “May he rest forever on 2 and 4 (beats),” the Hal Blaine page on Facebook said. “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.”

Blaine was closely associated with two of rock’s superstar producers: Phil Spector and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. For Spector, he helped build the Wall of Sound behind the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and other hits. For Wilson, he played on “Pet Sounds” and its epic psychedelic single “Good Vibrations.” Blaine also was a regular with producer Jack Nitzsche.

Blaine started out playing for one of Count Basie’s bands, and for Tommy Sands and Patti Page. Early session work included soundtracks for Elvis Presley films.

The drummer used an ink stamp to mark the scores of sessions on which he worked. It said, “Hal Blaine Strikes Again.” It was, in part, evidence. Due to the nature of work as a session man, it wasn’t always clear if he worked on a particular track or on its final version. Case in point was Love’s classic psychedelic album “Forever Changes,” with several percussionists involved, including the band’s own drummer.

Blaine often replaced the drummers of rock and pop groups, owing to the demands of performance in the studio. He said he got along with most of them, especially Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. An exception was the Byrds’ Michael Clarke, who resented Blaine’s presence on the group’s early recordings.

Blaine recorded a handful of albums on his own, including 1967’s “Psychedelic Percussion.”

He was among the first sidemen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2018.

Hal Blaine was born Feb. 5, 1929, in Holyoke, Mass. Survivors include his daughter, Michelle, and seven grandchildren.