Trivia

Legendary session/studio drummer, used by music producer Phil Spector on virtually all of his famous Philles' Records "Wall of Sound" productions. He was the drummer on such classics as The Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Uptown" and "He's a Rebel". Probably the biggest hit record he worked on was The Ronettes' million-selling "Be My Baby" from 1963, with the famous "thump, thump, thump, BOOM!" drum line repeated twice at the very beginning of the song.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 (under the category Side-Men).

The 1964 hit "Little Honda" by The Hondells was actually recorded by a group of studio musicians, including Glen Campbell on lead guitar and Blaine on drums. The group known as The Hondells was put together for touring purposes after the song became a hit, but they had nothing to do with the actual recording of the song itself.

Profiled in the 1991 book "The Big Beat--Conversations with Rock's Great Drummers", edited by Max Weinberg.

Brian Wilson said Blaine was the best drummer he ever worked with.

Played with The Baja Marimba Band.

Father of Michelle Blaine.

Played drums (uncredited) on every one of The Mamas and the Papas' records.

Blaine played less session work from the 1980s onwards as computers and electronics began to be used in studios, and producers began to bring in younger players. The popularity of the drum machine also reduced demand for session drummers like Blaine. He kept busy recording advertising jingles for a number of years, before semi-retiring from performing.

Hal Blaine played as part of Count Basie's big band and toured with Patti Page and Tommy Sands before taking up session work.

He began his professional career playing overnight sessions in Chicago strip clubs, which allowed him to practice and perfect his sight reading skills.

Unlike many of his jazz contemporaries, Blaine enjoyed playing rock and roll and this meant he played on numerous such sessions during the 1950s.

He died of natural causes at age 90 in Palm Desert, California. 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.

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.

His father worked at a nightclub and Hal followed him to work, learning drum patterns from the musicians in jazz bands and orchestras.

Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943 and began playing jazz and big band music before taking up rock and roll session work.

Blaine rarely performed live, with the exception of working with Nancy Sinatra at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in the 1960s, and with John Denver's band in the 70s.

He lost most of his wealth following a divorce. At one point, he was working as a security guard in Arizona.

He began playing drums at the age of eight, and got his first drum kit at 13.

From 1949 to 1952, Blaine learned drums from Roy Knapp, who had also taught jazz drummer Gene Krupa.

Hal Blaine thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles.

Blaine played on include the Ronettes' single "Be My Baby" (1963), which contained a drum beat that became widely imitated, as well as works by popular artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, and the Byrds.

He became one of the regulars in Phil Spector's de facto house band, which Blaine nicknamed "the Wrecking Crew".

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.[13] 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.".

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.

His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one.