Hal Blaine, the venerated drummer who played on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and “Good Vibrations,” the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” as a member of “The Wrecking Crew,” a group of elite Los Angeles session players, died Monday at age 90. The musician’s family confirmed the news in a statement via Facebook.
“May he rest forever on 2 and 4,” they wrote. “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 born Harold Simon Belsky in Holyoke, Massachusetts on February 5th, 1929. In the Sixties, he became a crucial member of the Wrecking Crew, which served as producer Phil Spector’s studio band and helped shape his signature “wall of sound” approach — exemplified on the Ronettes’ 1963 hit “Be My Baby.” Blaine became renown for his smooth touch and ability to work in a variety of styles — from mainstream pop to folk-rock to jazz to R&B.
The drummer played on dozens of chart-topping singles in his career, including the Byrds’ version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”
The Wrecking Crew’s contributions to music history went largely overlooked in their time, only achieving more esteem years later thanks to biographies and documentaries. In 2000, Blaine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“I’m so sad, I don’t know what to say,” Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson tweeted Monday. “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”