{"id":483283,"date":"2019-03-11T19:05:50","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T01:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=806827"},"modified":"2019-03-11T19:05:50","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T01:05:50","slug":"hal-blaine-iconic-drummer-on-beach-boys-pet-sounds-dead-at-90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/music-news\/hal-blaine-iconic-drummer-on-beach-boys-pet-sounds-dead-at-90\/","title":{"rendered":"Hal Blaine, Iconic Drummer on Beach Boys\u2019 \u2018Pet Sounds,\u2019 Dead at 90"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hal Blaine, the venerated drummer who played on the Beach Boys<\/a>\u2019 Pet Sounds<\/em> and \u201cGood Vibrations,\u201d the Ronettes<\/a>\u2019 \u201cBe My Baby\u201d and Simon & Garfunkel<\/a>\u2019s \u201cMrs. Robinson\u201d as a member of \u201cThe Wrecking Crew,\u201d a group of elite Los Angeles session players, died Monday at age 90. The musician\u2019s family confirmed the news in a statement via Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay he rest forever on 2 and 4,\u201d they wrote. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s studio band and helped shape his signature \u201cwall of sound\u201d approach \u2014 exemplified on the Ronettes\u2019 1963 hit \u201cBe My Baby.\u201d<\/span> Blaine became renown for his smooth touch and ability to work in a variety of styles \u2014 from mainstream pop to folk-rock to jazz to R&B.<\/span><\/p>\n

The drummer played on dozens of chart-topping singles in his career, including the Byrds\u2019 version of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cMr. Tambourine Man,\u201d the 5th Dimension\u2019s \u201cAquarius\/Let the Sunshine In,\u201d Simon & Garfunkel\u2019s \u201cBridge Over Troubled Water\u201d and Barbara Streisand\u2019s \u201cThe Way We Were.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wrecking Crew\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sad, I don\u2019t know what to say,\u201d Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson tweeted<\/a> Monday. \u201cHal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can\u2019t put it into words. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success \u2014<\/span> he was the greatest drummer ever. We also laughed an awful lot. Love, Brian\u201d<\/p>\n