He was born in Holyoke, MA on February 5, 1939. He would go on to become the most prolific drummer in rock and roll history.
It would be next to impossible to create a medley of all the hit songs Hal Blaine lent his immeasurable talent to. As part of the famed Wrecking Crew, Blaine – who died on March 11, 2019 at the age of 90 – played on 150 songs that reached the Top Ten – with 40 of them reaching #1.
In the medley below, there are 12 of those #1 hits, with three more that fell just short. As the saying goes, I have only scratched the surface.
Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right
The Hal Blaine Medley
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (#7) – Ronettes (#2)
Dean Martin – Gary Lewis & The Playboys – Byrds
Sonny & Cher – Barry McGuire – Nancy Sinatra
Mamas & Papas – Beach Boys – Tommy Roe
5th Dimension – Richard Harris (#2)
Simon & Garfunkel – John Denver
When I saw THE drummer, I was guessing/hoping it would be him! Thank you Hal for your massive contributions to music history. They will live on forever! And thank you, Mr. Medley Maker for highlighting some of his hits, many of which are some of my favorite songs of all time! Loved it! 🙂 XOXOXOXO 🙂
I’m with Wendy!
Thanks, Wendyl ❤️
“Massive contributions” kind of says it all. Consider that Hal played on more # hits than Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts … COMBINED!
So, so glad you enjoyed it!
❤️XOXOXOXO❤️
The Drummer, the visually invisible man of the group. The rest of the band stands in front of him as he works his magic. The true unsung hero of the ensemble. The “guitar heroes “ get all the glory but where would they be without the guy who lays down the beat? The timekeeper. It might be a good exercise to remove the drum track from the recording just to show how important the man behind the kit truly is to the finished product. I have always appreciated just how much is contributed by having a solid drummer in the unit. Just think, if we had no drums all our music would be Bluegrass! P.S. I love Bluegrass also.
Thank you, Don. 🙂
The few times a drummer got noticed is when they pulled off a 10-minute drum solo. Hal said he could have done that but that wasn’t his job. “I was there to keep everything under control.” And he certainly did!
My favorite Blaine quote was about Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. “Dennis was thrilled that I was making their records because while I was making Beach Boy records, he was out surfing or riding his motorcycle. During the day when I was making $35 or $40, that night he was making $35,000.”
Ray thanks to you we get to hear him again!! And think about it the begining we have Herb Alpert to thank!! Art Garfunkal once said if music in the second half of the 20th century were the Empire State Building Hal Blaine would be the ground floor!! And remember even a Diamond Ring doesn’t shine if there is nothing behind it!! Hal sure made that ring shine!! Ray I know these Boots Are Made For Walkin” and I know you’ll keep Hal Walkin!! He did make it into the Hall of fame!! What a great song to end with!! “May he rest forever on 2 and 4” Love ya!!
More Hal coming tomorrow, Fed!
Love Ya!
Ray this is just plain fantastic!! At least they put him in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!! You are so correct without a drummer it would be like a diamond ring that didn’t shine!! Tell me over and over and over again We are losing so many great talents Ray but I know you will keep these boots walkin’!! Talk about good vibrations Hal was the best!! What a great song to end this Ray!! And may he rest for ever 2 by 4! love ya
Thanks, Fred!
Hal, talking about that drum beat on Be My Baby … “We rehearsed it with a regular backbeat on 2 and 4. But then when we did the first take, I dropped my stick and missed the 2. So being the faker than I am, I just played the 4, and one of the things you learn is that when you make a mistake, if you do it every four bars it becomes part of the song.“
So glad you often focus on those that made other artists great.
What a variety of styles and musical genres he mastered!
Thanks, Mary Helen 🥰
I appreciate the fact that you understand it doesn’t always have to be about the lead singer. 🙂
Hal Blaine is my new favorite drummer! This opens up a whole new avenue for people like me who love a song for the song for the artist who sang it but neglecting to think about all the other components that make the song the song. I have always loved drums, and drum solos and songs are sometimes the vibration you can feel in your entire body. This guy sure knew how to play, and I never realized how many artists that he actually played with. Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention and everyone else as well. I will be listening a little differently henceforth, for either drums, piano, guitar etc. thanks Ray this was fantastic! 🎶🎶❤️
Thanks, Sandy 🥰
Hal has always been my favorite drummer. He could play so many different styles.
There’s more Hal coming tomorrow!
Without the drum music would not have a heartbeat. A talented man…so grateful for his contributions. I heard once that drummers are often a little crazy…crazy good was he!
Thanks, Music Man
Perfectly stated, Donna 🥰
Thank God for that heartbeat!
It’s amazing how many there are behind the scenes that nobody realizes (me included sometimes). Everyone just assumes it is the groups regular band. He was a remarkable drummer who deserved the recognition and was one who rightfully belonged in the hall of fame.
All of these songs are amazing, have listened to three times so far.
Stay safe and warm my friend!
Thank you, Penny 🥰
It is amazing how long it was before Hal and his colleagues finally received the recognition they rightfully deserved.
Stay safe, young lady!
I really loved this post. Herb Alpert and band was one of my first albums♥️
Thank you, Nancy. 🥰
It’s funny, looking back at Herb’s “band” which didn’t actually exist in the early years. It was Herb and bunch of session musicians (including Hal) … but I really did love that music!