Goodbye Hal Blaine

The greatest session drummer in the world has passed away. Hal Blaine is said to have performed on over thirty five thousand recordings including this one and played on a slew of number one hits, over 140 by one count.

He wasn't about flash, he was about music. Didn't overplay but was arguable the most trusted and creative timekeeper the world has ever seen.

Hal was born Harold Belsky in Holyoke, Massachusetts, he died yesterday at the age of 90 at his home in Palm Desert, of natural causes. He idolized gene Krupa as a young man and learned to play drums from Roy Knapp, Krupa's teacher. Blaine played with Count Basie before he joined the Wrecking Crew. Incredibly innovative, his contributions to music will certainly live forever. Here is a link to an excellent Blaine interview in Modern Drummer.