Hal Blaine, drummer for the legendary Wrecking Crew, passed away yesterday (March 11) at the age of 90.
The sheer amount of hits Blaine has played on is nothing short of astounding. Per Modern Drummer, Blaine played on more than 35,000 tracks. Of those tracks, 6,000 of them were singles. Also peppered into his recording career were various jingles, TV themes and film scores.
Basically, when Brian Wilson called him “the greatest drummer ever” in a tribute via Twitter, he wasn’t kidding.
How prolific was Blaine? Here are just 15 classic songs where he was featured on drums. These 15 songs alone make for an epic playlist, and there is a ridiculous amount of other incredible songs that feature Blaine.
The Ronettes – “Be My Baby”
The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations”
Sonny & Cher – “I Got You Babe”
Paul Revere & the Raiders – “Kicks”
Simon & Garfunkel – “Mrs. Robinson”
Nancy Sinatra – “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”
Johnny Rivers – “Secret Agent Man”
The Byrds – “Mr. Tambourine Man”
Elvis Presley – “Return to Sender”
Batman Theme Song
The 5th Dimension – “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
Neil Diamond – “Cracklin’ Rosie”
The Mamas & the Papas – “Monday, Monday”
Captain & Tennille – “Love Will Keep Us Together”
The Crystals – “Da Doo Ron Ron”
Erica Banas is rock/classic rock news blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.