Hal Blaine
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Year:
2000
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Inducted by:
Mike Stoller
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Category:
Musical Excellence
Introduction
The most recorded drummer in history.
Hal Blaine is the accompanist to Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” and one of the most sought-after session drummers in L.A. He has played on forty Number One singles—enough to make his own Top 40.
Award for Musical Excellence Retrospective Reel
King Curtis, Hal Blaine, Scotty Moore, James Jamerson and Earl Palmer are Inducted at the 2000 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony-
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Award for Musical Excellence Retrospective Reel00:02:01
Hall of Fame Essay
2000
If Hal Blaine had played drums only on the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” his name would still be forever uttered with reverence and respect for the power of his big beat.
But “Be My Baby,” however stirring, is but one of literally hundreds of hits on which Hal Blaine appears. During the Sixties, Hal was, undoubtedly, the busiest, most recorded and most successful studio drummer on the West Coast.
His sound and style captured the imagination of the recording industry, particularly the producers, songwriters and musicians. Drummers all over Los Angeles aspired to the standards Hal established, and these drummers emulated his approach.
he was the steamroller behind the wall of sound
