MUSICIAN

Hal Blaine

1929 - 2019

Photo of Hal Blaine

Icon of person Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943 and began playing jazz and big band music before taking up rock and roll session work. He became one of the regulars in Phil Spector's de facto house band, which Blaine nicknamed "the Wrecking Crew". Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Hal Blaine is the 1,881st most popular musician (down from 1,698th in 2019), the 9,975th most popular biography from United States (down from 8,538th in 2019) and the 732nd most popular American Musician.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Hal Blaine by language

Loading...

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Hal Blaine ranks 1,881 out of 3,175. Before him are Cliff Edwards, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Randy Edelman, Chad Channing, Ed O'Brien, and Larry Adler. After him are Jackie McLean, Carlinhos Brown, Derek Bailey, Paul Kalkbrenner, Joe Lovano, and Armando Peraza.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1929, Hal Blaine ranks 487. Before him are Utpal Dutt, Aulis Rytkönen, Ahmed Kathrada, Carlos Torres, Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, and Bruno Junk. After him are Henry Proctor, Richard Rush, Józef Zapędzki, Jerzy Antczak, Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, and Benny Andersen. Among people deceased in 2019, Hal Blaine ranks 475. Before him are Ivan Kizimov, Daniel Johnston, John Paul Stevens, Valerie Harper, Brigitte Kronauer, and Pernell Whitaker. After him are Alvin Sargent, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Wallace Smith Broecker, Elwyn Berlekamp, W. S. Merwin, and Sheila Dikshit.

Others Born in 1929

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2019

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Hal Blaine ranks 9,977 out of 20,380. Before him are Elle Fanning (1998), Madelaine Petsch (1994), Whittaker Chambers (1901), Larry Adler (1914), Pernell Whitaker (1964), and Hayden Panettiere (1989). After him are Charles Hartshorne (1897), MC Ren (1969), Norman Greenbaum (1942), Norman Granz (1918), Kathy Hochul (1958), and Robert Elswit (1950).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Hal Blaine ranks 732. Before him are Butch Vig (1955), Bukka White (1906), Cliff Edwards (1895), Randy Edelman (1947), Chad Channing (1967), and Larry Adler (1914). After him are Jackie McLean (1931), Joe Lovano (1952), Johnny Mandel (1925), Roy Bittan (1949), Earl Wild (1915), and Henry Vestine (1944).

American born Musicians

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous