Blaine was born to Jewish Eastern European immigrants, Meyer and Rose Belsky, in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
He moved with his family to California in 1943. The following year, aged 15, Blaine survived the Hartford circus fire - one of the worst disasters in American history. In the 1940s, Blaine learned drums from Roy Knapp, who had also taught jazz drummer Gene Krupa. He played as part of Count Basie's big band and toured with Patti Page and Tommy Sands before taking up session work. Unlike many of his jazz contemporaries, Blaine enjoyed playing rock 'n' roll and this meant he played on numerous such sessions during the 1950s. He was a key member of The Wrecking Crew, the close-knit group of Los Angeles session musicians that played on hit records during the 1960s.
"Hal Blaine Strikes Again" is a rubber stamp used by Blaine to mark music scores and places where he has played. Drummer and author Max Weinberg, in his introduction to the chapter on Blaine in his book, writes:
Eleven years later our band played Wembley Arena, near London. After the show, while we were relaxing backstage, Bruce asked me to come into his dressing room. I went in, he pointed to the wall and said, "Look at that." I looked at the wall but didn't see anything except peeling wallpaper. "Look closer," he said. Finally, I got right down on the spot he was pointing to. and right there, in a crack in the paper, rubber stamped to the wall, it said HAL BLAINE STRIKES AGAIN. When asked to explain about the stamp Blaine replied, "I always stamp my charts. And there's a reason why I started that; it wasn't all ego." He went on to describe that occasionally he would need to find a particular chart amidst "five hundred pieces of music in a pile" and he needed some mark to do so. "Eventually I had a rubber stamp made up, and from that day on I've always stamped every piece of music I play, whether it's a demo or something I play at a friend's house."
Another drummer, Mike Botts, then with the band Bread, recalled: "Every studio I went to in the late sixties, there was a rubber stamp imprint on the wall of the drum booth that said, 'Hal Blaine strikes again.' Hal was getting so many studio dates he actually had a rubber stamp made. He was everywhere!"
Grammy Awards
A little known Grammy Awards record held by Blaine is that he played on 6 consecutive Record of the Year winners:
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in 1966 for "A Taste of Honey";
Frank Sinatra in 1967 for "Strangers in the Night";
The 5th Dimension in 1968 for "Up, Up and Away";
Simon & Garfunkel in 1969 for "Mrs. Robinson";
The 5th Dimension in 1970 for "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"; and
Simon & Garfunkel in 1971 for "Bridge over Troubled Water".
Blaine died on March 11, 2019 aged 90.
#1 hits
"Johnny Angel" – Shelley Fabares (03/03/62)
"He's a Rebel" – The Crystals (10/06/62)
"Surf City" – Jan & Dean (06/22/63)
"Everybody Loves Somebody" – Dean Martin (07/11/64)
"Ringo" – Lorne Greene (11/07/64)
"This Diamond Ring" – Gary Lewis & the Playboys (01/23/65)
"Help Me, Rhonda" – The Beach Boys (05/01/65)
"Mr Tambourine Man" – The Byrds (06/05/65)
"Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire (08/28/65)
"My Love" – Petula Clark (01/15/66)
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" – Nancy Sinatra (02/05/66)
"Monday Monday" – The Mamas & the Papas (04/16/66)
"Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (07/02/66)
"Poor Side of Town" – Johnny Rivers (10/08/66)
"Good Vibrations" – The Beach Boys (10/29/66)
"Somethin' Stupid" – Frank & Nancy Sinatra (03/25/67)
"The Happening" – The Supremes (04/15/67)[8][9]
"Windy" – The Association (06/03/67)
"Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (05/04/68)
"Dizzy" – Tommy Roe (03/15/69)
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (04/12/69)
"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" – Henry Mancini (05/24/69)
"Wedding Bell Blues" – The 5th Dimension (10/04/69)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (02/14/70)
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" – The Carpenters (06/27/70)
"Cracklin' Rosie" – Neil Diamond (08/29/70)
"I Think I Love You" – The Partridge Family (10/31/70)
"Indian Reservation" – The Raiders (05/29/71)
"Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond (05/13/72)
"Half Breed" – Cher (09/01/73)
"Annie's Song" – John Denver (06/15/74)
"Top of the World" – The Carpenters (10/20/74)
"The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand (12/22/74)
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" – John Denver (04/05/75)
"Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (05/24/75)
"I'm Sorry"/"Calypso" – John Denver (08/30/75)
"Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" – Diana Ross (01/24/76)
Discography
1963 "Deuces, T's, Roadsters and Drums
1966 Drums! Drums! A Go Go
1967 Psychedelic Percussion
1968 Have Fun!!! Play Drums!!!
Hal Blaine's drums can be heard as part of the Wall of Sound on the Ronettes' 1963 No. 2 hit "Be My Baby", produced by Phil Spector at Hollywood's Gold Star Studios. Max Weinberg wrote, "If Hal Blaine had played drums only on the Ronettes' "Be My Baby", his name would still be uttered with reverence and respect for the power of his big beat." Rolling Stone magazine listed the song as No. 22 on The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In March 2000, Hal Blaine was one of the first five sidemen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (One of the other inductees was Hal's long-time friend and drumming colleague, Earl Palmer.)
Some of the famous musicians with whom Blaine has worked include:
The 5th Dimension
Alessi
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Nancy Ames
America
Paul Anka
The Association
Frankie Avalon
Hoyt Axton
Baja Marimba Band
The Beach Boys
Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
Pat Boone
Elkie Brooks
Sam Butera and the Witnesses
The Byrds
J.J. Cale
Glen Campbell
Freddy Cannon
Captain & Tennille
The Carpenters
Mel Carter
The Cascades
Johnny Cash
Rosanne Cash
David Cassidy
Ray Charles
Cher
Petula Clark
Leonard Cohen
Nat King Cole
Sam Cooke
Johnny Crawford
The Crystals
Bobby Darin
James Darren
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Doris Day
John Denver
Jackie DeShannon
Neil Diamond
Patty Duke
Judith Durham
Duane Eddy
The Everly Brothers
Jose Feliciano
Connie Francis
Frizzell and West
Art Garfunkel
Bobby Gentry
Lesley Gore
The Grass Roots
Lorne Greene
Roosevelt Grier
Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
Albert Hammond
Emmylou Harris
Richard Harris
Neal Hefti
The Hondells
Thelma Houston
Jan and Dean
Jay and the Americans
Frankie Laine
Michael Landon
John Lennon
Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Bob Lind
Jackie Lomax
Trini Lopez
Love
The Mamas & the Papas
Henry Mancini
Ann-Margret
The Marketts
Dean Martin
Barry McGuire
Scott McKenzie
The Monkees
Hugo Montenegro
Gerry Mulligan
Juice Newton
Wayne Newton
Jack Nitzsche
Roy Orbison
Patti Page
The Partridge Family
Bernadette Peters
Elvis Presley
Louis Prima
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
Helen Reddy
Paul Revere & the Raiders
The Rip Chords
Johnny Rivers
Howard Roberts
Tommy Roe
The Ronettes
Diana Ross
The Sandpipers
Tommy Sands
Paul Simon
Simon & Garfunkel
Frank Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Keely Smith
Sonny & Cher
Spanky and Our Gang
Dusty Springfield
Steely Dan
Barbra Streisand
The Supremes
Tanya Tucker
Ike and Tina Turner
Leslie Uggams
Jerry Vale
Bobby Vee
The Ventures
The Vogues
Shelly West
Andy Williams
Mason Williams
Land of 1000 Dances
Hal Blaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three!
You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie
Mashed Potato, do the Alligator
Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip
Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
You know I feel alright.
Feel pretty good y'all.
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Dance with me honey, like Long Tall Sally
Twistin' with Lucy, doin the Watusi
Gotta hold of your back, I like it like that
Do the Jerk, watch me work
Ah, do it!
The lyrics of Hal Blaine's Land of 1000 Dances can be interpreted as a step-by-step guide to various popular dance moves of the early 1960s. The song opens with a directive to the listeners to follow along with the singer as he calls out different dance moves. For example, "You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie" refers to a dance style that involves hopping and kicking movements, while "Mashed Potato" and "Alligator" both describe specific dance routines popular at the time. The lyrics go on to reference other dances, such as the Watusi and the Jerk, all while encouraging the listeners to join in and let loose on the dance floor.
The repeated refrain of "Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na" serves as a catchy and infectious call to action, urging everyone in the room to come together and dance. Ultimately, the song celebrates the joy and freedom of dance, with the singer declaring that he feels "alright" and "pretty good" in the midst of all the revelry.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three!
Let's get started with the dance steps.
You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie
You need to know how to move like Bony Maronie to dance this particular dance move properly.
Mashed Potato, do the Alligator
Perform these two specific dance moves consecutively: first the Mashed Potato, then the Alligator.
Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip
Position your hands at your hips and loosen up your back to prepare to dance.
Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy
This is a reference to a dance move called the Watusi, which should be performed while imitating Lucy.
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
This is the repeating chorus of the song.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
The singer wants everyone to repeat the chorus together.
You know I feel alright.
The singer is feeling good and energized by the dance and music.
Dance with me honey, like Long Tall Sally
Join the singer in dancing like Long Tall Sally, who is likely a well-known dancer or performer.
Twistin' with Lucy, doin the Watusi
Lucy is referenced again, this time in relation to a twisting move that should be performed as part of the Watusi dance.
Gotta hold of your back, I like it like that
The singer enjoys the way you're dancing and wants to keep it going.
Do the Jerk, watch me work
The Jerk is another dance style that should be performed while watching the singer dance and follow their moves.
Ah, do it!
The singer encourages and instructs the listeners to keep dancing and having fun.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CHRIS KENNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Caroselli
I am a drummer and drum instructor, and I can tell you that, while this is a commercial, "crowd-pleasing" album; that through the dubbed-in fake crowd noise-- there is still some excellent technical drumming here also by Hal-- especially on track 1--Topsy! He had a great feel. That is why he was in demand as a session drummer. Earl Palmer was a fantastic session drummer also.
Joe Caroselli
@b3j8 Terrific point you made here. Thanks so much.
Joe Caroselli
@b3j8 Great point. Thank you.
buddyrichable1
You hit the nail on the head. Hals playing sounds deceptively simple but his groove was as solid as the Rock of Gibraltor, and his accents and fills are brilliantly appropriate to the music.
As a drummer I’m still impressed by his creativity on many of his recordings. His fills became an integral part of the recording.
James California
@Grandecapo PallaPesante -- 👌´
Grandecapo PallaPesante
@James California : don't be wrong, Krupa was also a very musical drummer and he inspired Hal Blaine.
John St George
True rock solid drummer. Perfect time. Solid hits. And of course that great studio sound of his.
Invasion1963
Hal blows your Blaine! Smooth as silk, keeps his levels level, and his live playing is like Picking your best track after many takes.
Rafael Correa
I was 15 years old and my Dad bring that Long play.....we love it...lot of memories our Stereo was a portable Dual with great sound.....🥰
Bingbing611
I just found out that 9 of my 10 favorite drummers were Hal Blaine!