Drummer Hal Blaine, played on hits of Sinatra, Elvis, dies

LOS ANGELES — Hal Blaine, the Hall of Fame session drummer and virtual one-man soundtrack of the 1960s and ‘70s who played on the songs of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys and laid down one of music’s most memorable opening riffs on the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” died Monday. “Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can’t put it into words,” Wilson said in a tweet that included an old photo of him and Blaine sitting at the piano. The song remained a radio staple for decades and got new life in the ‘70s when it was used to open Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” and again in the ‘80s when it was featured in “Dirty Dancing.” Few drum parts have been so widely imitated, from Billy Joel’s “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” to The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey.” In a 2005 interview with Modern Drummer magazine, Blaine said that he wasn’t quite sure how he came up with the solo. “This guy came in,” Blaine told Modern Drummer, “and said, ‘Hey kid, I’ve been watching you for a couple of days.