Unsung music heros (The Wrecking Crew )

March 13th, 2010 by

The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. The talents of this group of ‘first call’ players were used on almost every style of recording, including television theme songs, film scores, advertising jingles and almost every genre  of American popular music, from The Monkees to Bing Crosby. Notable artists employing the Wrecking Crew’s talents included Nancy Sinatra, Bobby Vee, The Partridge Family, The Mamas & the Papas, The Carpenters, John Denver and Simon & Garfunkel.

Members of ‘The Wrecking Crew’ included:

  • guitar: Glen Campbell, Barney Kessel, Tommy Tedesco, Al Casey, Carol Kaye, Billy Strange, Don Peake, Howard Roberts, James Burton, Jerry Cole, Bill Aken, Mike Deasy, Ray Pohlman
  • saxophone: Steve Douglas, Jay Migliori, Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, Nino Tempo, Gene Cipriano
  • trumpet: Roy Caton (contractor), Tony Terran, Ollie Mitchell
  • trombone: Lou Blackburn, Dick Hyde, Lew McCreary
  • keyboards: Leon Russell, Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John), Mike Melvoin, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Al Delory, Mike Rubini
  • bass: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Max Bennett, Chuck Berghofer, Ray Pohlman, Larry Knechtel, Lyle Ritz, Jimmy Bond (007)
  • drums: Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Jim Gordon
  • percussion: Julius Wechter, Gary Coleman, Frank Capp (contractor)
  • conductor/arranger: Jack Nitzsche
  • harmonica: Tommy Morgan