The Wrecking Crew was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sideman. ... d Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

The Wrecking Crew's members typically had backgrounds in jazz or classical music, but were highly versatile. 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. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article discusses classical music in the first sense (see below). ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ... A jingle is a memorable slogan, set to an engaging melody, mainly broadcast on radio and sometimes on television commercials. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The first major American popular songwriter, Stephen Foster Even before the birth of recorded music, American popular music had a profound effect on music across the world. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ...

The figures most often associated with the Wrecking Crew are producer Phil Spector (who used the Crew to create his trademark "Wall of Sound"), and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who utilized the Crew's talents on many of his mid-Sixties productions including the songs "Good Vibrations" and "California Girls" and the acclaimed album Pet Sounds. In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Harvey Philip Spector (born December 26, 1939) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. ... Wall of Sound is a phrase used to describe the effect created by the music production techniques of record producer Phil Spector. ... The Beach Boys, originally the Beech Boys, a small team of four brothers from the south of Poland, emigrated to America in the early 1950s in search of a fortune to be made in the Arizonian logging industry. When it soon became evident they had been the victims of... Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942 in Hawthorne, California), is an American pop musician, best known as the lead songwriter, bassist, and lead singer of the American rock band The Beach Boys. ... Good Vibrations is a pop single produced by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. ... California Girls is the title of a song written by Mike Love and Brian Wilson and recorded by The Beach Boys for their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). It features contrasting verse-chorus form. ... Pet Sounds is a 1966 album recorded by American pop group the Beach Boys. ...

Members

The best-known 'members' of this unofficial group are bassist/guitarist Carol Kaye (one of the few women instrumentalists to achieve success in the recording industry at the time) and drummer Hal Blaine, who has played on tens of thousands of recording sessions, and is believed to be the most recorded drummer in history. Among his vast list of recordings, Blaine is credited with having played on at least forty U.S. #1 hits and more than 150 Top Ten records. ||/ | @___oo / / / (__,,,,| ) /^) ^/ _) ) /^/ _) ) _ / / _) / )// || | )_) < > |(,,) )__) || / )___) | ____( )___) )___ ______(_______;;; __;;; A bassist is not a musician, so much as a guy or girl trying to play an instrument with four strings and a long neck. ... the very definition of a guitarist is cody allen and taylor hines because of there un ending guitar skills and awsomnes. ... Carol Kaye (b. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Hal Blaine (b. ...

Guitar Player magazine cites Wrecking Crew member Tommy Tedesco as "the most recorded guitarist in history". Guitar Player magazine contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. ... Tommy Tedesco Thomas J. Tedesco (July 3, 1930 - November 10, 1997) was an American master session musician and renowned guitarist. ...

Notable members of 'The Wrecking Crew' included:

• guitar: Glen Campbell, Barney Kessell, Tommy Tedesco, Billy Strange, Carol Kaye
• saxophone: Steve Douglas, Jay Migliori
• trumpet: Tony Terran, Ollie Mitchell
• keyboards: Leon Russell, Mac Rebennack (aka Dr John), Mike Melvoin, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel
• bass: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Max Bennett, Chuck Berghofer, Ray Pohlman, Larry Knechtel, Lyle Ritz
• drums: Hal Blaine
• percussion: Julius Wechter, Gary Coleman
• conductor/arranger: Jack Nitzsche

They worked long hours and 15-hour days were not unusual, although the rewards were great — Carol Kaye has commented that during her peak as a session musician, she earned more per year than the President. Glen Campbell, December 2004 This article is about the singer. ... Barney Kessel (17 October 1923 - 6 May 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. ... Tommy Tedesco Thomas J. Tedesco (July 3, 1930 - November 10, 1997) was an American master session musician and renowned guitarist. ... William E. Strange (born 1930 in Long Beach, California) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor. ... Carol Kaye (b. ... Steve Douglas (24 September, 1938 - 19 April, 1993) was an American saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma) is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist. ... Dr. John, born Malcolm Rebennack (born November 21, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a colorful pianist, singer, and songwriter, whose music spans, and often combines, blues, boogie woogie, and rock and roll. ... Dr. John, born Malcolm Rebennack (born November 21, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a colorful pianist, singer, and songwriter, whose music spans, and often combines, blues, boogie woogie, and rock and roll. ... Larry Knechtel (born Lawrence William Knechtel, on 4 August 1940, in Bell, California) is a legendary session musician best-known for his work with Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile) and as part of the 1970s band, Bread. ... Carol Kaye (b. ... 1937- American electric bass virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. ... This is a list of ice hockey players who have only played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1917-18 to 1999-00. ... Larry Knechtel (born Lawrence William Knechtel, on 4 August 1940, in Bell, California) is a legendary session musician best-known for his work with Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile) and as part of the 1970s band, Bread. ... Hal Blaine (b. ... Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935-February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba. ... Bernard Alfred (Jack) Nitzsche (Chicago, April 22, 1937 – Hollywood, August 25, 2000) was an integral presence in the history of popular music in the 20th century. ... Carol Kaye (b. ...

External Links

March 2007 article about the Wrecking Crew in American Heritage Magazine