The birthplace and hometown of legendary drummer Hal Blaine celebrated its favorite son on October 12, 1991 beginning with an official proclamation by then Holyoke, Massachusetts Mayor - William A. Hamilton. Other letters of recognition and support came from Art Garfunkel, Henry Mancini, Ringo Starr, and Armand Zildjian. Proceeds from the event went to ‘The Hal Blaine Music Scholarship Foundation’ at HCC.
John Hassan who also helped pull the tribute together said, “ I saw honoring Hal Blaine as an opportunity to
shine some good light on Holyoke. He’s a story with a happy ending, and he’s very proud that he came from
Holyoke, Massachusetts. Also that evening it was noted that Hal Blaine had dreamed that someday his music might be playing in outer space. Drummer Jim Weatherbee, the mission commander for the Space Shuttle Enterprise, knew of Hal’s work and said he’d be more than pleased to take some cassettes of Hal up on the next flight. During the finale of the show Hal was presented with an autographed photo of Jim playing on his drum pad near the Enterprise control panel with a beautiful inscription calling Hal Blaine ‘Out Of This World’ together with a flight patch to commemorate the mission. The tears started to flow, and we all knew, including the audience, that we got him, “It was such an honor to share the stage with Hal that night and we have remained good friends” said Bill Lettang.
“Hal appeared on the Larry King Radio Show a few days later and Larry asked him what the ‘Hal Blaine Day’ event was all about. What an honor it was that Hal specifically mentioned me by name. This was a highlight for me”. -- Bill Lettang
Born Harold Simon Belsky in Holyoke, Massachusetts on February 5, 1929 – Hal Blaine was honored throughout the day culminating with an evening performance at the Holyoke Community College Leslie Phillips Theater. The show was highly publicized in the local media. Based on the large enthusiastic crowd in attendance, the message was most definitely received.
Drummer Bill Lettang, who served as event coordinator, put together a multi-talented group of musicians in support of Hal’s eclectic set list.
Featured performers on stage with Hal Blaine included Bob ‘Papa C’ Casinghino, Bob Ferrier, Steve Moser, Kevin O’Hare, Dick Rivest and Tom Tisdell.
‘I was honored to play guitar in the concert at Holyoke Community College with Hal Blaine on drums. We all did our homework and studied many of the tunes that Hal played on during his career. I especially enjoyed Mrs. Robinson, and remember Hal supplying a swing groove and feel that was a refreshing change from the original recorded version. We all had a great time and Hal was so cool. Thanks to my friend Bill Lettang for all work that went into making this happen.” -- Bob Ferrier
When he sat down to play, never having rehearsed with the group, Hal glanced at Bill Lettang’s charts, studied them for a few minutes, and was ready to go. Although Hal hadn’t played those songs in years he jumped right in without missing a beat. By the fourth tune, ‘Mrs. Robinson’, Hal was grooving along while watching the other musicians on stage with a huge Cheshire cat grin. “I prepared the drum charts and was filled with pride as I watched Hal reading them. He hadn’t played some of these songs in over 20 years even throwing us a curve when deciding to “swing ‘Mrs. Robinson’. —Bill Lettang
Beginning with Elvis Presley’s 1962 hit, ‘Return To Sender’ through 1967’s ‘Up, Up and Away’ by the Fifth Dimension, Hal’s trademark sound was unmistakable. Before each song, Hal gave us all a little history lesson describing different Grammy and Academy Award winners he had performed on among other interesting tidbits. It was fairly easy to tell from an audience point of view that Hal was having the time of his life… He never stopped smiling. Responding in kind was NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino who absolutely loved the Hal Blaine performance.
“Another fun fact was that Tommy Ardolino was at the show and was giving the most raucous and awe-filled applause for one of his idols, Hal Blaine”. —Bob ‘Papa C’ Casinghino
Students of Music History know of Hal Blaine’s many accomplishments. Hal had worked with some of the biggest names in show business; Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, The Tijuana Brass, The 5th Dimension and John Denver to name a few. He was also a huge part of the legendary ‘Wall Of Sound’ created by producer, Phil Spector. Playing on over 6,000 singles, 150 of those being Top 10 hits with 40 going to number 1. He is also considered to be the most recorded drummer of all time. Hal was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Sadly, Hal Blaine passed away in 2001 at the age of 90.
“The Holyoke Community College Hal Blaine tribute is something that I will never forget. I am so thankful to Bill Lettang for inviting me to be a part of the band performing with Hal. It was such a pleasure to perform with such a consummate professional and even better to find out that he was such a nice and down-to-earth person”. Bob ‘Papa C’ Casinghino
As a drummer, and Holyoke Massachusetts native myself, the ‘Hal Blaine Tribute’ at HCC was an extra special night. After the show, Hal shook my hand and autographed my copy of Modern Drummer. Which is proudly displayed in my studio. My only regret was not having enough cash on hand to purchase a copy of Hal’s book ‘Hal Blaine and The Wrecking Crew’.
The last time I spoke with Hal was in 2016 regarding a Not So Modern Drummer article I was writing. It concerned a quote attributed to Shelly Manne where he stated that, “The ride beat is the easiest and the most difficult thing a drummer will ever play”. Hal’s response was pure genius, “The ride beat is rhythmically simple, yet difficult to play with real feeling. To some drummers it is second nature. For others, the cymbal groove is continually elusive. Listening to other drummers is key to mastering and understanding the various styles of ride cymbal time. Since every musician has their own distinctive style, one can learn something new from all of them. Experience is also the key. The more you play with other musicians, something magical begins to happen where everything just falls into place. Depending on the style of music, sometimes a simple straight ahead beat is all that’s needed. Keeping good time is of primary importance. Centering on the ride cymbal will enhance your timekeeping skills while moving the groove forward. The ride beat itself is easy. Making it feel right takes years”.
Keyboardist Steve Moser, who performed with Hal that night, fondly remembered that the biggest surprise for him was just how down-to-earth Hal Blaine was. “He was such a huge name in the music business that, I don’t mind telling you, I started to feel rather nervous just before he showed up at the venue.Within minutes of his arrival, however, Hal made us all feel totally at ease. The bottom line was he, like us, was a musician. He made us feel like he was just one of the guys in the band. That relaxed attitude completely transformed what could have been a nail-biting experience into a truly joyful evening. After the show, several of us went to a local jazz club to unwind from the concert and bask in the afterglow”.
“I was sitting at the bar with Bill Lettang and telling him that he had put together one of the most memorable musical nights of my life and I thanked him from the bottom of my heart. And, to this day, whenever I hear that “Taste of Honey” drum fill, I remember how I was sitting just ten feet away from the original source”.
“One of my fondest memories of the Hal Blaine tribute was when we played the opening tune, “A Taste of Honey” from the Tijuana Brass album “Whipped Cream”. I grew up listening to that album so it was emblazoned on my brain. When Hal played his iconic drum fill introduction, it was like I was actually living inside that LP… It sounded exactly like the original recording. It was a truly exhilarating experience”. Hal explained during the show that the original drum intro was intended as nothing more than a way to help cue the band with the tempo change and was then supposed to be removed rom the mix. Yet, everyone got so used to the bass drum fill, however - that they decided to leave it in.” -- Steve Moser
At present: The accolades for Hal Blaine continue as the City of Palm Springs, California officially declared February 6, 2023, as ‘Hal Blaine Day’ when the legendary ‘Wrecking Crew’ drummer wasposthumously awarded his very own star on the Palm Springs - ‘Walk Of Stars’.
“Hal Blaine is the quintessential musician. His outstanding ability and impeccable character has set the standards by which drummers today are measured.” —Bill Lettang
Hal Blaine To Be Honored With Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award By David Barsalou February 25, 2018
Hal Blaine To Be Honored At Holyoke Community College By David Barsalou February 26, 2019
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