Voting Station

The Wrecking Crew

Please vote to see the next celebrity.

Musicians

The Resume

    (1962-1975)
    Born in Los Angeles, California
    Group of Los Angeles session musicians
    Came together as the band behind Phil Spector’s ‘Wall of Sound’ hits
    Also played on records by the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, the Monkees, the Mamas and the Papas, Jan and Dean, Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Dean Martin, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Johnny Rivers, the Association, the Fifth Dimension, Neil Diamond and the Grass Roots
    Notable members:
    Guitar: Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Billy Strange and Bill Pitman
    Bass: Carol Kaye, Ray Pohlman and Joe Osborn
    Drums: Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer and Jim Gordon
    Keyboards: Leon Russell, Larry Knechtel, Mike Melovin and Mac ‘Dr. John’ Rebennack
    Sax: Steve Douglas, Jim Horn and Nino Tempo
    Subject of the documentary film ‘The Wrecking Crew’ (2008) and the book ‘Sound Explosion! Inside L.A.’s Studio Factory with the Wrecking Crew’ (2008)

Why they might be annoying:

    They were rarely (if ever) referred to as the Wrecking Crew until after Blaine published his memoir ‘Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew.’ (1990)
    Blaine claimed the name came about from old guard session musicians complaining that the new generation was wrecking the music industry by wearing t-shirts and jeans to sessions and embracing rock and roll.
    Carol Kaye claimed the story and name were both invented by Blaine for his memoirs.
    They often went uncredited, especially when substituting for the official members of a band, as on the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ or the Monkees’ debut album.
    The group petered out in the early to mid-70s due to various factors, ranging from improved multi-tracking that made it easier to record each instrument separately (and to do retakes for bum notes) to musicians burning out from 90-hour work weeks.

Why they might not be annoying:

    They are among the few people who can boast of playing on even more hits than Motown’s Funk Brothers.
    They could play just about any type of music.
    An illustration of why they were used so often: when they backed Roger McGuinn for the first Byrds’ single, they recorded ‘Mr. Tambourine and its B-side in less than an hour. When the Byrds insisted on playing their own instruments on their second album, it took 77 takes to get ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ right.
    Glen Campbell, Leon Russell and Dr. John went on to successful solo careers and Larry Knechtal joined the band Bread.
    Drummers Blaine and Palmer were included in the first batch of sidemen to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2000).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying