Rest in peace | Page 62 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

I wasn’t aware of this until just now, but Doug Sandom died on Feb. 27.

R.I.P. Doug Sandom, early drummer for The Who has died at 89

Doug Sandom, an early member of The Who who preceded Keith Moon as the band’s drummer, has died at the age of 89.

In 1962, Sandom was hired by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and John Entwistle to play in their band The Detours. Though he was considerably older than the rest of the band’s members (who were then in their late teens), Sandom was a proficient drummer with several years of experience and professional credits to his name.

In early 1964, after changing their name to The Who, the band auditioned for Fontana Records. The label’s producer, Chris Parmeinter, recommended that they find a new drummer, which led Townshend to fire Sandom in favor of Moon.

“I wasn’t so ambitious as the rest of them. I’d done it longer than what they had. Of course, I loved it. It was very nice to be part of a band that people followed, it was great,” Sandom later said of his time in The Who. “But I didn’t get on well with Peter Townshend. I was a few years older than he was, and he thought I should pack it in more or less because of that. I thought I was doing all right with the band, we never got slung out of nowhere, we always passed our auditions.”

Sandom and Townshend did not speak for nearly 20 years, but later reconciled and became close friends. Townshend was the one who announced Sandom’s death on the band’s website, penning a heartfelt tribute.

“Just heard from his son that Doug, drummer with the early Who, passed away yesterday at the age of 89. If you have read my book Who I Am you will know how kind Doug was to me, and how clumsily I dealt with his leaving the band to be replaced eventually by Keith Moon. A bricklayer by trade, Doug was an excellent drummer but was considered by our first record label to be too old for us. It was his age and his wisdom that made him important to me. He never sneered at my aspirations the way some of my peers tended to do (I was a bit of an egoistic handful sometimes). He encouraged me – as did my best friend in those days Richard Barnes. Doug took a while to forgive me, but did so in the end, and although I didn’t see much of him we remained friends. He would almost certainly have tried to visit with Roger and me at Wembley Stadium this year, and we will both miss seeing him.”

Rest in peace. 

RIP Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine, the venerated drummer who played on the Beach Boys ’ Pet Sounds and “Good Vibrations,” the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson” as a member of “The Wrecking Crew,” a group of elite Los Angeles session players, died Monday at age 90. The musician’s family confirmed the news in a statement via Facebook.

“May he rest forever on 2 and 4,” they wrote. “The family appreciates your outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Hal from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.”

Blaine was born Harold Simon Belsky in Holyoke, Massachusetts on February 5th, 1929. In the Sixties, he became a crucial member of the Wrecking Crew, which served as producer Phil Spector’s studio band and helped shape his signature “wall of sound” approach — exemplified on the Ronettes’ 1963 hit “Be My Baby.” Blaine became renown for his smooth touch and ability to work in a variety of styles — from mainstream pop to folk-rock to jazz to R&B.

The drummer played on dozens of chart-topping singles in his career, including the Byrds’ version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”

The Wrecking Crew’s contributions to music history went largely overlooked in their time, only achieving more esteem years later thanks to biographies and documentaries. In 2000, Blaine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“I’m so sad, I don’t know what to say,” Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson tweeted Monday. “Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can’t put it into words. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success — he was the greatest drummer ever. We also laughed an awful lot. Love, Brian”

“25 Months ago Hal Blaine and I made music for the last time together at the NAMM Convention,” Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector wrote on Facebook. “Today I regrettably have to say goodbye to Hal, and thank him for the magic he put on all our Ronettes recordings… and so many others throughout his incredible career. Thank you Hal. Love forever, Ronnie xxx”

Guy was a legend.  Much respect.

I just noticed that the last three people I have posted about here have been drummers.

The King of the Surf Guitar is dead.

RIP Dick Dale

A true innovator and genius (and friend of pre-fame Jimi…dunno about Prince)

RIP DD