The Beach Boys, the Byrds and Simon & Garfunkel: Neil Peart’s early influences had one man in common

Neil Peart’s early drumming was shaped by a wide range of popular music, not just the rock and progressive bands he admired. He later realised that many of the songs he played along to on the radio featured the same session drummer, Hal Blaine, whose varied work helped expose Peart to different rhythms and styles.

Peart recalled playing along to records by Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, the Association and the Byrds, all of which featured Blaine. A member of the Wrecking Crew, Blaine played on more than 150 hit songs and thousands of recording sessions, bringing a distinctive swing to styles ranging from R&B to the Beach Boys’ arrangements. The article presents this breadth as an influence on Peart’s inventive approach to drumming.