Bill Pitman (1920–2022), legendary Wrecking Crew guitarist
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2 min readBill Pitman was a legendary session guitarist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, elite studio musicians who played on some of the greatest pop and rock songs.
- Died: Thursday, August 11, 2022. (Who else died on August 11?)
- Details of death: Died at home in La Jolla, California at the age of 102.
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Legendary Session Guitarist
Bill Pitmane28099s father was a bass player on staff at NBC Television Studios in New York City. He took up the guitar at an early age and in 1951, he auditioned and was picked to play guitar in Peggy Leee28099s band. He left her band a few years later and began doing session work for artists including Mel Torme and Buddy Rich. He became a regular with a group of studio musicians on Phil Spector produced records. This elite group of musicians would later be called e2809cThe Wrecking Crew,e2809d and included drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Tony Tedesco. Pitman played on a long list of hit songs including the Ronettes e2809cBe My Baby,e2809d the Byrds e2809cMr. Tambourine Man,e2809d the Beach Boys e2809cGood Vibrationse2809d and played ukulele on the B.J. Thomas hit e2809cRaindrops Keep Falline28099 on My Head.e2809d He played on many TV and movie soundtracks including e2809cM*A*S*H,e2809d e2809cFast Times at Ridgemont High,e2809d e2809cBonanza,e2809d e2809cIronside,e2809d and played bass for the TV western e2809cThe Wild Wild West.e2809d He retired in 1989 and was featured on the 2008 documentary film e2809cThe Wrecking Crew.e2809d
Notable Quote
e2809cYou leave the house at 7 in the morning, and youe28099re at Universal at 9 till noon.e2809d e2809cNow youe28099re at Capitol Records at 1. You just got time to get there, then you got a jingle at 4, then wee28099re on a date with somebody at 8, then the Beach Boys at midnight, and you do that five days a week.e2809d - He said in the 2008 documentary film e2809cThe Wrecking Crewe2809d
Tributes to Bill Pitman
Full Obituary: New York Times
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