Bill 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 Pitman’s 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 Lee’s 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 “The Wrecking Crew,” and included drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Tony Tedesco. Pitman played on a long list of hit songs including the Ronettes “Be My Baby,” the Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” and played ukulele on the B.J. Thomas hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.” He played on many TV and movie soundtracks including “M*A*S*H,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Bonanza,” “Ironside,” and played bass for the TV western “The Wild Wild West.” He retired in 1989 and was featured on the 2008 documentary film “The Wrecking Crew.”
Notable Quote
“You leave the house at 7 in the morning, and you’re at Universal at 9 till noon.” “Now you’re at Capitol Records at 1. You just got time to get there, then you got a jingle at 4, then we’re on a date with somebody at 8, then the Beach Boys at midnight, and you do that five days a week.” – He said in the 2008 documentary film “The Wrecking Crew”
Tributes to Bill Pitman
Full Obituary: New York Times
