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Wrecking Crew Guitarist and Renowned Musician Bill Pitman Dead at 102

Wrecking Crew Guitarist and Renowned Musician Bill Pitman Dead at 102
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Bill Pitman (2012) (cropped).JPG
Bill Pitman (2012 via WikiCommons)

LA QUINTA, CA (CelebrityAccess) – Renowned session musician and Wrecking Crew guitarist Bill Pitman (William Keith “Bill” Pitman) has passed away at his home in La Quinta, CA. He was 102. His death was confirmed via The New York Times.

Born February 12, 1920, in Belleville, NJ, Pittman came from a family of music. His father was a bassist for NBC in Rockefeller Center, prompting Pitman, and he picked up the guitar at an early age. After serving in World War II, he relocated to Los Angeles and, in 1951, was hired as a guitarist for Peggy Lee. Within a few years was an in-demand session musician, playing with Mel Torme, Buddy Rich, and others. After meeting producer Phil Spector, he became part of a group of players who would become known as the Wrecking Crew and, over the ’50s and ’60s, played on some of the most well-known songs of all time.

His extensive résumé includes “Be My Baby” (Ronettes) and “Good Vibrations” (Beach Boys), and he played the introduction to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head (BJ Thomas), which was featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He picked up credits on records by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, and Herb Alpert. His session colleagues at the time included Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, and Leon Russell. 

After retiring in 1989, he continued to play music privately as a hobby, living in California through the end of his life.

Pitman is survived by his wife, son, three daughters, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

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