Bill Pitman

American guitar and bass player.

Born : Feb. 12, 1920 in New Jersey. Died: Thursday, August 11, 2022 at home in La Jolla, California at the age of 102.

A member of the elite Wrecking Crew collective of session musicians, Pitman was deployed on albums by artists like Sam Cooke, Nancy Sinatra, the Monkees, James Brown, and the Beach Boys.

In 2009, Pitman appeared in a documentary about the Wrecking Crew. “During one year, Pitman logged an astonishing 425 recording sessions, many of which resulted in multiple sides,” a Facebook page connected to the film stated in 2016. “Despite his contributions to chart-topping records by the Mamas & the Papas, the Everly Brothers, and Jan & Dean, Pitman found the rock music he was asked to play unmemorable; expressing genuine surprise when some of the tunes became wildly successful. Producers jokingly claimed that if Pitman thought a record was terrible, then they probably had a hit on their hands.”

Following his tenure in the Wrecking Crew, Pitman remained an in-demand session musician, working extensively on scores for film and television. According to the New York Times, Pitman’s work — both as a musician and composer — could be heard on TV series like Green Acres, Star Trek and the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, as well as in movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dirty Dancing and Goodfellas.