Ray Pohlman

Ray Pohlman
Name	Ray Pohlman
Birth date	November 15, 1930
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Death date	April 1, 1990
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Session musician, musical director, arranger
Instruments	Bass guitar, upright bass, guitar
Years active	1950s–1980s

Ray Pohlman was an American session musician, musical director, and arranger known for his prolific work in the Los Angeles studio scene. He played on numerous hit records, led rhythm sections for television and recording sessions, and contributed to the sound of popular music through collaborations with producers, songwriters, and performers. Pohlman was closely associated with the group of Los Angeles session musicians widely known for shaping 1960s and 1970s recordings.

Early life and education

Pohlman was born in New York City and raised during an era when popular music intersected with theater and radio; his early environment connected him to figures such as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Ella Fitzgerald. He pursued musical study that placed him alongside peers who later worked with institutions like the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. Influences from performers and arrangers including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Glen Miller, and Cole Porter shaped his formative years. Exposure to studios and venues tied him to networks involving Capitol Records, Columbia Records, RCA Victor, Decca Records, and Warner Bros. Records.

Session career and The Wrecking Crew

Pohlman relocated to Los Angeles and became a fixture in the studio community that included musicians tied to producers and arrangers such as Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Jack Nitzsche, Don Costa, and Terry Melcher. He worked alongside fellow session players associated with the rhythm section often labeled the collective group linked to The Wrecking Crew names like Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, and Leon Russell. Pohlman contributed to sessions for labels and artists connected to Capitol Records, Tower Records (1960s), Liberty Records, and productions for television series overseen by companies such as Screen Gems and A&M Records. He was credited on recordings that featured singers and bands like The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, and Frankie Laine.

Work as musical director and arranger

Beyond studio bass work, Pohlman served as musical director and arranger for television productions and recording projects associated with figures such as Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Petula Clark, Dick Clark, Ed Sullivan, and Don Kirshner. He coordinated sessions for soundtrack work tied to films produced by studios like Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Fox. In this capacity he interacted with composers and orchestrators including Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Lalo Schifrin, and Maurice Jarre. Pohlman’s arranging and directing overlapped with broadcasters and production companies such as NBC, CBS, ABC (American Broadcasting Company), Motown Records, and Capitol Records.

Notable collaborations and recordings

Pohlman played on landmark sessions for artists associated with songwriters and producers such as Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Jeff Barry. He appeared on recordings by performers linked to labels and movements including The Righteous Brothers, Phil Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, and Bobby Vinton. Sessions that featured his bass work were produced by notable industry figures like Lou Adler, Spector, Brian Wilson, Jeff Barry, and Don Kirshner and involved arrangers such as Jack Nitzsche and Morton Stevens. Pohlman’s credits include tracks recorded at studios famed for sessions by United Western Recorders, Gold Star Studios, Capitol Studios, and Sun Studios; these sessions often backed artists like Nancy Sinatra, Sonny & Cher, The Everly Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Sam Cooke, and Smokey Robinson.

Style, instruments and technique

Pohlman was adept on electric bass and upright bass, performing in contexts tied to genres and practitioners like rock and roll performers in the lineage of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, pop acts connected to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and session arrangements akin to work by Henry Mancini and Nelson Riddle. His technique resonated in productions overseen by producers such as Phil Spector and Brian Wilson and in arrangements by Jack Nitzsche and Don Costa. Pohlman’s approach to rhythm and tone made him a sought collaborator for artists including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, and Ray Charles, as well as television and film composers like John Williams and Lalo Schifrin.

Personal life and later years

Pohlman lived in Los Angeles and remained active in sessions and musical direction through the 1970s and into the 1980s, engaging with musicians and institutions like The Wrecking Crew peers, studio owners, and record labels such as A&M Records and Capitol Records. Later in life he experienced the industry’s shifts with the rise of new producers, engineers, and session players associated with studios like Sunset Sound and Electric Lady Studios. He died in Los Angeles in 1990, leaving a legacy connected to a broad network of performers, producers, and music institutions including United Western Recorders, Gold Star Studios, Capitol Studios, Motown Records, and many artists he supported.

Category:American bass guitarists Category:Session musicians