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Session musician

Professional musician hired for a specific recording session.

221
values
284
total uses
228 people played on 35 Beatles recordings. David Mason, Sidney Sax and John Underwood each played on five of them, ahead of Reginald Kilbey on four and Eric Bowie on three. Most of them are credited on one record only, 176 of the 228, including Ken Essex (on 'Hello, Goodbye'), Art Ellefson (on 'Savoy Truffle') and J Fraser (on 'I Am the Walrus'). Session musicians run from 1962 to 1969, and 1967 has more of them than any other year, 148 of the 228.
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More than 244 non-Beatle musicians are credited across the band's recordings.

Session musicians Over Time

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All(221)

#NameSongs% of total
1John Underwood

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

5
1.8%
2David Mason

English classical trumpeter, principal with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a leading interpreter of the baroque trumpet repertoire.

5
1.8%
3Sidney Sax

British violinist and noted orchestral leader who also worked as a session contractor, booking and leading string players for countless London recording dates.

5
1.8%
4Reginald Kilbey

British cellist and arranger; a longtime London session player.

4
1.4%
5Erich Gruenberg

Distinguished Austrian-British violinist and orchestral leader.

3
1.1%
6Harry Klein

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
7Eric Bowie

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
8Neill Sanders

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
9Rex Morris

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
10Eldon Fox

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
11Henry Datyner

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

3
1.1%
12Keith Cummings

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
13Mike Redway

Backing vocalist credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
14Fred Lucas

Backing vocalist credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
15Kenneth Essex

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
16Dennis Walton

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
17Derek Simpson

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
18Lionel Ross

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
19Norman Jones

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
20Freddy Clayton

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
21Tony Tunstall

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
22Francisco Gabarro

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
23Jurgen Hess

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
24Alan Civil

Virtuoso English horn player, principal horn with leading London orchestras.

2
0.7%
25Stephen Shingles

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
26Jack Rothstein

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

2
0.7%
27Jack Greene

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

2
0.7%
28Dennis Vigay

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
29Bill Povey

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
30Ronnie Scott

English jazz tenor saxophonist and co-founder of London's famous Ronnie Scott's jazz club.

2
0.7%
31Leon Calvert

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
32Alan Dalziel

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
33Tony Fisher

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
34Gordon Pearce

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
35Tony Gilbert

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
36Derek Watkins

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
37The Mike Sammes Singers

Professional session vocal ensemble led by Mike Sammes.

2
0.7%
38Ralph Elman

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

2
0.7%
39Pat Whitmore

Backing vocalist credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
40Leo Birnbaum

British violist active in 1960s London session work.

2
0.7%
41Uncredited

Unnamed session musicians played the session musician on this recording.

2
0.7%
42Irene King

Backing vocalist credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
43Andy White

Scottish session drummer active on the London recording scene in the early 1960s.

2
0.7%
44Norman Lederman

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
45Ronald Thomas

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

2
0.7%
46Richard Taylor

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
47Frank Clarke

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
48Mike Winfield

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
49Dick Morgan

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
50Manny Winters

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
51P. Goody

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
52Ray Swinfield

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
53Elgar Howarth

English trumpeter, composer and conductor.

1
0.4%
54John Wilbraham

English classical trumpeter, a leading orchestral soloist.

1
0.4%
55Roy Copestake

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
56Eddie Kramer

South-African-born recording engineer best known for his work with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

1
0.4%
57Patrick Halling

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
58John Ronayne

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
59Jack Holmes

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
60Evan Watkins

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
61Jack Emblow

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
62Don Honeywill

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
63Stanley Woods

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
64Harry Spain

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
65Sheila Bromberg

British harpist and a longtime London orchestral and session player.

1
0.4%
66Derek Jacobs

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
67Trevor Williams

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
68Jose Luis Garcia

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
69Bill Jackman

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
70Frank Reidy

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
71Robert Burns

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
72Henry MacKenzie

British clarinettist and prolific London session player.

1
0.4%
73Hariprasad Chaurasia

Renowned Indian classical flautist and music director, a master of the bansuri in the Hindustani tradition.

1
0.4%
74Aashish Khan

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
75Hanuman Jadev

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
76Rij Ram Desad

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
77Mahapurush Misra

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
78Jack Fallon

British jazz double bassist and violinist active on the London session scene.

1
0.4%
79Jim Chester

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
80Ronald Chamberlain

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
81David Smith

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
82Raymond Newman

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
83Don Lang

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
84J. Power

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
85Art Ellefson

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
86Danny Moss

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
87Bernard George

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
88Derek Collins

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
89Ronnie Ross

English jazz baritone saxophonist who earlier taught the young David Bowie.

1
0.4%
90Anil Bhagwat

Indian tabla player, featured on 'Love You To'.

1
0.4%
91Marijke Koger

Dutch artist of The Fool collective; designed clothing and album artwork for the Beatles in 1967.

1
0.4%
92Julien Gaillard

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
93Peter Beavan

British cellist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
94Alan Loveday

British violinist (1928-2016); leader of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields from 1969 to 1981.

1
0.4%
95Anna Joshi

Indian musician active in Londons Asian Music Circle in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
96Natwar Soni

Indian tabla player active in Londons Asian Music Circle in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
97Amrit Gajjar

Indian musician active in Londons Asian Music Circle in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
98Peter Halling

British cellist active in 1960s London orchestral and session work.

1
0.4%
99Allen Ford

British cellist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
100Paul Scherman

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
101David Wolfsthal

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
102Buddhadev Kansara

Indian musician active in Londons Asian Music Circle in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
103Gordon Lewin

British clarinettist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
104John Bryning

British actor active in mid-20th-century radio and theatre.

1
0.4%
105Philip Guard

British actor active in mid-20th-century radio and theatre.

1
0.4%
106Mark Dignam

British stage, film and radio actor (1909-1991).

1
0.4%
107Morris Miller

British French horn player active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
108Bram Martin

British cellist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
109Jack Richards

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
110John Jezzard

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
111Louis Stevens

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
112Andrew McGee

British violinist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
113Sounds Incorporated

British instrumental band signed to Brian Epsteins NEMS Enterprises in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
114John Lee

British trombonist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
115Alan Holmes

British saxophonist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
116David Glyde

British saxophonist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
117Barrie Cameron

British saxophonist active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
118Paul Harvey

British woodwind player active in 1960s London session work.

1
0.4%
119Mike Valerio

American session bassist and member of the LA studio scene.

1
0.4%
120Hillary Smith

American session cellist.

1
0.4%
121Giovanna Clayton

American session cellist.

1
0.4%
122Mia Barcia-Colombo

American session cellist.

1
0.4%
123Linnea Powell

American session violist.

1
0.4%
124Drew Forde

American session violist and music educator.

1
0.4%
125Caroline Buckman

American session violist.

1
0.4%
126Ayvren Harrison

American session violist.

1
0.4%
127Serena McKinney

American session violinist.

1
0.4%
128Songa Lee

American session violinist.

1
0.4%
129Andrew Bulbrook

American violinist, member of Calder Quartet.

1
0.4%
130Charlie Bisharat

American session violinist and recording artist active in film and pop.

1
0.4%
131Adrianne Pope

American session violinist.

1
0.4%
132Neel Hammond

American session violinist.

1
0.4%
133Bert Courtley

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
134Duncan Campbell

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
135José‐Luis García

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
136Amiya Dasgupta

Indian musician and teacher of London's Asian Music Circle.

1
0.4%
137Peter Willison

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
138Shiv Kumar Sharma1
0.4%
139Greg Bowen

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
140Stanley Roderick

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
141Joy Hall

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
142John Sharpe

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
143Granville Jones

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
144Bill Monro

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
145Hans Geiger

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
146D. Bradley

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
147Lionel Bentley

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
148David McCallum

Scottish violinist and orchestral leader; father of the actor of the same name.

1
0.4%
149Donald Weekes

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
150Ernest Scott

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
151Carlos Villa

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
152Gwynne Edwards

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
153Bernard Davis

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
154John Meek

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
155Alex Nifosi

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
156Cyril MacArthur

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
157John Marson

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
158Roger Lord

Principal oboist of the London Symphony Orchestra.

1
0.4%
159Basil Tschaikov

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
160Jack Brymer

One of England's foremost classical clarinettists, principal with major London orchestras.

1
0.4%
161N. Fawcett

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
162Alfred Waters

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
163Clifford Seville

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
164David Sandeman

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
165Monty Montgomery

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
166Harold Jackson

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
167Raymond Brown

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
168Raymond Premru

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
169T. Moore

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
170Michael Barnes

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
171Tristan Fry

British session timpanist and percussionist.

1
0.4%
172John Burden

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
173Tony Randall

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
174James W. Buck

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
175John Scott

British woodwind session player and film composer; played the flutes on 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away'.

1
0.4%
176Les Condon

British jazz trumpeter active on the London session and big-band scene in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
177Ian Hamer

British jazz trumpeter and arranger active on the London session scene in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
178Eddie Thornton

Jamaican-born trumpeter and member of Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, active on the 1960s British R&B and session scene.

1
0.4%
179Alan Branscombe

British jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist active on the London session scene in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
180Peter Coe

British jazz saxophonist active on the London session scene in the 1960s.

1
0.4%
181Jack Ellory

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
182Christopher Taylor

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
183S.R. Kenkare

Indian classical musician and player of the shehnai, a double-reed wind instrument.

1
0.4%
184Indril Bhattacharya

Indian classical sitar player.

1
0.4%
185Ingrid Thomas1
0.4%
186Val Stockwell1
0.4%
187Ross Gilmour1
0.4%
188Ken Barrie1
0.4%
189Vinayak Vora1
0.4%
190Chandra Shakher1
0.4%
191Terence Weil

Session cellist heard on 'Eleanor Rigby'.

1
0.4%
192Ken Essex

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
193Stan Roderick

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
194Phil Goody

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
195Harold Spain

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
196Fred Alexander

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
197Ted Barker

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
198Les Maddox

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
199Dennis McConnell

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
200Bernard Miller

Session musician credited on a Beatles recording.

1
0.4%
Showing the 200 most-used of 221 values. The rest are reachable from the songs that use them.

Songs(35)

Year
Album
Writer
Lead vocal(s)

Love Me Do

1962·Please Please Me·Paul

Drums on album version

P.S. I Love You

1962·Please Please Me·Paul

Session drummer

Yesterday

1965·Help!·Paul

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

1965·Help!·John

tenor and alto flute

Eleanor Rigby

1966·Revolver·Paul

Got to Get You into My Life

1966·Revolver·Paul

Tenor saxophone

Love You To

1966·Revolver·George

For No One

1966·Revolver·Paul

French horn solo

Strawberry Fields Forever

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·John

Cello

Penny Lane

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·Paul

A Day in the Life

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·John

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul

Within You Without You

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·George

She's Leaving Home

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul

Good Morning Good Morning

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·John

When I'm Sixty-Four

1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul

All You Need Is Love

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·John

Baby, You're a Rich Man

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·John

Engineered it and played the vibraphone overdub

I Am the Walrus

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·John

Hello, Goodbye

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·Paul

Blue Jay Way

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·George

Magical Mystery Tour

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·Paul

The Fool on the Hill

1967·Magical Mystery Tour·Paul

The Inner Light

1968·Past Masters·George

Lady Madonna

1968·Past Masters·Paul

Tenor sax solo

Savoy Truffle

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·George

Revolution 1

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·John

Trumpet

Glass Onion

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·John

Violin

Honey Pie

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Paul

Good Night

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Ringo

Choir on the George Martin orchestration

Martha My Dear

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Paul

cello

Piggies

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·George

Don't Pass Me By

1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Ringo

Country fiddle obbligato

It's All Too Much

1969·Yellow Submarine·George

Now and Then

2023·Reunion singles·John