Are you familiar with The Wrecking Crew? Even if you don't know the name, chances are probably excellent that you know scores of the songs they played on:
The Wrecking Crew was a collection of 20 or so studio musicians in LA, who played on an incredible array of hits. Their members included Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Tommy Tedesco, among many others. Collectively, they were:
Backing musicians for the Beach Boys, Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, The Association, The 5th Dimension, The Mama's & Papa's, Glen Campbell, even the Byrds first sessions (for Mr Tamborine Man)...
They also played the backing music for Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel, for MacArthur Park by Richard Harris,
They were the Tijuana Brass, led by Herb Albert!
They played with Jan & Dean, Nancy Sinatra
They played TV themes for Mission Impossible, Hawaii 5-0, M*A*S*H
They also were a big part of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.
Here's a brief overview of them from Minnesota Public Radio for a showing of a new documentary that Tommy Tedesco's son has made. I saw the movie and enjoyed it immensely.
Love The Beach Boys? Meet "The Wrecking Crew" | Minnesota Public Radio News