Emil Richards, the famed percussionist, vibraphone specialist and L.A. session musician (the fabled Wrecking Crew), died at the age of 87 in December 2019. If the name is unfamiliar to you, Richards performed with Frank Sinatra, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Judy Garland, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, The Monkees and dozens more.
Yet you are very familiar with his work. Really. Because Emil Richards played the xylophone parts on the opening theme of ‘‘The Simpsons,’’ did the finger-snapping on the theme song for ‘‘The Addams Family’’ and beat the bongos on the ‘‘Mission: Impossible’’ theme song.
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