Carol Kaye has played bass on thousands of hits for the last 70 years. Some say 40,000 songs. She turned 90 in March.
She was the only female musician in Phil Spector’s Wrecking Crew, the legendary band that was loaned out to provide the music for everyone from the Beach Boys to The Fifth Dimension. She literally IS Oldies Radio at this point.
But Carol — whom I’ve known for years — is declining her invitation to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am not surprised. Carol is an iconoclast who goes her own way. It’s very refreshing.
She writes on Facebook:
“People have been asking: NO I won’t be there……. I am declining the rrhof awards show (and denny tedesco process)…..turning it down because it wasn’t something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits…….. you are always part of a TEAM, not a solo artist at all….there were always 350-400 Studio Musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the busy 1960s, and called that ONLY ….since 1930s, I was never a ‘wrecker’ at all….that’s a terrible insulting name.
“Just so you know, as a working Jazz musician (soloing jazz guitar work) in the 1950s working since 1949, I was accidentally asked to record records by producer Bumps Blackwell in 1957, got into recording good music, w/Sam Cooke, other artists and then accidentally placed on Fender Precision Bass mid 1963 when someone didn’t show…….I never played bass in my life but being an experienced recording guitarist, it was plain to see that 3 bass players hired to play “dum-de-dum” on record dates, wasn’t getting it…..it was easy for me to invent good bass lines…..as a Jazz musician, you invent every note you play……and they used a lot of Jazz musicians (and former big-band experienced musicians on all those rock and pop dates too)………..I refuse to be part of a process that is something else rather than what I believe in, for others’ benefit and not reflecting on the truth – we all enjoyed working with EACH OTHER……..Thank-You for understanding. Carol Kaye”
I do wish Carol would take the award and accept the kudos but I know why she won’t. It’s not done with malice. The Rock Hall Museum can still have display for her and the Wrecking Crew including Hal Blaine, Bones Howe, Denny Tedesco, and some of the stars that matriculated like Glenn Campbell and Leon Russell.
Carol, your legacy is secure.
Frankly, the whole Wrecking Crew should have been inducted way back in 1989. But Phil Spector hovered over the original Rock Hall like a…spectre… and probably didn’t want to acknowledge them.
Carol has an amazing story. You can read all about her here: https://www.carolkaye.com/
