Wikipedia

Carol Kaye

Carol Kaye(néeSmith;[1]born March 24, 1935)[2]is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recordedbass guitaristsin rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years.[3]

Carol Kaye
Birth nameCarol Smith
Born(1935-03-24)March 24, 1935(age 89)
Everett, Washington,U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Session musician,teacher
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, guitar
Years active1949–present
Websitecarolkaye

Kaye began playing guitar in her early teens and after some time as a guitar teacher, began to perform regularly on theLos Angelesjazz and big band circuit. She startedsession workin 1957, and through a connection atGold Star Studiosbegan working for producersPhil SpectorandBrian Wilson.After a bassist failed to turn up to a session in 1963, she switched to that instrument, quickly making a name for herself as one of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s, playing on numerous hits. She moved into playing on film soundtracks in the late 1960s, particularly forQuincy JonesandLalo Schifrin,and began to release a series of tutoring books such asHow To Play The Electric Bass.Kaye became less active towards the end of the 1970s, but has continued her career and attracted praise from other musicians.

During the peak of her years of session work, Kaye became part of a stable of Los Angeles–based musicians known asthe Wrecking Crew.She appeared in the 2008 documentaryThe Wrecking Crew.

Early life

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Kaye was born inEverett, Washington,to professional musicians Clyde and Dot Smith.[4]Her father was a jazztrombonistwho played inbig bands.In 1942, he sold a piano in order to finance a move toWilmington, California.[1][2]She later said her father was violent towards her, and she persuaded her mother to separate from him, but music was the one thing that could unite the family.[1]

At age 13, Kaye received asteel string guitarfrom her mother.[1][4]She began playing sessions in jazz clubs aroundLos Angeles.[1]During the 1950s, Kaye playedbebopjazz guitarwith several groups on the Los Angeles club circuit, including Bob Neal's group,Jack SheldonbackingLenny Bruce,Teddy EdwardsandBilly Higgins.[4]She played with theHenry Busse Orchestrain the mid-1950s, and toured the US with them.[5]

Career

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Pop sessions

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In 1957, Kaye was playing a gig at the Beverly Cavern,Hollywood,when producerRobert "Bumps" Blackwellinvited her to a recording session forSam Cooke's arrangement of "Summertime".She realized she could make significantly more money with session work than playing in jazz clubs, so took it up as a full-time career.[1]In 1958, she played acoustic rhythm guitar onRitchie Valens' "La Bamba",recorded atGold Star Studios,Hollywood.[2]Through Gold Star, she began to work with producer Phil Spector, playing electric guitar onBob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans' "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"andThe Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me",and acoustic guitar onThe Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'".[2]Along with several other musicians including drummerHal Blaineand guitaristGlen Campbell,her work with Spector attracted the attention of other record producers and she found herself in demand as a regular session player.[6]

In 1963, when a bass player failed to show for a session atCapitol Recordsin Hollywood, she was asked to fill in on the instrument.[7]She quickly discovered she preferred playing bass, and found it was a key component of a backing track and allowed her to play more inventively than the relatively simpler guitar parts she had been playing until then.[2]From a pragmatic viewpoint, it was easier to carry a single bass to sessions instead of swapping between three or four guitars depending on the song.[8]After bassistRay Pohlmanleft studio work to become a musical director, Kaye became the most in-demand session bassist in Los Angeles.[9]

Kaye continued to play guitar on numerous other hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, including thetwelve-string electric guitaron severalSonny & Chersongs.[10]She also played twelve-string onFrank Zappa's albumFreak Out![2]At the time, it was unusual for women to be experienced session players; nevertheless Kaye remembered sessions being generally good-humoured and united by the music.[2]

Kaye was the sole regular female member of the Wrecking Crew (though she has said the collective were never known by this name, which was later invented by Hal Blaine), a collective of studio musicians who played on a large number of hit records from Los Angeles in the 1960s.[1][11]Throughout the decade, while at the time unknown to the public, Kaye played bass on a substantial number of records that appeared on theBillboardHot 100.According to theNew York Times,she played on 10,000 recording sessions.[12]She appeared on sessions byFrank Sinatra,Simon & Garfunkel,Stevie Wonder,Barbra Streisand,The Supremes,The Temptations,theFour TopsandThe Monkees.[13]She played electric bass onNancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'",whileChuck Berghoferplayed double bass.[14]She also came up with the introduction on fellow session player Glen Campbell's hit "Wichita Lineman".[15]Kaye later said that during the 1960s, she would sometimes play three or four sessions per day, and was pleased that so many of them created hit records.[14]

Through her work with Spector, Kaye caught the attention ofThe Beach Boys'Brian Wilson,who used her on several sessions, including the albumsBeach Boys Today,Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!),Pet SoundsandSmile.[2]Unlike other sessions, where she was free to work out her own bass lines, Wilson always came in with a very specific idea of what she should play.[2]ByPet Sounds,Wilson was asking musicians such as Kaye to play far more takes than typical sessions, often running over ten passes of a song, with sessions stretching well into the night.[16]

Soundtracks, tutoring and later work

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By 1969, Kaye was exhausted and had become disillusioned from doing session work, saying that the music had "started to sound like cardboard". At the same time, many newer rock bands disapproved of using session players, preferring to play the instruments themselves. She decided to make a change so her career evolved from playing primarily pop music to performing mostly soundtrack work, as well as writing and teaching. She wroteHow To Play The Electric Bass,the first in a series of tutoring books and instructional video courses.[1]Her soundtrack sessions from this time included playing on the themes toM.A.S.H.,The Streets of San FranciscoandAcross 110th Street.[17][18][19]Kaye had already performed on a number of soundtracks and had worked closely withLalo Schifrin,playing on the theme toMission: Impossibleand the soundtrack forBullitt.[2]She regularly collaborated withQuincy Jones,later saying that he "wrote some of the most beautiful themes I've ever heard in my life".[2]Kaye was also a part of Jones' orchestra at the43rd Academy Awards.[20]

In the early 1970s, she toured withJoe PassandHampton Hawes,and continued to do sessions.[2]In 1973, she played onBarbra Streisand's single "The Way We Were",which was cut live, and was told off by producerMarvin Hamlischfor improvising bass lines.[14]In 1976, she was involved in a car accident, and semi-retired from music. She continued to play sporadically, appearing onJ. J. Cale's 1981 albumShades.[2]

In 1994, Kaye underwent corrective surgery to fix injuries stemming from the accident, and resumed playing and recording.[2]She collaborated with Fender to produce a lighter version of the Precision Bass that reduced strain on her back and made it more comfortable to play.[21]In 1997, she collaborated with Brian Wilson again, playing on his daughters' album,The Wilsons,while in 2006,Frank Blackasked her to play on his albumFast Man Raider Manalongside fellow session stalwart, drummerJim Keltner.[2]She was featured in the 2008 filmThe Wrecking Crewalong with a cast of other studio musicians. In one interview segment, she said that she believed at the peak of her session activity she was making more money than the US president.[22]

Style and equipment

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Kaye's main instrument during the 1960s was theFender Precision Bass,though she also used theDanelectrobass on occasion. During the 1970s, she sometimes used theGibson RipperBass, and in the 21st century she has used anIbanezSRX700 bass.[4][2]She uses Thomastik-Infeld JF344flatwoundstrings with ahigh actionand preferred to use guitar amplifiers in the studio when playing bass, including theFender Super Reverband theVersatonePan-O-Flex.[2]Kaye primarily uses a pick, orplectrum,on both guitar and bass, rather than plucking the strings with her fingers.[21]She also typicallymutedher bass using a piece offelton top of the strings in front of the bridge, thus reducing unwantedovertonesand undertones. Later she said, "for 25 cents, you could get the best sound in town".[2]

Kaye preferred to play melodic and syncopated lines on the bass, rather than simply covering a straightforward part. In the studio, she particularly liked to use the upper register on her bass, while a stand-updouble basswould be used to cover the low end.[2]

Legacy

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Kaye has achieved critical acclaim as one of the best session bassists of all time. Michael Molenda, writing inBass Playermagazine, said that Kaye could listen to other musicians and instantly work out a memorable bass line that would fit with the song, such as her additions toSonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On".Paul McCartneyhas said that his bass playing onthe Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandwas inspired by her work onPet Sounds.[1]Alison Richter, writing inBass Guitarmagazine, has called Kaye the "First Lady" of bass playing, adding "her style and influence are in your musical DNA."[23]

Kaye's solo bass line in Spector's production of "River Deep, Mountain High",was a key part to the song's" Wall of Sound "production. The recording is now in theGrammy Hall of Fame.[24]Quincy Jones said in his 2001 autobiographyQthat "... women like... Fender bass player Carol Kaye... could do anything and leave men in the dust."[25]Brian Wilson has said that Kaye's playing on the "Good Vibrations"sessions was a key part of the arrangement he wanted." Carol played bass with a pick that clicked real good. It worked out really well. It gave it a hard sound. "[26]Dr. Johnhas said that Kaye "is a sweetheart as well as a kick-ass bass player".[4]

Despite being admired as one of the studio greats, Kaye never expected to be well-remembered. At the time of the sessions, most of the players thought pop music would not last longer than ten years, and she is surprised that people still listen to tracks on which she played.[1]Although the Amazon hit seriesThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselpaid homage to Kaye and her career with the character of Carole Keen, introduced in season three and played byLiza Weil,Kaye described the character as "having nothing to do with me or my history. They took a few things out of my book and created a character that's not even me at all."[27][28][29]In 2020,Rolling Stonemagazine ranked Kaye number five in its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time.[30]

Personal life

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Kaye was raised aBaptist,butpracticed Judaismin the early 1960s.[8]She has been married three times and has two living children.[31][32]

At age 13, Kaye took guitar lessons from Horace Hatchett (1909–1985), an esteemed instructor and graduate of theEastman School of Musicwho eventually set her up with gigs playing bebop in L.A. nightclubs.[33]At age 16, Kaye gave birth to their child.[34]

Two years later, she married musician Al Kaye and they had one son together. However, Al Kaye, 22 years her senior, had a drinking problem and they would divorce soon after.[1]Kaye's second husband did not approve of her job's late hours, and he did not like it when she was playing with musicians.[35]They had one daughter together. Kaye divorced him, got a live-in nanny, and went back to working again.[1]Kaye's third husband was jazz drummer and session musicianSpider Webb.They cofounded a jazz/funk group Spiders Webb, which went on to record the albumI Don't Know What's on Your Mind,forFantasy Recordsin 1976.[36]

Selected discography

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Main article:Carol Kaye discography

Published works

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  • Kaye, Carol (2016).Studio Musician.Carol Kaye LLC.ISBN978-0-9858748-3-4.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^abcdefghijklRiley, Phoebe (April 16, 2016)."The Beach Girl Behind the Beach Boys".New York Magazine.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsMurphy, Bill (August 10, 2012)."Forgotten Heroes: Carol Kaye".Premier Guitar.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  3. ^Berklee College of Music(October 18, 2000)."Berklee Welcomes Legendary Studio Bassist Carol Kaye".Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2006.RetrievedMarch 13,2007.Kaye is the most recorded bassist of all time, with 10,000 sessions spanning four decades.
  4. ^abcde"Biography".Carol Kaye (official website).RetrievedAugust 13,2018.
  5. ^Hartman 2012,p. 38.
  6. ^Hartman 2012,p. 54.
  7. ^Chapman, Charles (October 7, 2010).Interviews with the Jazz Greats... and More!.Mel Bay Publications. p. 34.ISBN978-1-60974-367-3.
  8. ^abHartman 2012,p. 143.
  9. ^Hartman 2012,p. 144.
  10. ^"Guitar Hits".Carol Kaye (official website).RetrievedSeptember 14,2017.
  11. ^Hartman 2012,p. 5.
  12. ^"Famous on the Web: This Working Mom Played Bass for the Best of Them".The New York Times.June 7, 2000.RetrievedAugust 14,2013.
  13. ^Benarde, Scott (2003).Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories.UPNE. p. 23.ISBN978-1-584-65303-5.
  14. ^abc"Carol Kaye: my 10 greatest recordings of all time".Music Radar.October 26, 2011.RetrievedAugust 9,2018.
  15. ^Hartman 2012,p. 196.
  16. ^Hartman 2012,pp. 145, 154.
  17. ^"Across 110th Street".Library of Congress.RetrievedMarch 31,2022.
  18. ^"The Streets of San Francisco".Library of Congress.RetrievedApril 14,2022.
  19. ^"Photo Gallery".Carol Kaye.
  20. ^Newcomb, Horace (1997).Encyclopedia of Television.Routledge. p. 1231.ISBN978-1884964268.
  21. ^abSteward & Garratt 1984,p. 115.
  22. ^Leydon, Joe (March 12, 2015)."Film Review: 'The Wrecking Crew'".Variety.RetrievedAugust 11,2018.
  23. ^Richter, Alison (December 7, 2015)."The First Lady: Carol Kaye".Bass Guitar Magazine.RetrievedMarch 7,2018.
  24. ^"6 Famous Musicians You've Never Heard Of".Tone Deaf.May 21, 2014.RetrievedAugust 13,2018.
  25. ^Jones, Quincy (2001).Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones.Doubleday. p.126.ISBN0-385-48896-3.
  26. ^Pinnock, Tom (June 8, 2012)."The Making Of… The Beach Boys Good Vibrations".Uncut.Time Inc. UK.RetrievedAugust 13,2018.
  27. ^"'Gilmore Girls' actress is unrecognizable in 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'".TODAY.December 9, 2019.RetrievedDecember 10,2019.
  28. ^Kranc, Lauren (December 12, 2019)."The Bassist in Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Is Inspired By the Revolutionary Real-Life Musician Carol Kaye".Esquire.New York, NY.RetrievedDecember 18,2019.
  29. ^Bailey-Millado, Rob (January 2, 2020)."Bass legend Carol Kaye blasts 'Mrs. Maisel' homage as 'slander'".NY Post.New York, NY.RetrievedJanuary 2,2020.
  30. ^Bernstein, Jonathan (July 1, 2020)."The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJuly 7,2020.
  31. ^Hartman 2012,pp. 38, 143.
  32. ^"Top Album Picks".Billboard.October 30, 1976. p. 70.RetrievedAugust 16,2018.
  33. ^Hopper, Jessica (February 18, 2010)."Ace of Bass: Carol Kaye".LaWeekly.
  34. ^"Fakeshow Podcast – Ep 511 Carol Kaye".Listennotes.March 28, 2022.
  35. ^Frazier, Bryan."Ep. 51: Carol Kaye- The Comprehensive Interview Pt. 1".Journey to the Stage with Bryan Frazier.RetrievedFebruary 20,2024.
  36. ^"Top Album Picks".Billboard.October 30, 1976. p. 70.ISSN0006-2510.

Sources

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