Carol Kaye is walking, talking, string-plucking proof that playing bass guitar is not exclusively a man’s game.
A pioneer in a male-dominated world, Kaye reputedly played more than 10,000 recording sessions, many of them as a member of LA’s legendary session team The Wrecking Crew.
In a career spanning 65 years she was never better than on this song, displaying her melodic syncopated style on a pop classic.
The daughter of professional musicians (her father was a jazz trombonist), she was born in Washington state and started out teaching guitar and playing bebop jazz guitar in nightclubs in and around LA.
Kaye got into studio work in 1957, playing guitar on Sdam Cooke’s Summertime and What A Wonderful World. Another early hit was Ritchie Valens’ La Bamba, on which she played acoustic guitar.
But when a bassist failed to show for a session in 1963 she picked up the electric Fender bass and never looked back.
Her skill soon saw her move into TV and film soundtracks, especially with Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin, and she also worked with Phil Spector, playing on sessions with the likes of The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Shirelles and The Righteous Brothers.
Her work on many of Spector’s biggest hits, such as You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling and River Deep Mountain High, caught the ear of Brian Wilson, who added her to his roster of favourite session musicians with The Beach Boys, on albums including Pet Sounds.
Her multitude of credits also includes Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Sonny & Cher, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Frank and Nancy Sinatra – that’s her walking bass on These Boots Are Made For Walking – and Dean Martin.
She also came up with the intro to her fellow session guitarist Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman and played acoustic guitar on Frank Zappa’s album Freak Out!
In 2025, Kaye was selected for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (in the Musical Excellence Award category) but she rejected the honour. And yes, she is still alive, at the age of 91.