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Carol Kaye

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Carol Kaye

Carol Kaye (born March 24, 1935) is an American musician, best known as one of the most prolific and widely heard bass guitarists in history, playing on an estimated 10,000 recording sessions in a 55 year career.[1]

As a session musician Kaye was the bassist on many Phil Spector and Brian Wilson productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She played guitar on Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" and is credited with the bass tracks on several Simon & Garfunkel hits and many film scores by Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. Among her most often cited work Kaye anchored the Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds.

Life and career

Kaye was born in Everett, Washington to professional musicians Clyde and Dot Smith. She grew up in poverty near the Port of Los Angeles and in 1949 at the age of fourteen began teaching guitar professionally.[2] Throughout the 1950s Kaye played bebop jazz guitar in dozens of nightclubs around Los Angeles with many noted bands including Bob Neal's jazz group, Jack Sheldon backing Lenny Bruce, Teddy Edwards and Billy Higgins. By her own account Kaye got into lucrative studio work "accidentally" in late 1957 with Sam Cooke. A few years later, when a bass player failed to show for a session at Capitol Records in Hollywood, she was asked to fill in on what was then often called the Fender bass.

Throughout the 1960s, she played bass on a significant percentage of records appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, although she was almost wholly unknown to the general public at the time. Kaye played bass on many of the Beach Boys hit recordings, including Good Vibrations, Help Me, Rhonda, Sloop John B and California Girls. She worked on Brian Wilson's ill-fated but legendary Smile project (and was present at the "Fire" session in late November 1966 when Wilson reportedly asked the studio musicians to wear toy fire hats). Kaye's work also appears extensively on well-known television and film soundtracks from the 1960s and early 1970s.

She worked under most of the leading producers and musical directors in Los Angeles during that era, including Brian Wilson, Michel Legrand, Phil Spector, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, David Rose, Dave Grusin, Ernie Freeman, Hugo Montenegro, Leonard Rosenman, John Williams, Alfred, David Axelrod and Lionel Newman. Kaye played the bass tracks on several of the Monkees hits, did soundtrack work (including sound effects on bass guitar) for a young Steven Spielberg and tracks for Quincy Jones whose 2001 autobiography Q noted, "...women like ...Fender bass player Carol Kaye ...could do anything and leave men in the dust."[3]

Kaye performed on several American television themes including the Quinn Martin produced Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Mission: Impossible, M*A*S*H, Kojak, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, The Love Boat, McCloud, Mannix, It Takes a Thief, Peyton Place and the Cosby Show. She is credited with performing on the soundtracks of Hawaii Five-0, The Addams Family and The Brady Bunch along with Ironside, Room 222, Bonanza, Wonder Woman, Alias Smith & Jones, Run for Your Life and Barnaby Jones.[4]

Beginning in 1969, she wrote How To Play The Electric Bass, the first of many bass tutoring books and DVD Courses. She gave lessons to thousands of students, including John Clayton, Mike Porcaro, Alf Clausen, David Hughes, Tony Sales, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Roy Vogt and David Hungate. Kaye retired from studio work during the 1970s because of arthritis. She later became active again as a session musician, live jazz performer and teacher of both bass and guitar, giving seminars and interviews.

Zappa

Kaye played 12-string guitar on Frank Zappa's groundbreaking album Freak Out!. She also played on a few songs for his following album but declined to continue, saying she found some of the lyrics offensive. Kaye later said Zappa was good-natured and understanding about her qualms and they remained on friendly terms.

Tribute

In 2010, Kaye was the subject of a tribute song on the album July Flame by Portland, Oregon musician Laura Veirs entitled "Carol Kaye." Featuring Jim James of My Morning Jacket the lyrics include many of the more famous song titles that featured Kaye.

Selected discography

Kaye played on hundreds of commercially released recordings and soundtracks. These lists represent only a small fraction of her recorded performances.

Electric bass credits

Songs

Albums

Selected highlights include:

Guitar credits

References

  1. ^ Berklee College of Music (2000-10-18). "Berklee Welcomes Legendary Studio Bassist Carol Kaye". Retrieved 2007-03-13. Kaye is the most recorded bassist of all time, with 10,000 sessions spanning four decades.
  2. ^ Carol Kaye official website Biography, retrieved 29 Nov 2007
  3. ^ Jones, Quincy, Q: the autobiography of Quincy Jones, Doubleday 2001 ISBN 0-385-48896-3, Pg. 126
  4. ^ IMDb, Carol Kaye - bio, retrieved 29 Nov 2007

Sources

Teaching materials by Kaye

  • How To Play The Electric Bass
  • Personally yours (1970)
  • Electric Bass lines series Nos 1-6
  • Jazz Improv For Bass
  • Pro's Jazz Phrases Bass
  • Bass DVD Course
  • Music Reading DVD w/Manual
  • Teaching Playing Hangin' DVD
  • Jazz Bass CD & Guide
  • Rock-Funk Bass CD & Guide, produced Joe Pass
  • Carol Kaye: Bass CD
  • Bass Performances CD
  • Hit Bass Lines CD
  • Jazz Improv Soloing DVD Course
  • How to play Electric Bass chords

Archival recordings

  • California Creamin - Carol Kaye Guitars 1965 CD
  • Better Days (1971) CD

Documentary

  • Rockin Suuri Tuntematon aka First Lady of Bass: Carol Kaye documentary, Pekka Rautiomaa, YLE Dokumenttiohjelmat 2004
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