Unsung Heroes - Carol Kaye
The greatest bass player ever was....a GiRL????
Unsung Heroes is my ode to the people behind the people. These are the folks in the shadows who shine their light onto the stars.
The bass is an interesting instrument. Many can’t distinguish it within the context of a song. For those that can hear the bass in a track, often it’s a session player whose name is somewhere buried in the liner notes (if those still exist…?). It is more “felt” than heard. Additionally, the consumer usually does not want to know how something was made, what it took to make it, or who was behind it.
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” - The Wizard of Oz
On top of those obfuscations above, now imagine that person is a woman in the 1960s. Meet Carol Kaye, in my humble opinion, the greatest bassist to walk the earth.
Carol was a member of the elite session musician collective, The Wrecking Crew. I thoroughly recommend this documentary that showcases all of the people who made up this cadre of hitmakers. What did she play on? “Good Vibrations”, “La Bamba”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Then He Kissed Me”, “Feelin’ Alright”, “I Was Made To Love Her”, “Bernadette”, “A Little Less Conversation”…and on and on and on. She recorded over 10,000 songs in her session days. 10,000 songs…Unreal.
This year, Ms. Kaye was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame but declined the invitation. To me, this is just one more example of her devotion to service. Not only do I view this move as cool from an anti-establishment point, but also I view this decision as a noble act. Here’s here statement below:
While she decries the “Wrecking Crew” delineation, her insistence on pluralism and people of different walks of life coming together to work toward a common goal is a reminder of what we as humans should be striving for.
On that note, here’s a quick little playlist I cobbled together of some of my favorites that Carol played on:
Carol is the quintessential session player. She has magic every time she creates a phrase, never overplays, never underplays, is always melodic (Good Vibrations’ bassline is the chorus melody ffs), and despite being the best to ever do it, never wants the limelight. I can’t think of anything more admirable and aspirational in this bizarre modern world where people want fame before making something of value. For me, Carol is apex mountain: move the world with every thing you make and be able to walk down the street without disruption.
I was once invited to a full 90+ piece scoring session for a Disney Japan ride. John Dennis, one of the creative executives at Imagineering, found out in The Blue Room (this space I am currently typing in) that I had never been a part of a full orchestral recording. Since he is a kind and welcoming human, he allowed me to tag along. I sat in the back corner of Fox’s scoring stage where I found Sound Explosion, Inside LA’s Studio Factory with The Wrecking Crew. It felt like fate. I immediately purchased a copy and it now sits in The Blue Room as inspiration for anyone who comes through.
If you listen to that playlist, I hope the takeaway for you is a few fold: 1) these songs are unreal 2) Carol kinda makes the song most times 3) imagine having this super power and having the humility to contain it.
For my musicians, I am constantly trying to sound like Carol Kaye. I love Fender basses of all kinds like Carol played. I put flatwound strings on said Fender basses like Carol did. I put a mute at the bridge to deaden the strings like Carol did. I even purchased a set of “Carol Kaye” picks from her website and only use said pick when I play a bass part that needs a pick. I am a full tilt geek and stan for this woman…
I hope that you will find as much magic and wonder in this incredible woman as I have. I hope you’ll celebrate her with me. Three cheers to this Unsung Hero, Carol Kaye, my favorite bassist to ever walk the earth.
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