Congratulations Carol Kaye!

[OldStrummer]

Long overdue (many believe she should have been among the first to be inducted), legendary bassist Carol Kaye will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November, 2025. She is 90.

According to Wikipedia, Kaye's career took off in 1957 when she learned she could earn more playing session work than gigging. In 1958, she played acoustic rhythm guitar on Richie Valens' "La Bamba." She switched to bass in 1963 when a bassist failed to show up for a gig and she was asked to fill in. She found she like playing bass better, and the rest is history.

That it took this long for the Hall to recognize her achievements and the role she played in the birth of rock and roll is simply an indictment on the Hall's diminishing place in the music industry.

But congratulations, Carol! No one deserves it better.

[BobbyMac]

Amen!

[jmallard]

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

Jerry

[blackonblack]

So many non musicians don?t even know her name
the fact is if you listened to music of the the 60s 70s , there?s a 100% chance that the bassist was Carole or James.

[blackonblack]

And another:
Glen Cambell. Another of the wrecking crew. I talk to people you don?t like his solo work, it then reference a song from the same year , and guess what, he was the guitarist.

lift one for the great studio musicians.

[Telenator]

I wish we could all get past this whole induction process. It's stupid and always full of controversy. Why can't the great contributors to rock and roll music just all be included so we can concentrate on celebrating their work instead of quibbling over who deserves it more than another. The whole process is really low brow.

[OldStrummer]

To paraphrase Voltaire, "If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent it."

It didn't, so someone did.

It has been falling short of the mark ever since.

And like many religions, the business aspects overtake the altruism.

[Offshore Angler]

The R&R HOF is nothing but a money grab. You have to pay A LOT of money for your table if you get inducted.

[OldStrummer]

The R&R HOF is nothing but a money grab. You have to pay A LOT of money for your table if you get inducted.

Absolutely. 100%.

Sadly, coming up with an alternative that doesn't have the imprimatur of a "hall of fame," makes it next to impossible to bring to fruition. So, we're left with a sham and no recourse but to bitch about the choices they make.

[OldStrummer]

Carol Kaye has announced that she is declining the RRHOF award and won't be attending the ceremony. This is her comment, posted 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 [sic] for understanding.

[Offshore Angler]

And don't forget, a lot of her recordings were actually on click bass and not the traditional electric bass. There are often TWO basses by two different players on old recordings ala The Beach Boys.

[OldStrummer]

As the only female in a male-dominated industry, Carol Kaye quickly demonstrated not only her stellar abilities, but her willingness to not take any crap. Take that, RRHOF!

[Offshore Angler]

As the only female in a male-dominated industry, Carol Kaye quickly demonstrated not only her stellar abilities, but her willingness to not take any crap. Take that, RRHOF!

Carol King, Mary Ford and others not withstanding. She's made a great contribution, but to call her the only female studio musician of the era is bit dismissive of other great talents of the time, don't you think?

[OldStrummer]

Carol King, Mary Ford and others not withstanding. She's made a great contribution, but to call her the only female studio musician of the era is bit dismissive of other great talents of the time, don't you think?

Agreed. I spoke with a bit of hyperbole. I was thinking of her membership in The Wrecking Crew, and not in the industry as a whole. The Wrecking Crew consisted of

• Hal Blaine: Drummer, considered one of the most recorded drummers in history.
• Carol Kaye: Bassist and guitarist, known for her innovative bass lines.
• Tommy Tedesco: Guitarist, renowned for his versatility.
• Glen Campbell: Guitarist and later a solo star.
• Leon Russell: Pianist and arranger, later a successful solo artist.
• Larry Knechtel: Keyboardist and bassist.
• Joe Osborn: Bassist, known for his melodic style.
• Jim Gordon: Drummer and percussionist.
• Don Randi: Keyboardist and arranger.
• Plas Johnson: Saxophonist, famous for the ?Pink Panther Theme.?
• Julius Wechter: Percussionist and vibraphonist.

(As a side note, I see that Nicky Hopkins is also included on the list of inductees. Well deserved, in my opinion. His stellar keyboard work absolutely elevated some albums, like Quicksilver Messenger Service's Shady Grove, the Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers and Jeff Beck's Truth and Beck-Ola. I even own a copy of his solo album (with help from Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Ry Cooder) Jammin' With Edward. The nickname Edward was given him by Brian Jones, and the song "Edward the Mad Shirtgrinder" on the QSM Shady Grove album is a direct reference to him. Turns out I wasn't the only one who liked his playing!)