Carol Kaye

Kaye was born in Everett, Washington, to professional musicians Clyde and Dot Smith. She began playing sessions in jazz clubs around Los Angeles. During the 1950s, Kaye played bebop jazz guitar with several groups on the Los Angeles club circuit, including Bob Neal's group, Jack Sheldon backing Lenny Bruce, Teddy Edwards and Billy Higgins. She played with the Henry Busse Orchestra in the mid-1950s, and toured the US with them. ==Career==

Pop sessions In 1957, Kaye was playing a gig at the Beverly Cavern, Hollywood, when producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell invited her to a recording session for Sam 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. 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 simple guitar parts she had been playing until then. She also played twelve-string on Frank Zappa's album Freak Out! She appeared on sessions by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops and the Monkees. She played electric bass on Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", while Chuck Berghofer played double bass. Through her work with Spector, Kaye caught the attention of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson; Wilson used her on several sessions, including the albums Beach Boys Today, Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!), Pet Sounds and Smile. Kaye's bass lines have been described as "the driving force" behind "Good Vibrations", a number 1 hit and the band's best-selling single. Kaye had already performed on a number of soundtracks and had worked closely with Lalo Schifrin, playing on the theme to Mission: Impossible and the soundtrack for Bullitt. In the early 1970s, she toured with Joe Pass and Hampton Hawes, and continued to do sessions. ==Style and equipment==

Kaye's main instrument during the 1960s was the Fender Precision Bass. She also used the Danelectro bass on occasion. During the 1970s, she sometimes used the Gibson Ripper Bass, and in the 21st century, she has used an Ibanez SRX700 bass. She uses Thomastik-Infeld JF344 flatwound strings with a high action and preferred to use guitar amplifiers in the studio when playing bass, including the Fender Super Reverb and the Versatone Pan-O-Flex. Kaye primarily uses a pick, or plectrum, on both guitar and bass, rather than plucking the strings with her fingers. She also typically muted her bass using a piece of felt on top of the strings in front of the bridge, thus reducing unwanted overtones and undertones. Later she said, "For 25 cents, you could get the best sound in town". 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-up double bass would be used to cover the low end. ==Legacy==

Kaye has achieved critical acclaim as one of the best session bassists of all time. Michael Molenda, writing in Bass Player magazine, 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 to Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On". Paul McCartney has said that his bass playing on the Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was inspired by her work on Pet Sounds''. 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 the Grammy Hall of Fame. Quincy Jones said in his 2001 autobiography Q that "...women like... Fender bass player Carol Kaye... could do anything and leave men in the dust." 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." Dr. John has said that Kaye "is a sweetheart as well as a kick-ass bass player". In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Kaye number five in its list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time. Kaye was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical excellence category, but refused the honor and said she would not attend the ceremony. ==Personal life==

Kaye was raised a Baptist. She converted to Judaism in the early 1960s, and had a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. She has been married three times and has two living children. At age 13, Kaye took guitar lessons from Horace Hatchett (1909–1985), an esteemed instructor and graduate of the Eastman School of Music who eventually set her up with gigs playing bebop in L.A. nightclubs. At age 16, Kaye gave birth to their child. 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. They had one daughter together. Kaye divorced him, got a live-in nanny, and went back to work. Their marriage was brief, and Kaye recalled thinking she was no good with men. Instead, she planned to stay single for the rest of her life, relying only on music, which had never disappointed her. ==Selected discography==