Carol Kaye 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.
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.
Associated acts of Carol Kaye includes
The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, The Doors, Ritchie Valens, Frank Sinatra,
Nancy
Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Sonny & Cher,
Joe
Cocker, Barbra
Streisand, Ray Charles, Frank Zappa, Ike & Tina Turner, Johnny
Mathis,
Simon & Garfunkel, The Righteous Brothers, The Marketts, Herb
Alpert, The
Buckinghams, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Gary Lewis &
The Playboys and
the Monkees.
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.
