Carol Kaye: Pioneer and Session Legend

If you’ve ever listened to pop music from the 1960s and early 1970s, you’ve heard the (probably uncredited) work of The Wrecking Crew. The Wrecking Crew were a group of in-demand Los Angeles studio musicians who played on hundreds of iconic hits, including the Beach Boys’ “Help Me, Rhonda” and The Mamas and The Papas’ “California Dreamin’.” Many different musicians played as part of the loosely organized Wrecking Crew, but there were three mainstays: drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, and guitarist and bassist Carol Kaye. Kaye was one of the few females working session musicians of the era. According to Vulture, both The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and super producer Quincy Jones have referred to her as the greatest bassist in the world.