Introducing Carol Kaye; The Most Recorded Bassist of All Time.

In the late 1950’s to early 1970’s, there was an elite group of musicians called “The Wrecking Crew” that can be heard on every single major recording that came out of the studios in Los Angeles. The cream of the crop of this group (totaling about 350 people) was about thirty to fifty members strong, though there were plenty more musicians working at that time as recording “session players”. This group was special though. It was almost as if any recording they were on immediately went to number one on the charts after it was released.

For these sessions, there was one specific bassist everyone wanted, and that was none other than Carol Kaye. She began her career as a jazz guitarist in L.A. back in the 1940s where she quickly became a favorite amongst the jazz clubs and big bands. As she puts it, becoming a bass player was a “happy accident”. In 1963, Carol showed up for one of her sessions, or “dates” as she calls them, but the on-call bassist that day was a no-show. Previously in another session, she’d played the “Dano-Bass” (a six-stringed guitar tuned down) so, the producer asked her to try her hand at playing a regular electric bass, and the rest was history. She enjoyed creating melodic lines on the bass because it challenged her to go outside of her comfort zone, and experiment with lines that were cohesive to the music she was being asked to play. Many of these basslines changed the course of the bass world so much that she’s been awarded “A Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, and Bass Player Magazine.

Carol graciously agreed to come onto our podcast, Paradox Jukebox, and speak with me at length about her life, career, and the amazing memories she has from a time when music was at an all-time high.

Carol’s episode will be premiered on February 1st, so please stay tuned for more content on our socials!