Carol Kaye

Carol Kaye (née Smith;^[1] born March 24, 1935)^[2] is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years.^[3]

Kaye began playing guitar in her early teens; after some time as a guitar teacher, she began to perform regularly on the Los Angeles jazz and big band circuit. She started session work in 1957, and through a connection at Gold Star Studios began working for producers Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. After a bassist failed to turn up to a session in 1963, she switched to that instrument, quickly making a name for herself as one of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s, playing on numerous hits. She moved into playing on film soundtracks in the late 1960s, particularly for Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin, and began to release a series of tutoring books such as How To Play The Electric Bass. Kaye became less active towards the end of the 1970s, but has continued her career and attracted praise from other musicians.

During the peak of her years of session work, Kaye became part of a stable of Los Angeles–based musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. She appeared in the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew. In 2025, Kaye was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence Award category.^[4]