Happy Birthday Carol Kaye: A Career Of Hit Making & More Spotify Playlist

Legendary session musician Carol Kaye was born in Everett, Washington on this date in 1935. The 85-year-old bassist and guitarist was a member of the renowned 1960s group of session players known as The Wrecking Crew, contributing to scores of hit recordings during her career. In addition to that work, Kaye also performed on several well-known movie scores and television themes prior to her retirement several years ago.

While some dispute remains over who actually appeared on some of the recordings Kaye has claimed, there’s no denying she is the one heard on several classic and extremely popular songs. JamBase celebrates Carol’s birthday by presenting a Spotify Playlist with Kaye playing either bass or guitar behind some of the world’s most talented musicians and composers.

Kaye’s 12-string guitar playing can be heard on selections from the debut studio album by Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, 1966’s Freak Out!. Kaye played bass on two tracks on the 1966 Simon & Garfunkel album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and also played bass on Neil Young’s 1969 self-titled debut album after having worked together with Young’s previous band Buffalo Springfield.

Caye also went on to work with fellow Wrecking Crew member Glen Campbell during his solo career. Campbell also appears at the end of the playlist on the landmark 1966 The Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. The collection also contains beloved hits by the likes of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Ritchie Valens, Stevie Wonder, Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Elvis Presley, The Grass Roots and others. There are also tracks by David Axelrod, Love, J.J. Cale and others, as well as a pair of well-known themes from Kaye’s film and TV work, all of which can be streamed in the playlist below:

For more on Kaye’s remarkable career, watch a lengthy interview provided by The Snapshots Foundation below:

[Originally Published: March 24, 2018]