Carol Kaye, one of rock music’s most prolific bass players, has announced she will not attend her induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this coming Fall.
Kaye is part of the Hall’s Class of 2025, which also includes acts like The White Stripes, Soundgarden, Bad Company, and Outkast. Despite this honor, the 90-year-old session legend—who is believed to have played on more than 10,000 recording sessions with artists such as the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and the Supremes—has declined her invitation to November’s event.
In a now-deleted Facebook post dated June 18, Kaye addressed fans and followers: “People have been asking: NO I won’t be there. I am declining the rrhof awards show.”
She explained her decision by saying the Hall of Fame ceremony “wasn’t something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s recording hits.”
Kaye began her recording career in the late 1950s, initially playing rhythm guitar on Sam Cooke’s version of the jazz classic Summertime. She soon shifted focus to session work, becoming a highly sought-after bassist throughout the ’60s and ’70s as part of a group commonly referred to as the Wrecking Crew. However, Kaye rejects that label.
“You are always part of a team, not a solo artist at all,” she said, emphasizing that there were always 350-400 studio musicians working in Los Angeles during the ’60s under AFM Local 47. “Since the 1930s, I was never a ‘Wrecker’ at all… that’s a terrible insulting name.”
Originally a jazz guitarist, Kaye described how she “accidentally” came to play bass in 1963 when a scheduled player didn’t show up, and she was asked to fill in on a Fender Precision Bass.
“I never played bass in my life, but being an experienced recording guitarist, it was easy for me to invent good bass lines,” she said. “As a jazz musician, you invent every note you play, and they used a lot of jazz musicians.”
Her bass work includes iconic recordings such as Quincy Jones’ Hikky-Burr (the theme for The Bill Cosby Show) and the Beach Boys’ groundbreaking Pet Sounds album. Kaye explained, “My job was to add feel and groove to Brian’s written bass parts. I tried to keep it cooking for him.”
She has also noted that recording the legendary track Good Vibrations took 36 hours, with everyone involved aware of its importance. Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ late frontman, praised her musicianship in interviews.
Though Kaye’s personal achievements have long made her a candidate for the Hall of Fame, her modesty and belief in the collective effort behind studio recordings led her to refuse the honor.
Her Facebook statement concluded: “I refuse to be part of a process that is something else than what I believe in, for others’ benefit and not reflecting the truth. We all enjoyed working with each other. Thank you for understanding.”
In response, drummer and producer Questlove shared a different perspective on Stereogum’s Instagram, saying: “I appreciate the sentiment, but on the other side of this coin, not getting your flowers and receiving love isn’t serving anyone here. For historical context, the world needs to see her receive this accolade,” highlighting her representation of the broader session musician community.
Meanwhile, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden views his band’s induction as a positive and respectful posthumous recognition for Chris Cornell’s legacy.
