One of the greatest \u2013 and most prolific \u2013 bass guitarists in the history of recorded music is Carol Kaye. With session credits numbering more than 10,000, Kaye is one of the most celebrated studio musicians of all time. Her signature work on countless classics has earned her the unofficial title \u201cFirst lady\u201d of bass playing. While she was only rarely the member of a group-proper, Kaye was one of the busiest and highest-profile members of the L.A. studio aggregation known informally as the Wrecking Crew. (For the record, Kaye despises that term, considering it a retroactive invention of drummer Hal Blaine\u2019s.)<\/p>\n
Carol Kaye, who celebrates her 90th birthday on March 24, has played on sessions in most every musical style. But she\u2019s best known for her work in the rock and pop idioms. Choosing five of the \u201cbest\u201d tracks featuring Carol Kaye is a fool\u2019s errand; here instead are five classics on which her bass and\/or guitar work is a key element.<\/p>\n
\u201cLa Bamba\u201d by Richie Valens (1958)<\/strong>
\nCarol Kaye\u2019s career as a session player began with a session for \u201cSummertime\u201d by Sam Cooke. That quickly led to more work, and by the following year she was playing on a soon-to-be-classic, \u201cLa Bamba\u201d by Richie Valens. Even though Kaye\u2019s later work would be primarily on Fender and Danelectro electric bass guitars, for the Valens session she was on acoustic six-string guitar.<\/p>\n