Carol Kaye (Wrecking Crew, Sam Cooke, Beach Boys, Barbara Streisand)

Carol Kaye was a member of the “Wrecking Crew”, a group of top notch session musicians who played on many of the hit records of the 60s and 70s. Carol recorded with Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina Turner, Quincy Jones, Barbara Streisand, JJ Cale and many, many more. Carol accidentally became a studio musician when she was invited to record with Sam Cooke in 1957. She went on to play on over 10,000 recording sessions. Throughout her career, Carol was also a single mother of three children. Now an 82 year old grandmother, Carol still teaches bass and guitar and recently self-published her memoir. In this episode we discuss Carol’s first guitar, what it was like playing in the LA jazz clubs in the 50s, how music was a lifeline for Carol, and how she balanced her demanding studio schedule with raising three children. I spoke with Carol in her home north of LA in September 2017.