NEED TO KNOW
Carol Kaye, who’s one of the most prolific bassists in rock and pop music, has declined an invitation to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in November.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Kaye — who was set to receive the Musical Excellence Award — opened up about her reason for declining the invitation.
“People have been asking: NO I won’t be there,” Kaye, 90, wrote, per Rolling Stone.
She continued, “I am declining the rrhof awards show (and denny tedesco process)…..turning it down because it wasn’t something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits.”
In the ’60s and ’70s, Kaye was part of a group in Los Angeles called Wrecking Crew, which often collaborated with the Beach Boys,, Phil Spector, the Monkees and more.
In her post, however, she emphasized that she was always part of a “team” and “not a solo artist at all.” She also criticized the band’s name: “I was never a ‘wrecker’ at all….that’s a terrible insulting name.”
“Just so you know, as a working Jazz musician (soloing jazz guitar work) in the 1950s working since 1949, I was accidentally asked to record records by producer Bumps Blackwell in 1957, got into recording good music, w/Sam Cooke, other artists and then accidentally placed on Fender Precision Bass mid 1963 when someone didn’t show,” Kaye continued, per the outlet.
She added: “I never played bass in my life but being an experienced recording guitarist, it was plain to see that 3 bass players hired to play ‘dum-de-dum’ on record dates, wasn’t getting it…..it was easy for me to invent good bass lines…..as a Jazz musician, you invent every note you play……and they used a lot of Jazz musicians (and former big-band experienced musicians on all those rock and pop dates too).”
“I refuse to be part of a process that is something else rather than what I believe in, for others’ benefit and not reflecting on the truth – we all enjoyed working with EACH OTHER,” Kaye concluded.
Despite her absence, Kaye will still receive the award — which is given to “artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence have had a dramatic impact on music” — with Thom Bell and Nicky Hopkins.
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The Musical Influence Award, which is awarded to “artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting culture,” will go to Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon.
This year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award recipient is Lenny Waronker, who celebrates “non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted culture.”
Meanwhile, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, the late Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and the White Stripes were selected for the performer category.
In order to be eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, artists must have released their first commercial music 25 years prior.
2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will air live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Fans will be able to stream it live on Disney+. A special about the 2025 inductees will air on Hulu the next day and on ABC at a later date.