Carol is number 5 on this list: The 25 Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time
Carol Kaye could be on this list just on the strength of her work on the Beach Boys’ epochal 1966 album Pet Sounds, but as one of the most prolific session bassists in history Kaye’s jazz chops and inventive basslines graced rock classics by everyone from the Monkees and Ritchie Valens to the Mothers of Invention and the Electric Prunes, and her enormous catalog is full of fascinating obscurities, like her fuzz bass experiment on Elvis Presley’s title song for his 1970 film Change of Habit. Kaye declined her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s musical excellence category in 2025, objecting to the latter-day popularity of the band name “The Wrecking Crew" to refer to the ensemble of session pros she recorded with in the ’60s.
Carol Kaye discography
Carol Kaye (née Smith, born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years.