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Carol Kaye picks the 10 greatest songs she’s ever played on
Carol Kaye’s ten favourite recordings she played on span soul, pop and rock classics, illustrating the breadth of the influential Los Angeles session musician’s work. The selections highlight her contributions to well-known artists including Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Glen Campbell and Barbra Streisand.
– ‘Summertime’ — Sam Cooke – ‘America the Beautiful’ — Ray Charles – ‘When I Die’ — The Motherlode – ‘Good Vibrations’ — The Beach Boys – ‘Wichita Lineman’ — Glen Campbell – ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ — Ray Charles – ‘Sloop John B’ — The Beach Boys – ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’ — The Righteous Brothers – ‘The Way We Were’ — Barbra Streisand – ‘Feelin’ Alright’ — Joe Cocker
In short
- Kaye chose ten favourite recordings from her extensive session career.
- The list includes Beach Boys, Ray Charles and Glen Campbell classics.
- Her credits are commonly estimated at around 10,000 recordings.
Explained simply
Carol Kaye is one of the most recorded session musicians in history. A Los Angeles-based bassist, she played on thousands of recordings from the 1950s onwards, often without public recognition.
Session musicians are studio professionals hired to play instruments on recordings created by other artists or producers. Though their work appears on many of the most famous pop, soul and rock records, they typically receive far less attention than the named artists on the albums.
Kaye has selected and highlighted her ten favourite recordings from her long career. These span work with major artists including Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys and Barbra Streisand, demonstrating the breadth of her involvement across different genres and high-profile projects.