Carol Kaye: "You want an instrument that gets all the sounds, not just rock and pop"

Carol Kaye: "You want an instrument that gets all the sounds, not just rock and pop"
(Image credit: GAB Archive/Redferns via Getty Images)

It is nearly impossible to select a recording from the 1950s into the 1970s that doesn’t feature Carol Kaye. She was top call for producers and engineers, tracking albums, television scores, and movie soundtracks. 

A random sampling of her seemingly endless discography: Sam Cooke (her first studio session), Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, Mission: Impossible, M*A*S*H, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Thomas Crown Affair, Airport, and of course the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. And on electric guitar: Frank Zappa’s Freak Out!

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Alison Richter is a seasoned journalist who interviews musicians, producers, engineers, and other industry professionals, and covers mental health issues for GuitarWorld.com. Writing credits include a wide range of publications, including GuitarWorld.com, MusicRadar.com, Bass Player, TNAG Connoisseur, Reverb, Music Industry News, Acoustic, Drummer, Guitar.com, Gearphoria, She Shreds, Guitar Girl, and Collectible Guitar.