Carol Kaye Autobiography Now Available
Session bass legend Carol Kaye has plenty of stories to tell from her many years in the business, and now you can read them in her new autobiography. Studio Musician: Carol Kaye, 60s #1 Bassist, Guitarist is now available directly through her website.
The 503-page book documents Kaye’s life and career, which started on guitar in nightclubs around Los Angeles. She is best known for her studio bass work of the ’60s and ’70s as a first call bassist for LA’s recording sessions. Her bass lines can be heard on thousands of songs and hundreds of hits ranging from Sonny and Cher’s “The Beat Goes On” to The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” to Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”
“She led the way with her inventive bass lines, wrote books for others to learn from worldwide, [and] handled tricky business deals,” the book says. “This has data on record and film dates, stories and history. [Kaye was the] only woman in the 1960s Hollywood Studio Rhythm Sections [and was] the most recorded bassist with 1,000s of record dates and film calls.”
Her autobiography details all of her playing and includes a complete log of work plus info on her instructional books, teaching style, and Gwyn Publishing company. Studio Musician: Carol Kaye, 60s #1 Bassist, Guitarist is available for $26 through her website. The first 300 copies sold will be personally signed to you or whoever you designate.
I bought this book because I like non-fiction, and especially biographies. This book, however, is mostly unreadable. Carol admits early on that she’s not a “schooled author.” In that case, she should have enlisted the help of a ghost writer, or at least an editor to clean up her abysmal writing. I hope someday a proper biography of her life and illustrious career is written. The best thing I can say about this book is at least she autographed it for me.