Musicista would receive a prize of musical excellence at this year’s ceremony, but stated that he does not want tribute: “does not reflect the work”
Carol Kayeone of the bassists who made the most recordings at all times, refused the invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.
Kaye would receive the musical excellence award at this year’s event, Peacock Theater in Los Angeles in November. Other honorees this year include Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and White Stripes.
In a Facebook post shared last week, she stated, also citing Denny Tedesco, director of the documentary Wrecking Crew (2008):
“People have asked: no, I won’t be there. I’m refusing the RRHOF award (and the Denny Tedesco process) … refusing because it was not something that reflected the work that studio musicians do and did in the golden age of the 1960s recording successes.”
During the 1960s and 1970s, Kaye became part of a group of studio musicians who would become known as The Wrecking Crew, a collective often convened by Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Monkees and others. However, in his publication, the 90 -year -old musician criticized the group’s name – which, as Igor Miranda observes, had appeared on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website at the time of his ad – emphasizing the collaborative nature of studio musicians.
“It has always been part of a team, not a solo artist … There have always been 350 to 400 studio musicians working in the busy 1960s, and were called only that way (‘studio musician’) … Since the 1930s, I’ve never been a ‘wreker’ (‘destructive’) … This is a terribly insulting name.”
Although Kaye appeared in the Tedesco documentary – mentioned at the beginning of her post – she opposed the name for a long time. The artist says the collective was not called The Wrecking Crew and that the drummer Hal Blaine It was the one who named the group.
“Just for you to know, as a jazz (jazz solo guitarist) musician in the 1950s, working since 1949, I was accidentally invited to record records by producer Bumps Blackwell in 1957. I started recording good music with Sam Cooke and other artists and, accidentally, I was placed in a bass Fender Precision Precision Precision when someone didn’t show up. My life, but being an experienced guitarist in recordings, it was evident that three downs hired to play ‘dum’ on recording dates were not getting … It was easy for me to invent good lines from below … as a jazz musician, you invent every note … And they wore many jazz musicians (and former big bands in all those rock and pop dates too).
The famous bassist ended her message stating:
“I refuse to be part of a process that is different from what I believe, for the benefit of others and without reflecting on the truth – we all like to work with each other.”
Denny Tedesco answers Carol Kaye
After Carol Kaye’s publication, Denny Tedesco spoke. In his long answer, the filmmaker wrote that “He has never personally responded to any of Carol Kaye’s comments in the last 17 years about his disagreement” with the documentary. Although it called her “Pioneer”he said that “Maybe it’s time to explain to people who don’t know the context of Carol’s anger”.
Tedesco claims that Kaye’s comments were based on a quarrel between her and Blaine, who died in 2019. He says:
“I used to play it was like having divorced parents you care about, but never mentioned them to each other. I kept Hal and Carol apart as much as possible until their relationship deteriorated during an AFM Union Hall screening session. But before that, Carol sent me two emails supporting the movie.”
In reference to Kaye’s mention of his documentary, Tedesco wrote:
“I think all publicity is good, even if it’s a personal offense. I’m really honored! But I’m confused because I’m not sure what the ‘Deny Tedesco process’ is? I have absolutely nothing to do with the rock and roll hall of fame.
The Wrecking Crew
According to legend, the term The Wrecking Crew (something like “the destroying class” in free translation) came from a criticism that Hal Blaine heard about how he and the new group of studio musicians in the 1960s were willing to work for less than the older musicians:
“These guys will end (Wreck) with the business playing this crap of Rock & Roll.”
Although the name was not used during the time they played together, he soon became associated with musicians and was consolidated with the acclaimed Deny Tedesco documentary, which included interviews with many of these musicians.
Carol Kaye herself, however, never liked the nickname. In his answer, Tedesco also said that in April 2008 Kaye wrote him saying: “Denny, don’t worry, I won’t complain about the title anymore, it seems to be a slogan, so I’ll live with him, you were right”.
Finishing with a conciliatory note, Tedesco added:
“I am very proud of the documentary The Wrecking Crew. He brought fame and notoriety to the musicians who played in some of the most amazing pop songs of all time. These songs are still heard to this day. The only difference now is that listeners can know who played guitar, bass, drums or piano in the track. I am not even angry; I am sad. I would like us to enjoy what we have at this moment of our lives and not go crazy because of a name taken from context. ”
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
