“You can’t improve on that”: Carol Kaye names her most iconic recording
In the vast landscape of music history, some artists fit neatly into categories—like the legends of rock ‘n’ roll or the masters of glam rock. But then there are musicians like Carol Kaye, whose contributions are so widespread and varied that it becomes nearly impossible to define the boundaries of her influence.
In truth, Kaye is one of those unique musicians whose influence permeates so many facets of music that it’s hard to measure her impact in a single breath. Beyond her jazz roots and work as a member of the Wrecking Crew, Kaye’s contributions are so hard-wired into the fabric of various genres that it’s difficult to measure the true extent of her influence—which is an incredibly impressive feat.
Some estimate that her contributions total around 10,000, but considering the range of styles and approaches that she influenced, it’s likely much more than that. However, rather than consistently being considered a mastermind behind some of the biggest band’s biggest hits, Kaye is often unfairly eclipsed by her male counterparts, making her one of the most underappreciated musicians of all time.
Although she was likely always intuitive when it came to bass playing, Kaye’s most notable realisation occurred one moment when she had to step in for Ray Pohlman while working with Phil Spector. “Suddenly, I was able to play a lot of the stuff that had been in my head for years; all those funky basslines,” she said. “I became obsessive about practising on this new instrument to get my approach together.”
She experienced another breakthrough years later after working with Ray Charles on 1972’s A Message From the People, specifically on the poignantly patriotic ‘America the Beautiful’. In Kaye’s eyes, the song was already beautiful, but it was the blend of the potent melody and lyrics with Charles’ voice that made it stand out as a timeless ode to the Land of the Free. “First of all, there’s the song itself,” she told Music Radar.
“But the marriage of the song with the singer is what counts, and Ray Charles singing ‘America The Beautiful’, well, you can’t improve on that,” she added.
Although Kaye could never truly understand Charles’ connection to the song nor his background as a black person with blindness who would forever fight for anti-racist systems, she understood the gravity of the job enough to give it her all. It started with going back to basics. “As a bass player, I knew I had to keep it simple,” she explained.
As a skilled musician, she knew the power of utilising the in-between spaces and doing so would also ensure Charles’ vocalist shone as the song’s centrepiece. “This wasn’t a song where I was supposed to call attention to the part or move the music,” she asserted. “It was all about Ray. All I had to do was find the right spaces and let him shine.” As a result, she implemented fills as you would backing singers and made sure her parts served the bigger picture rather than acting as an unnecessary distraction.
Charles’ rendition has become the most popular soul version and arguably the most timeless. Released during America’s bicentennial and amid years of relentless racial civil unrest, the song became a symbol of unity, reminding listeners that music, in its purest form, has the power to evoke profound emotions, fostering hope and love even in the face of despair and disillusionment.
