During the peak of her years of session work, Kaye became part of a stable of Los Angeles–based musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.
[5] In 1957, Kaye was playing a gig at the Beverly Cavern, Hollywood, when producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell invited her to a recording session for Sam Cooke's arrangement of "Summertime".
[1] In 1958, she played acoustic rhythm guitar on Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba", recorded at Gold Star Studios, Hollywood.
[2] Along with several other musicians including drummer Hal Blaine and guitarist Glen Campbell, her work with Spector attracted the attention of other record producers and she found herself in demand as a regular session player.
[6] In 1963, when a bass player failed to show for a session at Capitol Records in Hollywood, she was asked to fill in on the instrument.
[2] From a pragmatic viewpoint, it was easier to carry a single bass to sessions instead of swapping between three or four guitars depending on the song.
[1][11] Throughout the decade, while at the time unknown to the public, Kaye played bass on a substantial number of records that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.
[12] She appeared on sessions by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, The Temptations, the Four Tops and The Monkees.
She decided to make a change so her career evolved from playing primarily pop music to performing mostly soundtrack work, as well as writing and teaching.
[2] In 1973, she played on Barbra Streisand's single "The Way We Were", which was cut live, and was told off by producer Marvin Hamlisch for improvising bass lines.
[2] In 1994, Kaye underwent corrective surgery to fix injuries stemming from the accident, and resumed playing and recording.
[2] She collaborated with Fender to produce a lighter version of the Precision Bass that reduced strain on her back and made it more comfortable to play.
[4][2] She uses Thomastik-Infeld JF344 flatwound strings with a high action and preferred to use guitar amplifiers in the studio when playing bass, including the Fender Super Reverb and the Versatone Pan-O-Flex.
[21] She also typically muted her bass using a piece of felt on top of the strings in front of the bridge, thus reducing unwanted overtones and undertones.
[2] Kaye preferred to play melodic and syncopated lines on the bass, rather than simply covering a straightforward part.
[24] Quincy Jones said in his 2001 autobiography Q that "... women like... Fender bass player Carol Kaye... could do anything and leave men in the dust.
"[25] Brian Wilson has said that Kaye's playing on the "Good Vibrations" sessions was a key part of the arrangement he wanted.
At the time of the sessions, most of the players thought pop music would not last longer than ten years, and she is surprised that people still listen to tracks on which she played.
[31][32] At age 13, Kaye took guitar lessons from Horace Hatchett (1909–1985), an esteemed instructor and graduate of the Eastman School of Music who eventually set her up with gigs playing bebop in L.A.