Why is Carol Kaye turning down her invitation for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction? Legendary guitarist shares her reason
Carol Kaye turned down her invitation to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. On April 27, 2025, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame issued a press release and shared the list of the 2025 inductees. Bassist Carol Kaye was mentioned in the Musical Excellence Award category.
The 90-year-old was part of the Wrecking Crew, the legendary group of session musicians who backed multiple hit pop songs in the 1960s and 1970s.
On June 18, 2025, Carol Kaye shared in a now-deleted Facebook post that she would not attend the event. The guitarist seemed to find it offensive that she was the only studio musician nominated. Kaye stated that the Awards did not reflect the work of studio musicians, as they worked as a team and were not solo artists.
"People have been asking: NO I won't be there. I am declining the rrhof awards show (and denny tedesco process), turning it down because it wasn't something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits, you are always part of a TEAM, not a solo artist at all," Kaye wrote.
She continued that in the 1960s, at least 350 to 400 studio musicians were working. Carol Kaye also shared her disdain for the "wrecker" moniker, calling it a "terrible, insulting name."
There were always 350-400 Studio Musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the busy 1960s, and called that ONLY, since 1930s, I was never a 'wrecker' at all, that's a terrible insulting name... I refuse to be part of a process that is something else rather than what I believe in, for others' benefit and not reflecting on the truth," Kaye wrote in her Facebook post.
Carol Kaye previously slammed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for homaging her
Season three of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel introduced a comic character that is supposedly based on the legendary bassist. The character named Carole Keen was a bassist on the Emmy-winning show.
On January 2, 2020, Kaye told The New York Post that she did not like it, calling it a "silly fluff piece" which was loosely based on her biography, Studio Musician.
"It's a Hollywood, silly fluff piece [that has] nothing to do with me or my history. They took a few things out of my book and created a character that's not even me at all," she stated.
She also told the media outlet that many people had contacted her, telling her that the show paid homage to her. However, Kaye called it a "slander," saying the show's team did not contact her beforehand.
"A lot of people are saying, 'That must be you. I love it!' But I am not a cartoon — and my life is not a joke. Nobody contacted me. I didn't know a thing about it. I thought that was pretty bad — kind of like slander," Kaye stated.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction will be held on November 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will air live on Peacock, and stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
