Carol Kaye Says She Is ‘Declining’ Rock Hall of Fame Induction

Legendary bassist Carol Kaye has publicly declined her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At 90 years old, the outspoken Kaye posted on Facebook to make her views known.

She is being recognized with the Musical Excellence Award at the 2025 ceremony, but Kaye has chosen not to attend or participate. She cites fundamental disagreements with the language the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has used to frame the legacy of studio musicians like herself.

“People have been inquiring: NO, I won’t be there,” the now-deleted Facebook post read. “I am turning down the RRHOF awards event (and Denny Tedesco process) because it does not accurately represent the contributions of studio musicians during the golden era of the 1960s. I was never a ‘wrecker’ at all. That is a deeply offensive label. I refuse to be involve din a process that serves others’ interests rather than my own beliefs, and that does not reflect the truth—we all cherished working with EACH OTHER.”

Kaye’s objections are rooted in both the terminology used to describe her and her peers and the way their broader work is recognized. She has long rejected the label ‘wrecking crew,’ a name popularized by drummer Hal Blaine and further cemented by Danny Tedesco’s 2008 documentary, ‘The Wrecking Crew.’ Kay insists that the group never referred to themselves as such and that the term undermines the professionalism and individuality of all the musicians involved. “We were all individual artists, not a fixed band,” Kaye has stated in the past.

Beyond her distaste for the ‘wrecking crew’ misnomer, Kaye says she also objects to the idea of being singled out for individual recognition. She emphasizes that her work was always collaborative, part of a much larger community of studio musicians—more than 350-400 active studio musicians in Hollywood throughout the 1960s.

“You are always part of a team, not a solo artist at all,” she wrote, underscoring the collective nature of the work that defined the era. Despite her absence from the ceremony, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame plans to induct Kaye regardless—a practice it has followed from other artists who have declined to appear. The 2025 induction ceremony will take place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.