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Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Veteran rocker, 90, shockingly turns down Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
In a surprising move, legendary bassist and session musician Carol Kaye, aged 90, has declined to participate in her 2025 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She claims the honour fails to reflect the collective spirit and behind-the-scenes artistry of the studio musicians who helped shape the sound of modern music. Kaye, whose staggering career includes an estimated 10,000 recording sessions with artists like The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and Frank Zappa, was selected this year in the Musical Excellence category. But in a candid Facebook post earlier this week, she announced she won't be attending the ceremony or accepting the accolade. 'NO I won't be there,' Kaye wrote. 'I am declining the RRHOF awards show … 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.' Kaye's decision is distinctly political, a pointed critique of an industry that has long celebrated frontmen and solo acts while often ignoring the unsung people behind the curtain. In her post, Kaye emphasised that the era's music was made by a massive, collaborative effort, hundreds of skilled musicians working as a tight unit in Hollywood's studio scene. 'You are always part of a TEAM, not a solo artist at all,' she wrote. \There were always 350–400 studio musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the busy 1960s… Since 1930s, I was never a 'wrecker' at all — that's a terrible insulting name.' The 'wrecker' reference touches on another sore point for Kaye. She has long bristled at the posthumous branding of her peers as The Wrecking Crew, which was a label popularized by drummer Hal Blaine and later immortalized in a 2008 documentary directed by Denny Tedesco, which Kaye has also distanced herself from. Kaye's path to icon status was unconventional. A self-described jazz guitarist in the 1950s, she was roped into session work by Bumps Blackwell in 1957 and fell into bass playing by accident in 1963 when a scheduled player didn't show up. 'I never played bass in my life' she wrote. 'But being an experienced recording guitarist, it was plain to see that three bass players hired to play 'dum-de-dum' on record dates wasn't getting it. It was easy for me to invent good bass lines.' More Trending That spontaneous switch marked the beginning of one of the most prolific and creative bass careers in popular music. Her Facebook post closed with a graceful but firm rejection of what she sees as a flawed system of recognition. '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,' she wrote. 'We all enjoyed working with EACH OTHER. Thank you for understanding.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Fans are all saying the same thing after Tom Cruise finally gets his Oscar MORE: R Kelly begged for Trump's help before 'murder plot' that saw him overdose in prison MORE: TV chef Anne Burrell's suspected cause of death aged 55 revealed
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How many Detroit artists are in the R&R Hall of Fame? After some dispute, here's an answer
When the White Stripes were named Sunday night among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2025 inductees, there was plenty of celebration from Detroit music fans. But some of those folks had a bone to pick with the Detroit Free Press. We had described the White Stripes as Detroit's 22nd inductee, complete with a list of those 22 artists, a rundown that starts with the Class of 1987's Aretha Franklin. "Where's the MC5?" asked many who scanned the list, recalling that band's entry into the rock hall last October. Similar questions came in about Motown's Norman Whitfield, who was honored the same night. Readers were especially perplexed by the omissions because the Free Press had extensively covered that very ceremony last fall. Yes, the MC5 and Whitfield weren't in Sunday's list of 22. But there is an explanation — even if, like all things Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it's ripe for debate. It's a running tab the Free Press has maintained for many years now. We've updated it each time a hometown artist gets inducted into the rock hall's prestigious performer wing. The performer field is the one that dominates headlines every year, accompanied by the requisite cheers and arguments among music fans worldwide. More: The White Stripes headed to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 22nd Detroit act to be inducted More: From fan to family: A son discovers his father — and a link to a Detroit rock legacy But beyond that main tier, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has some supplemental categories, like the Award for Musical Excellence — the honor bestowed last year on Whitfield and the MC5. The award was established in 2000 under the name Sidemen, with Motown bassist James Jamerson among the inaugural honorees. When it was rebranded 10 years later with the 'Musical Excellence' banner, RRHOF officials said it was a way to recognize musicians who might not otherwise get their flowers. That eventually benefited the MC5: After six unsuccessful nominations in the performer field, the late-great Detroit band was finally ushered into the hall of fame via the Musical Excellence category. And while it might not be evident when watching the RRHOF's annual ceremony — where Musical Excellence awardees get less pomp and circumstance than others — officials say those recipients are considered fully vested hall of fame inductees. The number 22 is impressive enough, signifying Detroit's mammoth contribution to music history. (At one point in the early '90s, Motor City artists constituted more than one-fifth of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's total body of performer inductees.) Still, the Free Press will rethink this one going forward. We certainly don't want to downplay the full scope of Detroit's hall of fame presence. So as of late April 2025, here's your total number: 29. Below is the list of all the Detroit-related groups and individuals who have made the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame via one route or another. Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@ (Inducted in the performer wing unless otherwise noted.) Aretha Franklin — 1987 Marvin Gaye — 1987 Smokey Robinson — 1987 Jackie Wilson — 1987 The Supremes — 1988 Berry Gordy Jr. — 1988 (Ahmet Ertegun Award) The Temptations — 1989 Stevie Wonder — 1989 Hank Ballard — 1990 Four Tops — 1990 Holland-Dozier-Holland —1990 (Ahmet Ertegun Award) John Lee Hooker — 1991 Martha and the Vandellas — 1995 Gladys Knight & the Pips — 1996 Little Willie John — 1996 Parliament-Funkadelic — 1997 James Jamerson — 2000 (Award for Musical Excellence) Benny Benjamin — 2003 (Award for Musical Excellence) Bob Seger — 2004 Madonna — 2008 The Stooges — 2010 Alice Cooper — 2011 The Miracles — 2012 Eminem — 2022 The Spinners — 2023 MC5 — 2024 (Award for Musical Excellence) Norman Whitfield — 2024 (Award for Musical Excellence) Suzanne de Passe — 2024 (Ahmet Ertegun Award) The White Stripes — 2025 (pending November ceremony) This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How many Detroit artists are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
