James Jamerson or Carol Kaye

[Pietsch]

There's some debate about who played bass on Stevie Wonder's hit "I was made to love her" in 1967. Sounds like Motown recording techniques and session players, including James Jamerson on bass. LA session bassist Carol Kaye claimed that she played on this song.

Who do you think was playing:

 

[Dasgre0g]

Sounds like you just don't like Carol Kaye....or are bored

 

[buldog5151bass]

Who cares? Great line, great groove.

 

[Michedelic]

Oh, this again.

 

[5StringBlues]

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Either could have played it and perhaps both did.
Neither has anything left to prove.
It doesn't matter to me.

 

[Pietsch]

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge?

 

[Docduval]

Why would she lie?

 

[TroyK]

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge?

Carol Kaye would. Any reason to doubt her?


According to this, Motown did record in LA as early as the mid-60s and Carol Kaye was one of the studio bassist and guitar players.
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I mean, I suppose she could be lying to try to collect 1/2 of the $35 studio fee in arrears, but I personally wouldn't doubt her.

 

[tb-player]

This has been debated on TalkBass multiple times. In at least 2 instances, the thread was shut down by a moderator. I'll just go ahead and post this from the last one to save the trouble.

 

[Guitalia]

Just listened to a video with the isolated bass line. Sounds more like Carol Kaye to me, though I wouldn't want to swear to it.

But her lines tend to sound like that, maybe a little stiffer than Jamerson's.

And I've seen videos of her playing live where she plays similarly complex 16th-note runs.

Could easily be either. Or maybe both recorded it, as someone already said. Recording companies often recorded multiple versions of songs they thought had the potential to be hits, replacing some or all of the players from earlier takes. From what I've read, sometimes even the players don't know for sure who was on the released version.

 

[mambo4]

They both recorded different versions of it. That is the source of the controversy, I feel.



Whats makes sense to me is Jamerson played on the Stevie Wonder hit, Carol played on the Beach Boy’s cover. Seems Sensible based on their track records. So technically no one is lying.

I have no proof any of this but it makes sense to me, and explains multiple accounts backing both claims.

 

[Pietsch]

They both recorded different versions of it. That is the source of the controversy, I feel.



Whats makes sense to me is Jamerson played on the Stevie Wonder hit, Carol played on the Beach Boy’s cover. Seems Sensible based on their track records. So technically no one is lying.

I have no proof any of this but it makes sense to me, and explains multiple accounts backing both claims.

Yes. This Beach Boy cover sounds like Carol Kaye...recorded with a 16-channel tape recorder.

 

[DWBass]

They both recorded different versions of it. That is the source of the controversy, I feel.



Whats makes sense to me is Jamerson played on the Stevie Wonder hit, Carol played on the Beach Boy’s cover. Seems Sensible based on their track records. So technically no one is lying.

I have no proof any of this but it makes sense to me, and explains multiple accounts backing both claims.

^^^This^^^ She did a version and JJ did the more famous version. I was in a thread a while back that debated this. I happened on another forum and some replies were from musicians who were there and associated with the Motown machine. All said it was JJ.

 

[Pietsch]

Carol Kaye would. Any reason to doubt her?


According to this, Motown did record in LA as early as the mid-60s and Carol Kaye was one of the studio bassist and guitar players.
__________

View attachment 7419853
__________

I mean, I suppose she could be lying to try to collect 1/2 of the $35 studio fee in arrears, but I personally wouldn't doubt her.

Yes. Motown recorded in LA, and Carol Kaye played sessions for Motown in LA...and possibly a remake of "I was born to love her".

 

[Pietsch]

Sounds like you just don't like Carol Kaye....or are bored

John Clayton introduced me to Carol Kaye's method books while we were both double bass students at Indiana University. I bought most of her books and practiced them for years on bass guitar.

 

[Dust2Dust]

They both recorded different versions of it. That is the source of the controversy, I feel.



Whats makes sense to me is Jamerson played on the Stevie Wonder hit, Carol played on the Beach Boy’s cover. Seems Sensible based on their track records. So technically no one is lying.

I have no proof any of this but it makes sense to me, and explains multiple accounts backing both claims.

It took two closed down threads and a page of this one to figure that out

 

[iammr2]

This has been going on for decades.

It was Chris Squire!

 

[pbass2]

If nothing else, it just goes to show ya - pick v fingers?...who cares?

 

[5StringBlues]

This has been going on for decades.

It was Chris Squire!

Here's vid of him laying it down at Motown.