back in the 40s and 50s there were a

million women out there playing with

jazz with the men so the men back then

knew that the women could play Bary

Kastle one time was in the booth uh when

when Brian I think that Brian admired us

you know and and wanted kind of approval

from us and so he played this multiple

track of him singing all all all

different kind of parts and and it was

that without instruments of course you

know it’s the like 15 20 track thing of

him singing after years years of quiet

reflection Carol Kay is stepping into

the spotlight at 89 to reveal her

experiences with Brian Wilson known for

her groundbreaking work on countless

hits she has stories that not only

highlight the music but also the man

behind it did you know there were

moments that almost changed everything

prepare for jaw-dropping Revelations

about the creative genius of Brian

Wilson and the challenges Carol faced in

the studio you’ll be hooked as she

shares the highs and lows of working

alongside a legend Carol K’s story

starts in Everett Washington where she

was born to her two musician parents

Clyde and do Smith her dad a jazz

trombonist played in big bands but there

was a lot of chaos behind that

music-filled life Carol eventually

opened up about her father’s violent

nature which created a distance that

only music could help Bridge even so she

found comfort in

sound music was the one thing that

brought us together she once shared

highlighting the mixed blessings of her

childhood when Kay was just 13 she got a

steel string guitar from her mom and

that gift changed everything for her she

started jamming in jazz clubs around Los

Angeles diving into a scene that felt

way more like home than her own house by

the 1950s she was all about bbop jazz

guitar sharing the stage with unique

talents like Lenny Bruce and Teddy

Edwards those times spent in cozy dimly

lit clubs full of laughter and music

were precious but also came with their

own

pressures things took a turn in 1957

when she performed at the Beverly Cavern

in Hollywood producer Robert bumps

Blackwell approached her and invited her

to a recording session for Sam Cook’s

version of

summertime at that moment she saw a

chance for a new kind of life that could

pay better through Studio work than in

the Jazz scene with that invite

everything changed she dove into Studio

Life excited for what it could mean for

her career her first big moment came

with Richie valin’s labomba recorded at

Gold Star Studios

through those connections Kay started

working with the iconic Phil Spectre

adding her guitar to hits like then he

kissed me and You’ve Lost That Loving

Feeling it was thrilling however while

she got deeper into the biz she ran into

the harsh reality of a man’s world back

then it wasn’t easy for women she

recalled but she kept pushing through

repeatedly showing what she could do in

1963 everything flipped again when a

bass player didn’t show up for a session

she got asked to step in to her shock

she found a whole new passion for

playing bass feeling it let her be more

creative and

expressive this is where I belong she

thought and just like that she became

the go-to session basist in Los Angeles

her hands which had once strummed the

guitar

now danced across the base strings

creating Melodies that would connect

with so many listeners throughout the

60s Kay was a vital part of The Wrecking

Crew a talented group of Studio

musicians behind many of the biggest

hits though most people didn’t know who

she was back then she was involved in

over 10,000 recording sessions playing

with Legends like Frank Sinatra Stevie

Wonder and The Supremes

it was a whirlwind of creativity but the

pressure was immense I played three or

four sessions a day she remembered

feeling like a ghost in the industry

there but not

seen her work with Brian Wilson of The

Beach Boys was another critical piece of

her journey unlike other sessions Wilson

had a Clear Vision often pushing her to

do take after take late into the night

the music was complex and beautiful but

the demands took their

toll sometimes it felt like we were

chasing a dream she said reflecting on

the intensity of those sessions with

time exhaustion kicked in however by

1969 Kay started feeling drained from

the non-stop grind the music that once

felt alive began to sound dull it was a

harsh realization while she faced a

world becoming more dismissive of s

musicians looking for a change she

shifted from pop music to soundtracks

pouring her energy into composing and

teaching instead it was an effective

move a quieter life replaced the

excitement of being a sought after

musician her work on soundtracks like

those for mash and Mission Impossible

gave her a new sense of purpose a severe

accident in

1976 pushed her into

semi-retirement leaving her dreams of

Music hanging by a

thread it felt like I had lost a part of

myself she admitted and the silence felt

overwhelming when she finally had

corrective surgery in

1994 she longed to re-enter the world

she loved with help from Fender she

designed a lighter bass guitar that made

playing much more

accessible in 1997 she got back back

together with Brian Wilson for an album

featuring his

daughters even in those darker times her

spirit shined

through Carol K’s musical Journey began

with the Fender precision base her

primary instrument during the vibrant

1960s occasionally she would switch to

the Dan Electro base or later in the

1970s the gibbson Ripper base in the

21st century the ianz SRX 7 00 became

her go-to choice she found her sound

with Thomas dick infeld JF 344 flat

wound strings favoring a high action

that gave her notes a unique character

Kay preferred using guitar amplifiers in

the studio like the fender super Reverb

to create a rich tone on her base

strumming with a pick she crafted

melodic and syncopated lines ensuring

that her bass lines were more than

background noise Kay stood out in a

world that often expected women to play

Simple roles I wanted my Bas to sing she

would say emphasizing her desire to

create memorable Melodies instead of

filling the gaps to reduce unwanted

sounds she muted her base with a piece

of felt a trick she fondly remembered

for 25 cents you could get the best

sound in

town each note was a small victory

against the noise of the world around

her Kay’s influence as a session basist

cannot be overstated critics have hailed

her to be one of the best in the

business Michael Melinda from bass

player noted how she could listen and

instantly craft a baseline that made a

song Come Alive like her Unforgettable

contribution to Sunny and shares The

Beat Goes On even Paul McCartney admired

her work on Pet Sounds saying it

inspired his bass playing on Sergeant

peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band she’s

the first lady of bass playing Allison

rter remarked highlighting the indelible

Mark she left on music her solo Baseline

in spector’s River Deep Mountain High

was essential to the song’s iconic wall

of sound now enshrined in the Grammy

Hall of Fame Quincy Jones once said

women like Carol Kay could do anything

and leave men in the dust capturing the

essence of her talent in an industry

that often underestimated her Brian

Wilson acknowledged her essential role

in The Good Vibrations sessions stating

Carol played bass with a pick that

clicked real good it worked out well

such praise from the greats only

underscores her

importance despite all the awards Kay

never imagined she would be remembered

fondly back then many thought pop music

was just a passing Trend we never

expected this music to last she told the

audience which astonished them but they

still listened to the song she helped

create while The Marvelous Mrs masel

featured a character inspired by her Kay

felt a disconnect they took a few things

from my life but the character has

nothing to do with me she said hinting

at the frustration of being

misunderstood Kay’s personal life was

just complex

like her musical Journey Raised a

Baptist she explored Judaism in the

early

1960s searching for her identity amidst

the chaos of Fame married three times

she navigated the ups and downs of

relationships her first husband Al Kay

had a drinking problem that led to their

Swift divorce she often reminisced love

can be just as tough as any gig her

second husband dis approved of her late

nights in the studio which only added to

her struggles after they separated she

took on the role of mother and provider

hiring a live-in nanny to help raise her

daughter ultimately she finds love again

with jazz drummer spider web and

together they form a group called

spiders web they recorded an album I

don’t know what’s on your mind in

1976 a hopeful Endeavor amid her

turbulent past yet even when they

created Music Together the shadows of

her earlier struggles loomed large on

the other hand Brian Douglas Wilson was

born on June 20th

1942 in Englewood California to parents

Audrey Neva and Murray Wilson his dad a

machinist who hoped to be a songwriter

influenced many of Brian’s early years

the family moved to Hawthorne shortly

after Brian’s younger Brothers Dennis

and Carl were born in their home love

and music combined with a bit of

Darkness Brian described his father as

violent and cruel hinting at a tough

childhood with some psychological and

occasional physical abuse but he also

pointed out that maybe some of the

stories about mistreatment were a bit

exaggerated from a young age Wilson had

a fantastic knack for picking up music

by by ear his dad remembered how when he

was a baby Brian could play the tune of

when the K son go Rolling Along after

just hearing it a few times Murray

constantly pushed his kids to embrace

music getting Brian to start with the

accordion he was doing choir solos by

seven and his choir director praised his

perfect pitch soon after a family piano

entered their home igniting a more

profound pass

I got really into The Four Freshmen

Brian later said their harmonies drove

him showing him how to hit those high

notes his dedication was nearly

obsessive he’d spend hours on the piano

figuring out his favorite songs

harmonies note by note with time he got

more into music his brothers Dennis and

Carl became his musical Pals harmonizing

and trying new things they could often

be found listening to R and B which

deepened their musical

knowledge by the time I was 10 I could

play awesome Boogie Woogie piano Brian

reminisced thinking back on those early

days of fun and

exploration music became Brian’s Escape

even with the challenging parts of his

family life he attempted songwriting for

the first time at just 9: changing the

words to Steven Foster’s Oh Susanna this

little spark would later become a big

flame of creativity leading to his first

original song for a school project about

Paul bunan by 1955 he was officially

writing his music high school was a

combination of classes and sports Brian

balanced being the quarterback for the

football team doing cross country and

even playing baseball he had a part-time

gig sweeping at a jewelry store but

music always always called him for his

16th birthday he got a portable tape

recorder which became essential for

trying out sounds and harmonies in his

final year Brian wrote My Philosophy

laying out his dream of making a name in

music with his cousin Mike love he

started a group named Carl and the

passions performing songs influenced by

what shaped him his high school music

teacher saw his talent but gave him a c

for his final grade because of

Unfinished work after finishing High

School Wilson went to El Camino College

studying psychology while still pursuing

music however the lack of backing for

his pop music interests got him

frustrated and he left after about 18

months he claims that in 1961 he wrote

his first original Melody Surfer Girl

inspired by Dion and the Belmonts

however friends later dispute this

suggesting he had created stuff earlier

in the fall of 1961 the three Wilson

Brothers teamed up with Mike love and Al

Jardine to kick off their first band the

pendletones inspired by Dennis’s idea

Brian and love worked together on their

first song

Surfin after countless hours practicing

in Wilson’s music room they got their

dad Murray to be their manager which was

both helpful and a hassle it was a big

moment but it came with its family drama

their first song Surfin was produced by

height and Dinda Morgan on candix

records and it took off in Los Angeles

even making it to the Billboard charts

at number 75 but just when they started

to see some success candi’s records

changed their name to the Beach Boys a

title that would soon become

famous they had their first live show at

the Richie vein’s Memorial dance on New

Year’s Eve

1961 which felt like a nice nod to a

star just before this gig Brian got an

electric base from Murray after quickly

figuring it out he changed the group’s

sound prompting Jardine to play rhythm

guitar but as things changed so did the

group’s path candex ran into Financial

issues and sold the Beach Boys

recordings to another label Murray ended

their contract which caused Surfin to

fade from the charts not giving up Brian

teamed up with local musician Gary Usher

to work on new demo recordings like

409 and Surfin

Safari this partnership paid off when

Capital Records picked up the demos

turning them into a big hit that paved

the way for the Beach Boys rise moreover

when the band hit their Peak years from

1962 to 1966

a feeling of urgency was in the air

Brian Wilson is the Beach Boys he is in

the band we’re his Messengers he’s

everything Dennis Wilson once said

really capturing the weight of Brian’s

role in the group in

1962 Brian signed a 7-year deal with

Capital Records marking the start of a

journey that would change music the

recording sessions for their first album

Surf and Safari happened in cap

capital’s famous basement Studios but

Brian wanted to do things differently so

he persuaded Capital to let the Beach

Boys pay for outside recording sessions

which gave them more creative control it

was a tough fight but it secured Brian’s

position as the band’s producer even if

the album didn’t credit him I’ve always

felt I was a behindth scenes man rather

than an Entertainer Brian said

indicating his preference for creating

over being in in the spotlight his

admiration for Phil spectre’s style

inspired him and along with Gary Usher

he wrote songs that recalled spectre’s

Golden Age even if many of their

projects didn’t achieve Commercial

Success over time Brian started pulling

back from Usher mainly due to Murray’s

influence by mid

1962 Brian’s creative juices were

overflowing he wrote with different

musicians and often brought new faces

into his Circle his roommate guitarist

Bob Norberg saw Brian’s passion up close

saying he had so much stuff flowing

through him at once he could hardly

handle it in October a single titled the

surfer Moon came out under Safari

records the label Murray had started it

was the first record to show produced by

Brian Wilson on it proudly from January

to March 196 three Brian took charge of

the beach boy second album surf in USA

while he poured his energy into writing

and producing he stepped back from

public performances letting David Marx

take over the lead vocals in live shows

March brought their first top 10 Single

Surfin USA which launched the Beach Boys

into the national Limelight by July the

album climbed to number two on the

charts securing their place as a top

band even with all this success Brian’s

wish to work with other artists created

tension with Capital Records after

meeting Jan and Dean he shared Surf City

with them which he co-wrote with Jan

Barry released on July 20th

1963 it became his first song to reach

number one on the US charts while Brian

was thrilled Murray and capital were

Furious leading to orders for Brian to

cut ties with Jan and Dean a request he

mostly ignored around the same time

Brian started working with a group of

girls called the Honeys composed of

sisters Marilyn and Diane RL and their

cousin Ginger Blake he imagined them to

be the girl version of The Beach Boys

however the Honeys is singles struggled

to find an audience despite his

dedication when he got deeper into their

music Brian spent much time at the Ral

family’s home which became his safe

space throughout

1963 and

1964 for the first time Brian was

officially credited as the Beach Boys

producer on the album surfer girl which

hit number seven on the national charts

this was quickly followed by Little

Deuce Coupe which featured more of the

car themes Brian loved but while the

band’s success sword so did the pressure

on Brian he often avoided the spotlight

leading Al Jardine to take over for him

during live shows until Brian had to

jump back in when Marx left in late

1963 by late

1963 Brian took a big step he started

Brian Wilson Productions and a music

publishing company called ocean music

during this time he worked on at least

42 songs for various artists while

continuing to build the beach boy

legacy a t89 Carol Kay broke silence

talked about working with Brian Wilson

in an interview Carol K told the host

that Brian Wilson was an amazing kid

full of promise and talent working with

him brought joy to everyone around him

his Sly sense of humor made even serious

moments feel light laughter flowed

easily among them creating a bond that

went beyond the usual dynamics of the

studio one day Barney Castle was in the

booth with the Young musician there was

this feeling that the kid carved their

approval eager for the acknowledgment of

the Brilliance he was tapping into then

he played a multi-track recording of

himself layering his voice in harmony it

was just him no instruments no

distractions Brian that’s great Barney

said grinning wide

I take back everything I ever thought

about you it was a cheeky compliment and

Brian beamed with pride that validation

filling him with warmth Brian wrote a

song that showed his Innovative spirit

in those early days merging two keys

simultaneously an impressive feat that

only few could

Master why am I playing in D while

you’re in a one of the musicians

wondered out loud confusion washing over

him yet somehow it all came together the

magic didn’t reveal itself until every

piece clicked into place turning the

record into something

extraordinary with the passage of time

they witnessed his Evolution it started

with those early Beach Boys Tunes catchy

surf Rock but then it took a turn for

the better each record showed his growth

and willingness to experiment with ideas

that initially seemed wild even when he

ventured into the unknown he managed to

make it work surprising everyone with

his

creativity yet like all beautiful things

there came a shift Good Vibrations

labeled a peak in his career a song that

echoed the essence of

creativity after that collaborations

grew sparse however every session they

had together remained remarkable leaving

everyone in awe of the music he created

to this day the sounds linger in the air

each note carrying a weight an emotional

reminder of a genius at work and hearts

ache knowing how fleeting those moments

were ultimately it was clear they all

admired him for his talent and the

journey they

shared last but not least together Carol

and Brian produced timeless music that

still connects with their audience today

although their collaborations became

less frequent over the years the impact

of their work will always be there well

have you ever had a mentor or

collaborator who majorly influenced your

creative Journey share your thoughts in

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