Carol Kaye, the legendary bassist known for her work on thousands of 1960s recordings—including songs by the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and Barbra Streisand—told The Associated Press on Friday that she is refusing induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“I’ve declined the RRHOF. Permanently,” the 90-year-old Kaye wrote in an email to the AP, adding that she also sent a formal letter to the Hall expressing her decision.
Her statement follows a Facebook post—now deleted—made two days earlier, in which she wrote, “NO I won’t be there. I am declining the RRHOF awards show.”
Kaye was slated to be inducted this November alongside Joe Cocker, Chubby Checker, and Cyndi Lauper.
In her earlier post, Kaye explained her reasoning, saying the honor “wasn’t something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits,” and that she was therefore turning it down.
