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Carole King |
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Carole King (born February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She was most active as a singer during the first half of the 1970s, though she was a successful songwriter for considerably longer both before and after this period.
King has won four Grammy Awards and has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her songwriting, along with long-time partner Gerry Goffin.
Biography
Born Carol Klein in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish household, King started out playing the piano then moved on to singing, forming a vocal quartet called the Co-Sines at James Madison High School.
She attended Queens College, where she was a classmate of Neil Sedaka and inspired Sedaka's first big hit, "Oh! Carol." She wrote "Oh! Neil" in return. While attending Queens College, King befriended Paul Simon and Gerry Goffin.
Goffin and King soon formed a songwriting partnership, eventually marrying and having two daughters, Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor, who also became singers. Working for Aldon Music in the Brill Building, where chart-topping hits were churned out during the 1960s, the Goffin-King partnership first hit it big with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Recorded by The Shirelles, the song topped the charts in 1961; it was later covered by Dusty Springfield, Laura Branigan, Little Eva, Roberta Flack, the Four Seasons and King herself.
In 1965, Goffin and King wrote a special theme to Sidney Sheldon's new television series, I Dream of Jeannie, but the song was not used, instead an instrumental theme by Hugo Montenegro was used.
Their 1965 song "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a #3 hit for The Monkees, was inspired by their move to suburban West Orange, New Jersey.[1] Goffin and King also wrote several songs for Head, the feature film debut from The Monkees.
In 1966 artist Peter Max arranged for a two-day visit from later-to-be legendary Woodstock guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda. The charismatic and pragmatic teacher was part of Carole King's "unfoldment" and was a family friend in her California homes. Swami Satchidananda's portrait, showing him seated under a tree at King's California home, was used on the cover of his biography, Apostle of Peace.
In 1968, she was hired to co-write two songs for Strawberry Alarm Clock with Toni Stern, "Lady of the Lake" and "Blues for a Young Girl Gone," which appeared on the album, The World in a Seashell.
Hits written by Goffin and King
Mainstream success
At the urging from others, King began her own singing career. She had a modest hit singing one of her own songs in 1962 with "It Might As Well Rain Until September" (#22 in the US and a top 10 success in the UK, later a hit in Canada for Gary and Dave), but after "He's a Bad Boy" made #94 in 1963, it would take King eight years to reach the Hot 100 singles chart again.
During that time, King helped pioneer a record label, Tomorrow Records, divorced Goffin and married Charles Larkey (of the Myddle Class). Moving to the West Coast, Larkey, King and Danny Kortchmar formed a group called The City, which released one album, Now That Everything's Been Said, but the album was a commercial failure. King then released Writer (1970), a critically acclaimed record, but unfortunately another commercial failure. Undaunted, the following year King gave thoughtful, folk-flavored reinterpretations of some of her early pop hits as a songwriter, placing them on an album alongside new compositions. Tapestry (1971) became a turning point in her career.
Tapestry
Her best-received album, Tapestry (1971), was instantly recognized as one of the landmark albums of the singer-songwriter genre of the early 1970s. With numerous hit singles, Tapestry would remain on the charts for nearly six years and sell over 10 million copies in the United States alone, an estimated 22 million world-wide, remaining her most popular album among fans and critics alike. The album garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"); and Song of the Year ("You've Got a Friend"). Music (1971), Rhymes and Reasons (1972), and Fantasy (1973) followed, each earning either a gold or platinum RIAA certification. Tapestry was placed at #36 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of all time. [2] In addition, "It's Too Late" was placed at #469 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Until Michael Jackson's Thriller, King's Tapestry was the top-selling pop solo album of all time, selling 13 million copies in 1971.
In 1973, Carole King performed a free concert in New York City's Central Park and broke all previous records for such a concert with over 100,000 people attending.[3] (This record was subsequently broken in 1981 by Simon and Garfunkel, with 500,000 people.)
Wrap Around Joy
King also enjoyed major success with her 1974 album Wrap Around Joy. The album reached number #1 on the Billboard charts and only for the second time in her career she had a song reach as high as #2 on the singles chart with the big hit "Jazzman," as well as another top 10 single from the album "Nightingale." Although the album did not have the long lasting success and chart endurance of Tapestry, it was among King's most successful albums at the time of its release, and the singles received very strong radio play the year of its release.
Thoroughbred
Goffin and King reunited to write four songs on Thoroughbred (1975). David Crosby, Graham Nash and James Taylor, a long-time friend of King's, all appeared on the record. Thoroughbred would be her last Gold record. She married another songwriting partner, Rick Evers, after releasing Simple Things (1977); Evers died of a heroin overdose one year later. Also in 1975, King scored a number of songs for the animated TV production of Maurice Sendak's work, Really Rosie.
Welcome Home to present
In 1977, King moved to Idaho. She released Welcome Home (1978), which marked her debut as a co-producer on an album. Subsequent album releases included Touch the Sky (1979), Pearls - The Songs of Goffin and King (1980) and One to One (1982). After releasing Speeding Time in 1983, King took a hiatus in Idaho, where she became an environmental activist. In 1983 she played piano in "Chains and Things" on the B.B.King album "Why I Sing The Blues". She returned to music in 1989, recording City Streets with guest Eric Clapton on two tracks, followed by Color of Your Dreams (1993), with a guest appearance by Slash of Guns N' Roses. In addition, her song "Now and Forever" is featured in the opening credits to the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 1988 she starred in the off-Broadway production A Minor Incident, and in 1994 she played the role of Mrs. Johnstone on Broadway in Blood Brothers. In 1996, she appeared in a productions of Brighton Beach Memoirs in Ireland, which was directed by Peter Sheridan.
In 1991, she co-wrote the song "If It's Over", for Mariah Carey's second album Emotions, after Carey refused King's proposal to cover (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman by her idol, Aretha Franklin.
An all-star roster of artists paid tribute to King on the 1995 album Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King. From the album, Rod Stewart's version of "So Far Away" and Celine Dion's cover of "A Natural Woman" were both Adult Contemporary chart hits. Other artists who appeared on the album included Amy Grant ("It's Too Late"), Richard Marx ("Beautiful"), Aretha Franklin ("You've Got a Friend"), Faith Hill ("Where You Lead"), and the Bee Gees ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow?").
In addition to the numerous hit versions of her songs with Gerry Goffin and Tapestry Revisited, many other cover versions of King's work have appeared over the years. Most notably, "You've Got a Friend" was a smash hit for James Taylor in 1971 (in fact, just two weeks earlier King's "It's Too Late" was at number one for its fifth week on the Billboard Hot 100) and a top 40 hit for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway that same year. Barbra Streisand had a top 40 hit with "Where You Lead" twice — by itself and as part of a live medley with "Sweet Inspiration." The Carpenters recorded King's "It's Going to Take Some Time" in 1972 and reached number 12 on the Billboard charts. Martika had a number 25 hit in 1989 with her version of "I Feel the Earth Move", and "It's Too Late" reappeared on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1995 by Gloria Estefan. Celine Dion also recorded King's song "The Reason" on her 1997 album Let's Talk About Love.
In 1996 a film loosely based on her life, Grace of My Heart, was released. In the film an aspiring singer, Denise Waverly/Edna Buxton, sacrifices her own singing career to write hit songs that launch the careers of other singers. Mirroring King's life, the film follows her from her first break, through the pain of rejection from the recording industry and a bad marriage, to her final triumph in realizing her dream to record her own hit album.
In 2001 she co-wrote a song for the Semisonic album All About Chemistry. Also in 2001, she appeared in a television ad for The Gap, with her daughter, Louise Goffin.
After relocating to Idaho in 1977, King became a staunch supporter of environmental issues. Since 1990 she has been working with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other groups towards passage of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA). This legislation will protect over 24 million acres of land in the Northern Rockies ecosystem owned by all Americans, save taxpayers money, and create jobs. King has testified on Capitol Hill twice on behalf of NREPA: in 1994, and again in 2007. A bi-partisan bill, NREPA was re-introduced into the House in 2007 by Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT).
King is also very politically active in the United States Democratic Party. In 2003 she began campaigning for John Kerry, performing in private homes for caucus delegates during the Democratic primaries. On July 29, 2004, she made a short speech and sang at the Democratic National Convention, about two hours before Kerry made his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for President. King continued her support of Kerry throughout the general election.
In 2008, King appeared on the March 18th episode of The Colbert Report, touching on her politics once more. She stated that she is currently supporting Hillary Clinton and mentioned that the choice had nothing to do with gender. She also expressed that she would have no issues if Obama were to win the election. Before the show's conclusion, she returned to the stage to perform "I Feel the Earth Move."
King's "Where You Lead (I Will Follow)" was the theme song to the TV series Gilmore Girls. In the theme-song version, King sings with her daughter Louise. King — who has appeared sporadically in acting roles — has guest starred three times on the show (in its second, fifth, and sixth seasons) as Sophie, the owner of the Stars Hollow music store.
Recent tours and releases
King launched her "Living Room Tour" (in a nod to her appearances in private homes for environmental and political fundraising) on July 15, 2004, at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. That show, along with the shows at the Greek Theater (Los Angeles) in Los Angeles and the Cape Cod Melody Tent (Hyannis, Massachusetts) were recorded live and released as The Living Room Tour album on July 12, 2005. The 2005 leg of "The Living Room Tour" kicked off on July 3, 2005, in Ontario, Canada. "The Living Room Tour" also made stops in Australia and New Zealand.A DVD of the tour, called "Welcome to My Living Room" was released in October of 2007.
Also in 2007, King released Love Makes the World: Deluxe Edition on her own label, Rockingale Records. The 2-CD set contains a bonus disc with five additional tracks, including "Where You Lead (I Will Follow)." In November of 2007, King toured Japan with Mary J. Blige and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas.
King can be heard on the track "Everyday People" from Reba McEntire's Reba: Duets CD, released September 18, 2007.
King has recorded a duet with Anne Murray on Murray's album "Duets: Friends and Legends". The song "Time Don't Run Out On Me" was originally recorded by Anne Murray for her 1984 album "Heart Over Mind". The song was written by King and Goffin. Anne Murray has said that she wouldn't have re-recorded the song as a duet with anyone else but King because she had co-written the song.
Awards and recognition
- In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
- In 1990, King was inducted, along with Goffin, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category for her songwriting achievements.
- In 2002, King was given the "Johnny Mercer Award" by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
- In 2004, Goffin and King were awarded the Grammy Trustees Award.
- King was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.[4]
Discography
Albums
- 1970: Writer (US #84)
- 1971: Tapestry (US #1, UK #4)
- 1971: Music (US #1, UK #18)
- 1972: Rhymes and Reasons (US #2, UK #40)
- 1973: Fantasy (US #6)
- 1974: Wrap Around Joy (US #1)
- 1975: Really Rosie (US #20)
- 1976: Thoroughbred (US #3)
- 1977: Simple Things (US #17)
- 1978: Welcome Home (US #104)
- 1979: Touch the Sky (US #104)
- 1980: Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (US #44)
- 1982: One to One (US #119)
- 1983: Speeding Time
- 1989: City Streets (US #111)
- 1993: Color of Your Dreams
- 1994: In Concert (US #160)
- 1994: Time Gone By
- 1996: Carnegie Hall Concert: June 18, 1971
- 1997: Time Heals All Wounds
- 2001: Love Makes the World (US #158)
- 2005: The Living Room Tour (US #17)
- 2007: Love Makes the World (US #18)
Compilations
- A Natural Woman: The Ode Collection (1968–1976) (1994)
- Goin' Back (1998)
- Super Hits (2000)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US A.C. | UK | |||
| 1962 | "It Might As Well Rain Until September"/"Nobody's Perfect" | 22 | - | - | - |
| 1963 | "He's a Bad Boy"/"We Grew Up Together" | 94 | - | - | - |
| 1971 | "It's Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move" | 1/- | 1/- | 6/- | Tapestry |
| 1971 | "So Far Away/Smackwater Jack" | 14 | 3 | - | Tapestry |
| 1972 | "Sweet Seasons" | 9 | 2 | - | Music |
| 1972 | "Been to Canaan" | 24 | 1 | - | Rhymes and Reasons |
| 1973 | "Believe In Humanity" | 28 | - | - | Fantasy |
| 1973 | "You Light Up My Life"A | 67 | 6 | - | Fantasy |
| 1973 | "Corazon" | 37 | 5 | - | Fantasy |
| 1974 | "Jazzman" | 2 | 4 | - | Wrap Around Joy |
| 1975 | "Nightingale" | 10 | 1 | - | Wrap Around Joy |
| 1976 | "Only Love Is Real" | 28 | 1 | - | Thoroughbred |
| 1976 | "High Out of Time" | 76 | 40 | - | Thoroughbred |
| 1977 | "Hard Rock Cafe" | 30 | 8 | - | Simple Things |
| 1977 | "Simple Things" | - | 37 | - | Simple Things |
| 1978 | "Morning Sun" | - | 43 | - | Welcome Home |
| 1980 | "One Fine Day" | 12 | 11 | - | Pearls: Songs Goffin and King |
| 1982 | "One to One" | 45 | 20 | - | One to One |
| 1989 | "City Streets" | - | 14 | - | City Streets |
| 1992 | "Now and Forever" | - | 18 | - | Color of Your Dreams |
| 2001 | "Love Makes the World" | - | - | - | Love Makes the World |
Notes
- The 1973 single, "You Light Up My Life" is the not the same song as the No. 1 Pop hit for Debby Boone in 1977 (see "You Light Up My Life" song article.)
References
- ^ La Gorce, Tammy. "New Jersey's Magic Moments", The New York Times, October 30, 2005. Accessed November 25, 2007.
- ^ The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
- ^ Carole King Artistfacts
- ^ http://www.limusichalloffame.org
External links
- www.caroleking.com
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Carole King at the Internet Broadway Database
- Carole King at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Articles on Carole King
- Carole King at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Rachel Louis Snyder on Carole King, Salon, June 19, 1999
- Franck Scheck on Carole King, Hollywood Reporter, July 15, 2005
- 1942 births
- Living people
- American actor-singers
- American female singers
- American Jews
- American pop pianists
- American pop singers
- American singer-songwriters
- City University of New York people
- Female rock singers
- Grammy Award winners
- Jewish American musicians
- Jewish composers and songwriters
- Koch Records artists
- People from Brooklyn
- People from Essex County, New Jersey
- People from Long Island
- Queens College, City University of New York alumni
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees