MEMORIES:
princessdiana remembers...I like It's too late and I can Feel the Earth Move.She was also a wonderful Really Rosie in the ... More »
Posted on 12/04/06
CATCH PHRASE:
“And it's too late, baby, now it's too late
Though we really did try to make it.”
Tapestry, Carole King’s landmark album, may have made her a superstar, but she had been known for years in the industry, having co-wrote many popular hits of the 60s and 70s. Born in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, King began playing the piano at age four. She became a music fan at an early age and was a regular at DJ Alan Freed’s local Rock N’ Roll shows. While going to Queens College, she became friends with Paul Simon, Neil Sedaka and Gerry Goffin. In 1959, Sedaka’s first major hit, “Oh! Carol,” was written in her honor.
Eventually, King and Goffin married, and began to write together, working for the famed pop songwriting house the Brill Building where they produced hit after hit for countless artists. The duo scored with The Shirelles’ #1 hit “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” as well as Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care of My Baby,” which was also a chart-topper. Another hit “The Loco-Motion” was recorded by their babysitter, Little Eva. Together, they penned over a hundred hits all across the genre spectrum from “One Fine Day” for The Chiffons to “I’m Into Something Good,” for Herman’s Hermits, all the way to “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” originally recorded by Aretha Franklin, and later by King herself.
Throughout this, King continued to try and launch a solo career, but only hit mid-charts with her 1962 single “It Might as Well Rain Until September.” Along with Goffin and columnist Al Aronowitz, she formed a short-lived label, Tomorrow Records. After her marriage to Goffin dissolved, she married Charles Larkey, a bassist for one of the bands they represented. King and Larkey moved to the West Coast and formed a trio called The City. They recorded one album together, Now That Everything’s Been Said, though they never toured due to King’s stage fright. The record flopped, though it did feature songs that became hits for other artists, such as The Byrds who covered “Wasn’t Born to Follow,” Blood Sweat and Tears’ cover of “Hi-De-Ho” and James Taylor, who would cover “You’ve Got a Friend.”
King and Taylor became very close, and he pushed her to continue pursuing a solo career. The 1970 release of Writer proved to be a disappointment, but in 1971 she released one of the best selling albums of all times, a classic that is on just about every Best-of-All-Time list, Tapestry. The peacefully reflective album remained on the charts for an amazing six years, and proved to be pivotal in the era that gave us great works from many singer/songwriters. Singles like “So Far Away,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and the #1 hit “It’s Too Late” got heavy airplay, and the album grabbed four Grammy Awards that year, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Record of the Year for “It’s Too Late” and Song of the Year for “You’ve Got a Friend.” The album would eventually sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. and has sold an estimated 22 million worldwide. Tapestry was even placed at #36 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.
The monumental success of Tapestry pushed her next album, 1971’s Music, right to the top, with the hit “Sweet Seasons.” Rhymes and Reasons reached #2 in 1972, and 1974’s Wrap Around Joy featured the hit “Jazzman,” which helped the album reach the #1 spot. She reunited with Goffin for her 1975 release of Thoroughbred, which also featured contributions from David Crosby, Graham Nash and James Taylor. After 1977’s Simple Things, she married her songwriting partner Rick Evers, who died a year later. In 1980 she released Pearls, a collection of performances of songs she wrote during her partnership with Goffin. After releasing 1983’s Speeding Time she took a hiatus from recording, choosing to spend her time as an environmental activist and living in her home in Idaho.
King returned to music in 1989 with City Streets, featuring Eric Clapton. The next year she and Goffin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category for their songwriting achievements. In 2001 she released Love Makes the World, followed by 2003’s Color of Dreams, featuring an appearance by Slash of Guns N’ Roses.
Over the years King remained busy, both musically and politically. Her song “Where You Lead (I Will Follow),” recorded with her daughter Louise, is the theme to TV’s Gilmore Girls. In 2003 she began campaigning for John Kerry, performing in private homes for caucus delegates. In 2004 she gave a short speech and sang at the Democratic National Convention and she continued to support Kerry throughout the general election. In the summer of 2004, she launched her “Living Room Tour” – a nod to her performances in private homes – of small-to-mid-sized venues across the country. Some of the shows were recorded and released as an album in 2005. There is no doubt, Carole King has proven herself to be a force in pop culture, in music and beyond.
