Born:
Born on February 9, 1942 as Carol Klein
Birthplace:
Brooklyn, New York
Early Years:
Carole King began playing the piano when she was 4. In high school she formed Co-Sines, her first band. She later met Paul Simon, Neil Sedaka and Gerry Goffin while attending Queens College. In 1959 Neil Sedaka came out with a hit song inspired by Carole, the song was aptly titled "Oh! Carol". Carol in turn wrote a song titled "Oh! Neil" but it didn't do quite as well. Carole and Gerry Goffin became co-writers and later married.
The Brill Building:
The said building is located at 1619 Broadway in New York, the owner later rented it out to music publishers. By the 1960's the Brill Building was a hub of activity where publishers, songwriters and artists went to work. Carole King and Gerry Goffin worked there, writing under Aldon Music publishers Al Nevins and Don Kirshner. The Brill Building became a sort of one-stop shop where musicians can go to and have their songs arranged, demoed and then marketed to publishers.
Becoming Famous:
Carole and Gerry came out with their first hit in 1961 with the song "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", recorded by the Shirelles. This song has since been recorded by many other artists. This was followed by another hit, "Take Good Care of My Baby." The couple went on to write another hit song titled "Locomotion" for Little Eva Boyd, their babysitter.
Other Notable Works with Gerry Goffin:
Other songs the couple wrote include: "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman," "Chains," "Go Away Little Girl," "One Fine Day," "Don't Bring Me Down," "I'm Into Something Good," "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Up on the Roof."
Solo Career and Other Music Projects:
Carole King's first attempt at launching a solo career wasn't so successful, coming out with one hit song, "It Might as Well Rain Until September." She later founded her own label with Gerry Goffin and Al Aronowitz. The label was short-lived, Carole and Gerry would eventually divorce. Charles Larkey, the bassist for one of the label's band became Carole's second husband. The two moved to the West Coast and in 1968 formed the City, a trio, with her, her husband Charles and guitarist Danny Kortchmar as members. They came out with an LP Now That Everything’s Been Said.
Tapestry:
With the encouragement of her friend and fellow artist, James Taylor, Carole would once again forage into a solo career. In 1971, she came out with an album called Tapestry, which features the hit songs “It’s Too Late," “So Far Away" and "You've Got A Friend." The album earned her 4 Grammy's and was on the chart for almost 6 years.
Other Albums:
Some of her albums include:
Music (1971, #1) Wrap Around Joy (1974, #1) Really Rosie (1975, music for a children's show) Thoroughbred (1975, featured songs by David Crosby and James Taylor) Simple Things (1977, went gold) Pearls (1980) Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
More Facts:
After the release of her album Simple Things, Carole King went on tour with Navarro, a band introduced to her by the late singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg. She was married a third time to her co-writer Rick Evers, who passed away a year later due to drug overdose. Carole is a strong supporter of environmental issues and is married for the fourth time. In 1992 she was nominated for an Academy Award for the song "Now and Forever" featured in the movie A League of Their Own. She also starred in the off-Broadway show A Minor Incident and the Broadway production of Blood Brothers. In 2005 the album The Living Room Tour was released by Rockingale Records followed by Love Makes the World: Deluxe Edition and Welcome To My Living Room (DVD) in 2007. Carole King was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987. For more on Carole King, visit her official website.