Entertainment
Published 12:51 PM EST, Fri December 17, 2021
Legendary singer-songwriter Carole King is one of the most successful artists in American music history. The four-time Grammy Award-winner's career spanned more than six decades.
King was born in Brooklyn in 1942 -- the daughter of an actress and a firefighter. At the age of four, she learned to play the piano and by her teen years, she was composing music while attending Queens College. That's where she met her first husband, songwriter Gerry Goffin.
The pair wrote a long list of chart-toppers for other artists. King composed melodies on the piano, and Goffin wrote the lyrics. Some of their biggest hits were Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," the Beatles' "Chains," and Linda Ronstadt's "Oh No, Not My Baby."
"As a songwriter, I feel that I've been given a gift to convey ideas and feelings that people feel," King told CNN in 2010. "When I wrote, 'You've Got a Friend' I felt more like I was an instrument."
King launched her own solo career with her 1971 album "Tapestry," which sold more than 25 million copies. The album hit diamond status in 1995 and was certified 13 times multiplatinum.
King's life and timeless songs have been immortalized in the Broadway musical, "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical."
In 2021, King became the third female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, according to Rolling Stone magazine, joining Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner. King was inducted by Taylor Swift.
King tried her luck with various recording studios while attending Queens College in New York. She wrote her first No. 1 hit, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," with then-husband Gerry Goffin when she was just 17 years old.
Musicians Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and King at JDS Records in 1959. Mann and Weil were a husband and wife songwriting team. They were part of the teen writing staff at Aldon Music, which included King and Goffin. Mann and Weil produced "Uptown," "Here You Come Again," and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."
Eva Narcissus Boyd, known as Little Eva, poses with producer Al Nevins, King, Goffin and producer Don Kirshner. King and Goffin asked Boyd, who was their teenage babysitter, to record one of their songs, "The Loco-Motion." The song vaulted to the top of the singles charts in 1962.
Recording engineer Hank Cicalo, King and record producer Lou Adler gather around the mixing desk in the control room during the recording of King's album, "Tapestry." The album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 15 weeks. It was the first album by a female artist to be certified as diamond, selling more than 15 million copies in 1971.
King performs on stage in Los Angeles in 1971.
King sticks out her tongue as she holds the four Grammy Awards she received for her album, "Tapestry." The album won the awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song Of The Year.
King with singer-songwriter James Taylor in the early 1970s. They performed together at London's Royal Festival Hall. King played on the piano, while Taylor performed on the guitar. King says Taylor mentored her as a performer.
King sitting at a piano while songwriting. "I only wanted to be a songwriter. I never wanted to be a singer. And I never wanted to be famous," King told CBS News.
King performs a free concert in New York City's Central Park to an audience of nearly 100,000 in 1973. King, who was born in New York City, said the city had given her a great deal and she wanted to give something back.
King poses for a portrait at Capitol Records.
King campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart during a visit to Pennsylvania State University in 1984. Hart, an attorney and author, served in the Senate from 1975 to 1987 and ran for president in 1984 and 1988.
Goffin and King with their daughters Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor backstage at a Songwriters' Academy event in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 1989, King puts her hands in cement during her induction into West Hollywood's RockWalk, a sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring musicians who have contributed to the evolution of rock music.
Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, King, Celine Dion and Shania Twain at the Beacon Theatre in New York in 1998. The musical stars performed King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" during the VH1 Divas concert.
King sits at the piano as she performs at Theater at Madison Square Garden. She was honored at the People Magazine's 25th-anniversary celebration in 1999.
Russell Simmons, Paul Stanley, King and Gene Simmons pose with their 2001 New York Heroes Awards. The New York Chapter of the Recording Academy honored them for their contributions to the music industry and how they give back to their communities.
King sings, "I Feel the Earth Move," during a rally for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry in 2004 in Dubuque, Iowa.
In 2005, King appeared before the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health to testify against the Central Idaho Economic Development Act. "Supporting CIEDRA is like agreeing to give away two of your children to save one," said King. "If you love wilderness, why would you not fight to save it all?"
King and Taylor play three nights at the famed Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood to celebrate the venue's 50th anniversary in 2007. "When we go out there to play for the people in the audience, we get a lot of love. And the reason we get a lot of love is because we are playing the soundtrack of their lives," King said about her performance with Taylor. "We put our feeling out there and people go, yes, yes, I feel that, too."
King poses at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was unveiled in 2012. "Carole has written numerous songs that are ingrained in the hearts of many and conjure up great memories of times past," said Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. King received the 2,486th star on the Walk of Fame, according to the organization.
King performs at the White House after being presented with the 2013 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. King is the first woman to receive the award, which was created in 2007 to recognize "the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world's culture."
King puts her hands together after performing at a vigil for victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2013. The vigil marked the one year since the tragic death of 20 children and six adults.
King is honored as the 2014 MusiCares Person Of The Year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. "Her contributions as a songwriter and performer have truly changed the landscape of pop music, and her philanthropy speaks volumes about her generosity and personal passions," said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the MusiCares Foundation.
King and Rep. Carolyn Maloney talk before a news conference to introduce the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act in 2015. The bill designates 23 million acres of land in five Western states as permanent wilderness. King has spoken out supporting the bill since it was first introduced in 1992.
Chilina Kennedy, King and Abby Mueller perform on NBC's "Today" show in 2015. Kennedy and Mueller starred in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," which opened on Broadway in 2014. The show received seven Tony nominations, and won two.
In a star-studded celebration at the Kennedy Center Opera House, King receives the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. She won the award alongside "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, the bestselling band, the Eagles, actress and singer Rita Moreno, conductor Seiji Ozawa, and actress Cicely Tyson. This was the 38th annual Kennedy Center Honors.
King had a recurring role as the owner of a music store on the television series, "Gilmore Girls" from 2002-2005 and appeared in the Netflix revival in 2016 called "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life." The show's catchy opening theme song is a rerecording of "Where You Lead," King's song from her 1971 album, "Tapestry."
King performs on stage at the Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Festival in London's Hyde Park in 2016.
Delegates watch King during rehearsal before the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016.
King sings at the five-year anniversary celebration for the Broadway musical "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" in 2019. The award-winning musical is the story of King's journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "Beautiful" received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Album of 2015.
King speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony while being inducted for the second time in October 2021. King is the third female artist to be inducted into the hall of fame twice, according to Rolling Stone magazine, joining Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner.
