Carole King

Carole King
King in 2002
Born
Carol Joan Klein[1]

(1942-02-09) February 9, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Years active1958–present
Spouses
(m. 1959; div. 1968)
Charles Larkey
(m. 1970; div. 1976)
Rick Evers
(m. 1977; died 1978)
Rick Sorenson
(m. 1982; div. 1989)
Children4, including Louise Goffin and Molly Larkey
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
DiscographyCarole King discography
Labels
Websitecaroleking.com
Signature

Carole King Klein[3] (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. One of the most successful songwriters in American history, she wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 over the latter half of the 20th century.[4] King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK,[5] making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.[6]

King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.[7]

King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide.[8][9] She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer and songwriter.[10] She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored.[11] She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.

  1. ^ "Legendary singer/songwriter Carole King looks back". TODAY.com. October 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  2. ^ Carole King pitchfork.com Retrieved 07 November 2023
  3. ^ Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (November 4, 2014). "Our People Our Traditions". Finding Your Roots. Season 2. Episode 7. PBS. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019. Actually I am still 'Klein', I've incorporated that my legal name now is 'Carole King Klein'. You know, I went through four marriages and changed my name every single time, and then I finally came back to 'no, I'm Klein!'.
  4. ^ "Official Website of Carole King – Songwriter, Performer, Author". Carole King. January 24, 2014. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  5. ^ The People Who Created The Soundtrack To Your Life eBook: Stuart Devoy: Kindle Store. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  6. ^ David Roberts, Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 2005. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ "'Tapestry' Jumps from number 15 to number 7 on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Chart". Carole King. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Carole King and James Taylor Troubadour Reunion Comes to an End" Archived September 4, 2017, at the Wayback Machine July 20, 2010, Anit Music.com
  9. ^ King Bio at Allmusic.com
  10. ^ "Jay-Z, Carole King, Tina Turner among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 inductees". TODAY.com. May 12, 2021. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Librarian of Congress Names Carole King Next Recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song" Archived March 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine December 12, 2012, www.loc.gov