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Carole King music biography continued...

playing piano at the age of four, and formed her first band, the vocal quartet the Co-Sines, while in high school. While attending Queens College, she formed friendships with budding songwriters Paul Simon and Neil Sedaka as well as Gerry Goffin, with whom she forged a writing partnership. She and Goffin, who eventually married, began writing under publishers Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in the storied pop songwriting house the Brill Building in New York City. In time, the partnership which yield a string of smash hits, including the Chiffons' "One Fine Day," the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday," the Drifters' "Up on the Roof," the Cookies' "Chains" (later covered by the Beatles), Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman," In the meantime, King's efforts to mount a solo career were not meeting with much success, but with the encouragement of another friend, James Taylor, King kept at it. In 1971 she released her breakthrough album, Tapestry, which stayed on the charts for over six years and was the best-selling album of the era. The album spawned two hit singles, "So Far Away" and the chart-topping "It's Too Late," whose flip side, "I Feel the Earth Move," garnered major radio play as well. Overcoming her stage fright, King was now the superstar solo artist she had always longed to be.



King continued her successful ways, with 1971's Music, which hit number one, and yielded the hit "Sweet Seasons"; 1972's Rhymes & Reasons reached number two on the charts, and 1974's Wrap Around Joy, which featured the hit "Jazzman," hit the number one position. King continued to record and with 1980's Pearls had her last significant chart success. Soon after, she moved to a tiny mountain village in Idaho, where she became an environmental activist. She continues to record, write and perform, too, recently touring Japan with Mary J. Blige and Fergie. 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. Her influence on the singer/songwriters who would follow has been immeasurable, as is the breadth of her talent.