Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

KING, Carole

(b Carol Klein, 9 February 1942, Brooklyn) US singer-songwriter, producer. She was the subject of Neil Sedaka's hit 'Oh Carole' '59; wrote flop sequel 'Oh Neil'. She teamed with husband Gerry Goffin; they were introduced by Sedaka to the Brill Building pop industry in NYC and cranked out dozens of classic pop songs of the era: 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' no. 1 by the Shirelles '60, 'Take Good Care Of My Baby' by Bobby Vee '61; they formed their own label Dimension and had a no. 1 dance hit 'Do The Loco-Motion' by their babysitter Little Eva (sat with Louise Goffin, who released her own album This Is The Place '87). King had own hit with 'It Might As Well Rain Until September' '62; other songs on demos so good that artists usually just copied them: 'Chains' by the Cookies, 'Up On The Roof' and 'When My Little Girl Is Smiling' by the Drifters, 'One Fine Day' by the Chiffons, 'I'm Into Something Good' by Herman's Hermits and by Earl-Jean (McCree, lead singer of the Cookies; the group also backed Little Eva), many others. Her style matured and became more streetwise but still wistful, e.g. 'Some Of Your Lovin'', 'Goin' Back', among Dusty Springfield's best.

The short-lived Tomorrow label was formed late '65 with releases by King and by a band called Myddle Class, including second husband Charlie Larkey (she continued writing with Goffin); King/Larkey formed band the City, made one LP (she disliked touring). She carried an audience that had grown up with her for albums on Ode: Now That Everything's Been Said '69, Carole King: Writer '70, then Tapestry '71: an album of its time with no. 1 hit 'It's Too Late' sold 14 million, helping to make the singer/songwriter genre one of the most important of '70s (though too much emphasis on it became a problem: not every singer could write good songs). Albums exploring changes of style and content included Music '71, Rhymes And Reasons '72, Fantasy '73, Wrap Around Joy '74, Really Rosie '75, Thoroughbred '76; switched to Capitol for Simple Things '77, Touch The Sky '79 and Pearls '80 (remakes of classic Goffin/King songs). Ten more top 40 singles '71-80 included 'Jazzman' (no. 2 '74); other albums included Welcome Home '78 on Avatar. The death of her third husband Rick Evers '78 caused a pause in her output; then One To One '82 on Atlantic: for her second Atlantic album Speeding Time '83 she returned to producer Lou Adler, added synth played by son-in-law Robbie Kondon. City Streets '89 was back on Capitol, In Concert '94 on King's X.

In 2012 she published a memoir, A Natural Woman, and released a CD called The Legendary Demos, compiling some of her earliest work from when she was pitching songs around the Brill Building neighbourhood.