|
King wrote her first No. 1 hit at age 17 with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for the Shirelles with her then-husband Gerry Goffin. Her breakout 1971 album "Tapestry" remains one of the best-selling records of all time. It is the first female solo album to reach Diamond status, surpassing 10 million copies sold. The album included No. 1s "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move, as well as "You've Got a Friend" recorded by James Taylor. Hundreds of artists have recorded her songs, including The Beatles, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand and many others. That's in part what makes King so remarkable, said Librarian of Congress James Billington. "When the Beatles got off the plane, the first person they wanted to meet was Carole King when they first came to America," he said. "She was kind of a phenomenon among the performers themselves. That's an important endorsement." In 1990, King and Goffin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Singer Colbie Caillat, who performed "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" in King's honor Tuesday night, told the AP she grew up listening to King's records, especially "Tapestry," at home with her parents. She said she most admires the honesty in King's music and the simple chords that allow melodies and vocals to soar. "When I think of her, my heart just has a warm spot because her songs just inspire me to be better as a songwriter and to be genuine and honest and open in my lyrics and melodies," Caillat said. "With the tone of her voice, she doesn't try too much. She just lets it be what it is." Producers aim to replay King's rise to fame next year on Broadway with "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical." But King is keeping her distance. Her daughter and manager, Sherry Kondor, is shepherding the project. King said she went to a reading for the production but couldn't stay through the end. It was just too painful. The story focuses on the 1960s when King was married to Goffin and her rise to become a musical icon, as well as their personal difficulties along the way. "I love the idea. I support it. I think it's a wonderful story in many ways that will have resonance for people," she said. "Maybe there are things people can learn from my mistakes and also what I did right."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor