Carole Klein was born on February 9, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. Her talent and love for music revealed itself by the age of four when she began playing piano. While in high school, she formed her first band, the “Co-Sines,” and regularly attended the local rock and roll shows created by influential disc jockey and impresario, Alan Freed. She attended Queens College where she met and forged a writing partnership with budding songwriters Paul Simon, Neil Sedaka and Gerry Goffin, whom she later married. In 1961, she and Goffin scored their very first hit with the Shirelle’s chart-topping number, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” More than 100 hits followed including, “One Fine Day” by the Chiffons, “Up On The Roof” by the Drifters and “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” which was recorded by Aretha Franklin.
In the mid 1960s, King, Goffin and columnist Al Aronowitz founded their own label, “Tomorrow Records.” The bassist for the Tomorrow group, “Myddle Class,” Charles Larkey, became King’s second husband after her marriage to Goffin dissolved. They moved to the West Coast and in 1968 founded a trio, which recorded one LP, “Now That Everything’s Been Said.” This album was a commercial failure due largely to the fact that King did not go on tour because she suffered from stage fright. Several singles from the album, however, including (“You’ve Got a Friend”) became a huge hit for James Taylor.
King and Taylor became good friends and it was James Taylor who encouraged Carole to pursue a solo career. In 1972, she released “Tapestry”, which was the best selling album of the era and remained on the charts for over six years! The album featured several numbers that became huge hits in their own right, including “It’s Too Late,” “You’re So Far Away,” and “I Feel The Earth Move.”
She has four children (one son and three daughters) and continues to do the thing she does best, write and perform music.
Keep em’ coming, Carole! Here’s to you!
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