Carole King

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes… you change the world of pop. On February 9th, 1942, Carol Joan Klein, otherwise known as Carole King, was born in Brooklyn, New York. [1] From an early age, King was a musical prodigy. She was most notable for her accomplishments as a pianist and song writer. [2] While studying at Queens College, King met her future husband, and musical partner, Gerry Goffin. Together King and Goffin crafted musical chart toppers such as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” and “Take Good Care of My Baby.” [3] Unfortunately, their marriage and musical partnership was short lived, ending promptly after the failure of their independent music label. [4]

In the late 1960s, King and her two daughters moved to Los Angeles, where she embarked on her solo career. [5] King’s reign would reach an all-time high with the success of her album “Tapestry.” The album was her debut as a recording artist and featured new renditions of her greatest hits. “Tapestry” held the title of best-selling album of all time for several years, garnered over fifteen million sales worldwide, and earned four Grammys. [6] After her unbelievable success, she turned out album after album but never reached the heights of “Tapestry.” In the mid-70s, her success would truly begin to dwindle. The genre she performed in, singer/songwriter pop, declined in popularity and was replaced by rock and heavy metal. [7] Despite the changes in the music industry, King continued to write for herself and other bands. 

By 1977, she relocated to Idaho with her third husband, Rick Evers, and became a resident on a working farm. Unfortunately, while King was on a short holiday, Rick Evers passed away from a drug overdose. [8] Despite Evers passing, King powered on. She became an environmental activist and spoke to the House Task Force on Agriculture. By day, King sought to challenge the growth of America’s military arsenal. [9] By night, King and her fourth husband struggled with the issues Farm Aid was seeking to alleviate.

Though King had shifted out of the public eye, her personal battle with the effects of the farm crisis prompted her to join the roster for the 1985 Farm Aid benefit concert. On September 22, 1985, she performed “Sweet Seasons,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “Chalice Borealis.” She was also the writer behind, “Don't Bring Me Down,” which was performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Farm Aid. King took her opportunity on stage to share her personal “plight” with farm life. [10] In a short clip from the concert, King explained her song “Chalice Borealis” was a response to the “corporate industrialization of American soil and water.” [11] “Chalice Borealis” came from her unofficial, retirement album, “Speeding Time.” [12] Despite slowing down in her later years, King’s talents for writing and performing were recognized nationally by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the National Academy. [13] Her years of sweet seasons have changed the world of pop one hit at a time.

1. Collins, David, and Lauren Hansz. "King, Carole." In Contemporary Musicians, edited by Tracie Ratiner, 104-106. Vol. 76. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2013. Gale eBooks (accessed February 13, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX1519000039/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ee35198b.

2. "Carole King." Oxford Reference.; Accessed 17 Feb. 2023. https://www-oxfordreference-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100037370.

3. "Carole King." In The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, by Phil Hardy. 3rd ed. Faber and Faber Ltd, 2001. https://proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ffcpop/carole_king/0?institutionId=386

4. Collins, David, and Lauren Hansz. "King, Carole." In Contemporary Musicians, edited by Tracie Ratiner, 104-106. Vol. 76. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2013. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX1519000039/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ee35198b.

5. Savage, Ann M. "Carole King." In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas, ABC-CLIO, 2023. Accessed February 18, 2023. https://popculture2-abc-clio-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/Search/Display/2242796.

6. "King, Carole." In Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., edited by James Craddock, 180-182. Vol. 32. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2012. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX4017300092/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ff529f39.

7. Wilson, David B. "King, Carole (1942–). “In St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 2nd ed., edited by Thomas Riggs, 166-167. Vol. 3. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2013. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX2735801485/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=a7bf4acd.

8. "King, Carole." In Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., edited by James Craddock, 180-182. Vol. 32. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2012. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX4017300092/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ff529f39.

9. Farm Aid: A Song for America (Emmaus, P.A.: Rodale, 2005) pg. 56

10. Dick Richmond, "Lots of Rain, People, Talent at Farm Aid,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 23, 1985

11. Farm Aid. “Carole King - Chalice Borealis (Live at Farm Aid 1985).” January 31, 2013. concert clip, 2:32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM6ROMKWCs4.

12. Wilson, David B. "King, Carole (1942—)." In St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, edited by Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, 29-30. Vol. 3. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX3409001348/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=95bc7f63.

13. Collins, David, and Lauren Hansz. "King, Carole." In Contemporary Musicians, edited by Tracie Ratiner, 104-106. Vol. 76. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2013. Gale eBooks (accessed February 18, 2023). https://link-gale-com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/apps/doc/CX1519000039/GVRL?u=uiuc_uc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ee35198b.