Table of Biography
Carole King is a renowned singer-songwriter and musician from the United States. Carole King wrote or co-wrote approximately 400 songs, which were recorded by over 1,000 artists.
Early Life
Carole King was born on the 9th of February 1942, in Manhattan, New York City, the United States. Her full name is Carole Joan Klein and holds American nationality. She has a birth sign of Aquarius and is currently 82 years old. She was raised in a Jewish family and belongs to Ashkenazi Jewish.
Caption: Carole King with her parents (Source: PBS)
The names of her parents are Sidney Klein and Eugenia Gingold. Her father worked as a firefighter and her mother worked as a teacher. Soon after Carole’s birth, the family relocated to Brooklyn and purchased a low-cost two-story duplex. Carole started practising the piano at the age of three.
Carole King – Education
Talking about her academics, she attended the James Madison High School, where she first got acquainted with the art of songwriting. While in school, she formed her band, ‘Co-Sines,’ and changed her name to “Carole King.” She went to ‘Queens College.
Professional Career
Initially, Carole King started working as a secretary and wrote songs along with her husband. They wrote the song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” which became a major success in 1960. This marked their first big breakthrough. They resigned from their day jobs to focus on their professions as songwriters.
They had songs including “Goin’ Back,” “You Make Me Feel Like,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” At the time, the music industry was dominated by men, and songs reflecting female viewpoints were uncommon. Gerry saw that his wife had a remarkable present, and the couple continued to collaborate.
Although they had achieved tremendous professional success together, their relationship deteriorated by the mid-60s. Carole was devastated by Gerry’s infidelity, and she divorced him in 1968. Carole’s song “The Road to Nowhere” describes her sadness. Following the divorce, they parted ways, and Carole began a solo singing career.
She relocated to Los Angeles in 1968 and began collaborating with Toni Stern, another writer. They composed “It’s Too Late,” which became one of her most hit songs.
In the late 1960s, she joined the group “The City,” which included her second husband, Charles Larkey, and Danny Kortchmar. The band issued only one album, “Now That Everything’s Been Said.” Carole’s severe stage fear led to the cancellation of many tours. “The City” finally fell apart and Carole chose to start singing her songs.
Solo Career
Although her debut solo album, “Writer,” was a terrible disaster, her sophomore effort, “Tapestry,” proved to be a game changer in every possible way. The album was released in 1971 and spent 15 weeks at the top of the ‘Billboard’ charts. It set a record for remaining on the ‘Billboard’ charts for six years. This was a significant milestone that was only surpassed by Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in 1982.
Some of the album’s hit tracks, such as “It’s Too Late” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” had already been written and performed by her. Her third album, “Music,” was a huge success, but it fell short of the standards established by ‘Tapestry.’ The ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (RIAA) certified it “gold.”
Caption: Carole King performing in the concert (Source: DC Theater Arts)
King has released 25 solo albums, the most successful of which, “Tapestry,” held the record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated to be more than 75 million copies worldwide.
In subsequent years, she recorded additional albums, including “Wrap Around Joy,” “Fantasy,” “Thoroughbred,” and “Rhymes and Reasons.” She worked alongside her ex-husband, Gerry Goffin, on ‘Thoroughbred.’ Many of her records earned “gold” status, and she continued to be a popular musician, singer, and composer.
As her singing career declined in the 1980s and 1990s, she became involved with social concerns. She has pushed to pass the ‘Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.’ She expressed her full support for the ‘Democratic Party’ and got actively involved in political politics.
Carole King – Awards
Caption: Carole King’s Grammy Awards (Source: X.com)
King has garnered many awards and honours for her contributions to music. She was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2013, she became the first woman to earn the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Meanwhile, she has won four Grammy Awards.
Net Worth 2024
As of 2024, King’s net worth is believed to be over $70 million, obtained via her professional career while her salary and income are unknown.
Relationship Status
In her career, Carole King has married four times. She married Gerry Goffin, her college lover, in 1959 and Charles Larkey, a fellow musician, in 1970. Both of her marriages ended within a few years. After marrying Rick Evers, she subsequently accused him of assaulting her and being a cocaine addict. Rick died of a drug overdose a few days after their breakup in 1978. She later married Rick Sorenson.
Carole also had a longstanding association with musician James Taylor, with whom she collaborated on several projects. She has four children, among them are pianists Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor, as well as artist Molly Larkey.
Body Measurements
Caption: Carole King posing for a photo (Source: Daily Mail)
King stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs an average. In addition, she has a pair of amber eyes with brown hair colour and his dress size is 4 US, and her shoe size of 8 US.
Carole King – Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@carole_king’ there are over 291k followers. Likewise, there are over 138k followers on her Twitter page ‘@Carole_King’ and over 1.6 million followers on her Facebook. She also runs a self-titled YouTube channel and there are over 288k subscribers.