Bob's Page of Carole King
fFirst on the web -- since 4-15-'96
Reunion Tour
THE BRILL BUILDING YEARSCarole King Teams With Gerry Goffin to Make HERstoryCarole King's entrance into the world of pop music in the late 1950's is legendary-- the makings of an old-time Hollywood film. In a world dominated by middle-age, short-tempered men, 16 year-old Carol Klein from Sheepshead Brooklyn believed so strongly in her own talents that she would embark on the long train ride into Manhattan after school to knock on the doors of some of the industry's most powerful publishers and record executives. Perseverance paid off for the bold teenager. After knocking on many doors, Carol wound up recording her own 45s such as "Oh, Neil" (Alpine) an answer to Neil Sedaka's hit of the day, "Oh Carol," "Short Mort" (RCA Victor), a parody of Annette Funicello's "Tall Paul," "The Right Girl," b/w "Goin' Wild" and "Baby Sittin' b/w "Under the Stars" (ABC-Paramount). All recorded before she was even 16 years old! It wasn't, however, until after she joined forces with Gerry Goffin at the dawning of the 1960s that the promise of those early recordings was fulfilled with a the hit recording of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" by the Shirelles. Originally turned down by Columbia Record's then head, Mitch Miller, the song became Goffin & King's first #1 hit when it was released on the Scepter label in 1960. And as they say, the rest is history. Goffin & King quickly became not only one of the rock era's most popular songwriting teams, they also quickly won the respect and admiration of their peers. Lennon & McCartney idolized them; on their first visit to NYC, meeting Goffin & King was top on their list of priorities. In January of 1990, Gerry Goffin and Carole King were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This honor followed being inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in January 1987 and being awarded a Lifetime Achievement award by the Academy of Songwriters in 1988. But, the greatest testimony of all to the enduring legacy of the Goffin & King partnership is that now, more than 50 years after it began, you can't turn on the radio, enter an elevator, or watch tv without hearing one of their songs.
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