You’ve got a friend: Carole King, at 80

You’ve got a friend: Carole King, at 80

News

norman lebrecht

February 09, 2022

Does anyone come closer to being recognised as the Franz Schubert of New York?

picture: with James Taylor

Comments

  • Concertgebouw79 says:

    Great artist and composer I never understood why she was never popular in the 70’s in western Europe. In France for exemple she’s completly unknown. For UK I don’t know. She has maybe in the US the record for one album sold by a woman singer with the one she did in the early 70’s. Never “too late” to say that she’s a great.

    • Janice Collins says:

      How is that. She was in the 70’s and still is one of the greatest recognised and revered female artist in South Africa. I remember in the 70’s, Tapestry transformed most of us school girls to great heights.
      Go South Africa

  • Lost and found says:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfEb9Sb6Ge8

    Aretha Franklin singing Carole King. As good as it gets!
    Happy Birthday

  • Herr Doktor says:

    Happy Birthday, CK! What comes to mind however is SNL’s “Great Moments In Rock History” backstory to one of her greatest hits, as presented on Saturday Night Live in 1979 in an incredibly funny skit starring Steve Martin and Larraine Newman:

    https://snltranscripts.jt.org/79/79arock.phtml

  • NorCalMichael says:

    She’s unquestionably one of the greats. ‘Tapestry’ is essentially the soundtrack of the 1970s, so often were its songs covered, copied, and performed.

    Although she was born in NY, personally I associate her very strongly with California. Something about her sound fits the mood and spirit of the West Coast perfectly.

  • Saint Mike IV says:

    Without doubt one of music’s finest performers. To have been able to be in that audience. WOW what a thrill.

  • Gary Freer says:

    Beautiful was one of the best Jukebox Musicals in the West End in recent years.
    Bravo Carole, what a great career, going right back to the early 60s.

    As commented above, that picture of her with the cat in the window seat on the album cover of Tapestry was taken in her house in Laurel Canyon – after her move away from NY.

  • Lillie Guilfoyle says:

    Carole King and James Taylor are amazing! Love them! Happy Birthday on February 9th to Carole King. She looks more like 40 than 80!

  • Lillie Guilfoyle says:

    We had the pleasure of hearing them in concert and are still smiling. One of the finest musician duos, EVER! Their music is timeless!

  • Donald Saigh says:

    Yeah, George Gershwin.

  • MOST READ TODAY: