Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🎨

Carole King

arts Maturity 9-11 war conflict Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: war_conflict. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Carole King is a famous American singer and songwriter.

Carole King
Carole King

She is known for writing many songs that people love to hear. Throughout her life, she has written 118 songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. She also had 61 songs reach the charts in the United Kingdom. In fact, she was the most successful female songwriter on the UK charts from 1962 to 2005. Her music has reached millions of people all over the world. People have bought more than 75 million of her records.

Carole King - Cash Box 1971
Carole King - Cash Box 1971

Music was a big part of Carole's life from the very start. Her mother taught her how to play the piano when she was four years old. Carole even had a special skill called absolute pitch. This meant she could name any musical note just by hearing it. She used to climb on a stool to reach the piano keys. She worked very hard to master the popular songs on the radio. She even went to high school in Brooklyn and made music with a friend named Paul Simon.

Carole King - Cash Box 1971
Carole King - Cash Box 1971

In the 1960s, Carole worked as a songwriter for other famous singers. She worked with her partner, Gerry Goffin, to write many hit songs. They wrote "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," which was a number one hit for The Shirelles. They also wrote songs for artists like The Everly Brothers and The Monkees. One of her own early hits was "It Might as Well Rain Until September." This song was very popular in the United Kingdom. During this time, she wrote many songs from an office on Broadway.

Little Eva, Carole King, Gerry Goffin - Cash Box 1962
Little Eva, Carole King, Gerry Goffin - Cash Box 1962

In the 1970s, Carole began her career as a solo singer. Her second album was called Tapestry, and it was released in 1971.

Carole King - Cash Box 1971
Carole King - Cash Box 1971

This album was a massive success for her. It stayed at the number one spot on the charts for 15 weeks. The album remained on the music charts for over six years. It sold more than 30 million copies around the world. Some of her famous songs from this time include "It's Too Late" and "You've Got a Friend."

You Can Close Your Eyes JT CK 2010 - crop
You Can Close Your Eyes JT CK 2010 - crop

Carole has received many special honors for her amazing work. She has won four Grammy Awards for her music. She has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. This was once as a songwriter and once as a performer. In 2013, she became the first woman to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Carole King Boston 2012
Carole King Boston 2012

She even played a free concert for 100,000 people in Central Park. Her music continues to be a part of history today.

431 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Little Eva, Carole King, Gerry Goffin - Cash Box 1962.png
Little Eva, Carole King, Gerry Goffin -...
File:Carole King - Cash Box 1971.jpg
Carole King - Cash Box 1971.jpg
File:Carole King - Capitol.jpg
Carole King - Capitol.jpg
File:Carole King.jpg
Carole King.jpg
File:You Can Close Your Eyes JT CK 2010 - crop.jpg
You Can Close Your Eyes JT CK 2010 - crop.jpg
File:Carole King Boston 2012.jpg
Carole King Boston 2012.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.