Carole King & James Taylor
Biography Carole King & James Taylor
Carole King
Since writing her first number one hit (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”) at the tender age of 17, Carole King has arguably become the most celebrated singer-songwriter of all time. As the most successful female pop songwriter of the 20th century, King scored an astonishing 118 charting hits, while her compositions have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists.
King spent the first decade of her career writing dozens of enduring hits with her then-husband, Gerry Goffin, before embarking on a solo career in 1970. Just one year later, Tapestry rocketed King to incredible new heights: earning four GRAMMYS® (including Song of the Year, making King the first woman to receive the award) and selling more than 25 million units worldwide. For 25 years, Tapestry remained the best-selling album by a female artist.
In addition to breaking records and glass ceilings, King went on to release more than 20 albums, amassing three more platinum records and eight gold certifications. She also became a New York Times bestselling author with her 2012 memoir, A Natural Woman. In 2014, the Tony-award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical opened on Broadway and quickly became one of the top-grossing musicals of all time. The show has since been staged in London’s West End, as well as in Japan and Australia.
In addition to multiple GRAMMY® Awards, King has received the BMI Icon Award and The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, among many others. She has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. In 2021, King became the first person to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—both as a songwriter (1990) and a performing artist (2021). Most recently, King co-wrote “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” for Jennifer Hudson’s star turn as Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect. The film also includes Hudson’s bravura performance of Goffin/King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like ) ANatural Woman,” the 1967 hit credited as cementing Franklin’s status as a superstar.
James Taylor
One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, James Taylor began his career as a defining figure in the ’70s singer-songwriter movement. More than five decades later, his warm baritone, introspective lyrics, and unique guitar stylings still blaze a path to which young musicians aspire. His songs have had a profound influence on songwriters and music lovers from all walks of life, including “Fire and Rain,” “Country Road,” “Something in the Way She Moves,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” and “Shower the People,” among countless others.
Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums since the release of his self-titled debut in 1968. He has won multiple GRAMMY® Awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame. Taylor was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2011 and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom four years later. In 2016, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. Most recently, Taylor released his 19th studio album, American Standard, which earned him a GRAMMY® Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
