Carole King will be the 2013 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Carole King. image by Ros O'Gorman
The Gershwin Prize “celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding.”
King is the fifth writer to receive the award after Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The award is selected by the Librarian of Congress after consulting with a board that includes experts from all genres of music.
King said in a statement “I was so pleased when the venerable Library of Congress began honoring writers of popular songs with the Gershwin Prize. I’m proud to be the fifth such honoree and the first woman among such distinguished company.”
The singer/songwriter’s career started as part of the large number of artists in New York’s Brill Building. Writing with Gerry Goffin, the duo had hits with Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Shirelles), Crying in the Rain (Everly Brothers), Go Away Little Girl (Steve Lawrence), Don’t Bring Me Down (Animals), Hey Girl (Freddie Scott), I’m Into Something Good (Herman’s Hermits), Loco-Motion (Little Eva), (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin), One Fine Day (Chiffons), Up on the Roof (Drifters), Take Good Care of My Baby (Bobby Vee), Pleasant Valley Sunday (Monkees) and many more.
Although she had a minor hit in 1962 with It Might As Well Rain Until September, it wasn’t until 1971 and the release of Tapestry that King’s recording career moved into high gear. At the Grammy Awards, she took Album of the Year along with Record and Song of the Year for It’s Too Late.
Since then, King has had a number of other hit singles and albums and worked on Broadway, on film and on TV as an actress.
