Carole King is a renowned American composer and singer-songwriter, boasting an impressive legacy as the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States. Her remarkable career has been marked by an astonishing 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1999, with 61 additional hits charting in the UK, solidifying her position as the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1952 and 2005.
King's journey as a songwriter began in the 1960s, when she collaborated with her first husband, Gerry Goffin, to pen more than two dozen chart-topping hits for various artists, many of which have since become timeless standards. She has continued to write for other artists throughout her career, with her success as a performer in her own right not unfolding until the 1970s.
During this era, King sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts, which ultimately led to her breakthrough with the iconic album 'Tapestry' in 1971. This groundbreaking album spent an impressive 15 weeks at the top of the U.S. album chart and remained on the charts for over six years, cementing King's status as a music legend.
Throughout her illustrious career, King has released an impressive 25 solo albums, with 'Tapestry' remaining her most successful to date. The album held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for over 20 years, a testament to its enduring popularity. Her most recent non-compilation album, 'Live at the Troubadour', was a collaboration with James Taylor and debuted at number 4 on the charts in its first week, selling over 600,000 copies.
With estimated record sales exceeding 75 million copies worldwide, Carole King's impact on the music industry is undeniable, solidifying her position as one of the most successful and beloved artists of all time.
