Overview

Jane Eisner traces the professional accomplishments and personal challenges of pop icon Carole King, exploring her unique contribution to American music Carole King's extraordinary career has defined American popular music for more than half a century. Born in New York City in 1942, she shaped the soundtrack of 1960s teen culture with such songs as ""Will You Love Me Tomorrow,"" one of many Brill Building classics she wrote with her first husband, Gerry Goffin. She was a leading figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, with dozens of Billboard Hot 100 hits and music awards—her 1971 album Tapestry won a record four Grammys. Yet she struggled to reconcile her fame with her roles as a wife and mother and retreated to the backwoods of Idaho, only to emerge in recent years as a political activist and the subject of the Tony-winning Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Journalist and author Jane Eisner places King's life in historical and cultural context, revealing details of her humble beginnings in Jewish Brooklyn, the roots of her musical genius, her four marriages, and her anguish about public life. Drawing on numerous interviews as well as historical and contemporary sources, this book brings to life King's professional accomplishments, her personal challenges, and her lasting contributions to the great American songbook.

Full Product Details

9780300259469

Table of Contents

Reviews

“An eagle-eyed telling of how King (born Carol Joan Klein) emerged from the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn to achieve decades of songwriting success.”—Karen Iris Tucker, Washington Post “Jane Eisner movingly traces King’s journey to become one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time. This masterful biographer’s evocative interpretations of King’s music will spur readers to update their playlists to listen, with new appreciation, to her songs.”—Pamela S. Nadell, author of Antisemitism, an American Tradition

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“An eagle-eyed telling of how King (born Carol Joan Klein) emerged from the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn to achieve decades of songwriting success.”—Karen Iris Tucker, Washington Post “An engaging story of the life of the singer-songwriter.”—Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal “A warm and affectionate portrait. . . . [Eisner] masterfully weaves together the strands of King’s life and career, especially taking pains to explore the albums that preceded and followed Tapestry.”—Rebecca Taylor, Jewish Renaissance “Jane Eisner movingly traces King’s journey to become one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time. This masterful biographer’s evocative interpretations of King’s music will spur readers to update their playlists to listen, with new appreciation, to her songs.”—Pamela S. Nadell, author of Antisemitism, an American Tradition

Author Information

Jane Eisner is a widely published journalist who held leadership positions at the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Forward. She is the author of Taking Back the Vote. Eisner lives in New York City.

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