BROOKLYN — Carole King was born in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn on February 9, 1942, the daughter of an insurance broker and a public school teacher.

At the age of four, Carole began playing piano. She attended local public schools and graduated from Midwood High School where she formed a vocal quartet called the Cosines (remember from your geometry class?).

Bitten by the rock ‘n roll bug, she was a fixture at many of Alan Freed’s rock ‘n roll extravaganzas at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. She was greatly influenced by the work of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, the songwriting team responsible for the Coasters, Ben E. King, and many of Elvis Presley’s early hits.

While attending Queens College she met fellow budding songwriters Paul Simon and Neil Sedaka, as well as lyricist Gerry Goffin, whom she soon married. The two teenagers began working on songs and before long became some of the most important and influential songwriters of the era.

Carole and hubby Goffin started writing songs in a little cubby-hole located in the legendary Manhattan place of songwriting — the Brill Building, the era’s equivalent to Tin Pan Alley. Some of the greatest songwriters of the time composed in the cubicles of that building. The first King/Goffin hit “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?� (1961) was recorded by The Shirelles and remained on the Billboard charts for 19 weeks becoming #1. With its morning-after theme, the song subtly addressed a real-life sexual issue during a very straightlaced time, setting the tone for many future compositions by the husband-wife team.

Over the next six years they wrote literally dozens of hit singles, including three more which reached #1: “Go Away Little Girl,� “Take Good Care of My Baby,� and “The Locomotion.� Among the many awards and accolades the songwriting duo has received, perhaps the greatest testament of their influence is John Lennon’s statement in 1963 regarding the Beatles: “We want to be the Goffin/King of England.�

After the arrival of two children, King and Goffin separated. Carole continued her career on the West Coast, writing songs and forming bands. Subsequent marriages followed. No. 2 was Charles Larkey, which ended in divorce. No. 3 was Rick Evers, who died in 1978.

Carole continued a solo career with many other hits that topped the charts. Carole closed out the ‘70s with two platinum albums, six gold albums and the album “Tapestry,� which became the best-selling album of all time up to that point and was named Best Album of the Year. It was the pinnacle of the music profession. Carole also received Grammy’s for best song “You’ve Got a Friend,� for best record “It’s Too Late,� and for best female vocal performer. In addition, her friend James Taylor won the award as best male vocalist for his rendition of Carole’s song “You’ve Got A Friend.�

During the 1980s, Carole quieted down her career and moved to a small mountain town (with a population of six!) in Idaho, where she became an environmental activist in support of the preservation of national forests, which she continues to this day. Her two daughters fathered by Goffin, Louise and Sherry, have both released solo albums.

In 1987, Goffin and King were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the following year received the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement award. In 1990, they were inducted (along with The Who, fellow Queens College alums Simon & Garfunkel, and others) as a songwriting team into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.

Carole ushered in the ’90s with an Academy Award nomination for “Now and Forever,� the title song from A League Of Their Own. Several new albums were released, and in 1994, she took the starring role of “Mrs. Johnstone� in the Broadway production of Blood Brothers. It was merely a new challenge in a long career of breaking down barriers.

Carole King became an honoree on the Brooklyn Celebrity Path at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1987. She was also honored at the annual gala dinner of the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy on December 4, 2001. Proceeds from the event were donated by a check presentation to the families of the World Trade Center rescuers. She received the coveted New York Heroes Awards for being integral to the vitality of the New York music community and as someone whose creative talent and accomplishments cross all musical boundaries. As a recipient she embodies the high standard of excellence and integrity that the Academy champions and promotes. Her introduction at the dinner was by Rob Thomas who said, in part: “Her [Carole’s] work has been recorded by everyone from the Beatles to Aretha Franklin. She is one of America’s most successful and admired recording artists. She truly defines the sound of a generation ..

“Throughout her career, Carole has been actively and passionately involved with two environmental organizations supporting forest-wilderness preservation. In 1997, she helped found the White Cloud Council, a round table for environmental campaigns and organizations to expand their reach and impact. On her web site, caroleking.com, she devotes a special page to her heroes. In addition to the environmental organizations, she honors New York City’s police and firefighters. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my honor to present the 2001 New York Heroes Award to someone who taught us years ago that we all have a friend, Carole King.�

In 2004, Carole and Goffin were honored with the Grammy Trustees Award.

Recently, Carole was active in campaigning for President Barack Obama and performed at some of the inauguration events in January.

Carole is considered one of the most considerate and unpretentious stars in show business. She remains the same nice Jewish girl from Flatbush who baked cookies for the technicians at her recording studio sessions.

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