nside Retirement Living Guide
pages 11-21
Northwest
Prime Time
CELEBRATING LIFE AFTER 50 IN THE PUGET SOUND REGION SINCE 1986
www.NorthwestPrimeTime.com
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VOL. 16 NO. 8 OCTOBER 2016
Seattle Fêtes Carole King The award-winning musical based on her life comes to Seattle this month; her surprising ties to the Northwest
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ong before she was Carole King—the chart-topping music legend—she was Carol Klein, Brooklyn girl with passion and chutzpah. She boldly in excellence by found her individuals whose own way into impact have left an the record indelible mark on business as a civilization). The teenager and, program included by the time a show-stopping she reached performance of her twenties, King’s (You Make she had the Me Feel Like A) husband of Natural Woman by her dreams, the incomparable two kids and Aretha Franklin Carole King's 1971 album, Tapestry, is one a flourishing that brought of the best-selling albums of all time and was career writing inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame President Obama hits for the to tears. And this biggest acts in rock ‘n’ roll. month, Seattle audiences have the Carole began her livelihood with a opportunity to see Carole’s life story record deal at the tender age of 15 and as portrayed in Beautiful: The Carole wrote her first number 1 hit, Will You King Musical at the Paramount Still Love Me Tomorrow – performed Theatre. by the Shirelles – at 17. Her early hits, What an impact this down-towhich she wrote with then-husband earth mother and grandmother has Gerry Goffin, just kept coming, made on popular music! Carole King’s including the iconic Natural Woman 2012 memoir, A Natural Woman, made famous by Aretha Franklin. begins with a description of the frenzy When she finally began to record and taking place in the minutes before a perform her own music, the result concert. was Tapestry (1971), which was on “I check my hair in the mirror. It’s the charts for more than six years and frizzy. I daub some conditioner into remains one of the most successful my hands, add a splash of water, and albums of all time. scrunch the mixture into my hair. Now, at age 74, the GrammyMuch better…I look exactly like award winning singer-songwriter has Carole King…Seconds later, Slice seen the last five years as another opens the door and says, ‘Showtime!’ ” whirlwind of accomplishments I follow Slice past a series of and accolades. In 2011, a featurelong concrete-block walls filled with length documentary, Troubadours, performance photos of other artists was released about her triumphant who’ve appeared at this venue...I reunion concert with James Taylor. look up and see photos of Bob In 2012, she published her memoir, Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith, A Natural Woman. 2013 brought her Jefferson Starship, Johnny Cash, the Recording Academy Lifetime Reba McEntire, Joni Mitchell, Simon Achievement Award – the same year & Garfunkel, Earth Wind & Fire, she became the first woman awarded Crosby Stills & Nash, David Bowie, The Gershwin Prize for Popular U2 and the Rolling Stones. I well up Song, presented by President Barack unexpectedly at the realization that I Obama at an all-star White House am one of a select cadre of people who gala. In January, 2014, Beautiful: do this thing that I’m minutes away The Carole King Musical opened on from doing…How did I get here?” Broadway and became the hit of Her book answers that question the season—audiences were amazed and more; it is filled with revealing at her deep musical catalog and stories and insight into the eventful captivated by her life story. Carole life of this talented mother of four received the Kennedy Center (and now a proud grandmother). Honors in 2015 (which recognizes Some tidbits: the extraordinary achievements Ø Carole King grew up in
The multi Grammy-award winning Carole King hit the pop music charts when she was 17 and has been making music ever since. She has been featured in a documentary, received the Kennedy Center Honors for her “extraordinary achievements that have left an indelible mark on civilization,” and was the first woman to be awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Her music and life story are the subject of a hit Broadway musical, which shows in Seattle this month. Photo by Elissa Klein.
legendary Brooklyn to a founders Jewish family. Ahmet Ertegun Her mother and Jerry was a teacher Wexler. “You and theater got talent,” aficionado, declared her father a Wexler, while firefighter. Ertegun Carole chimed in learned the “Yeah, man, piano when very soulful.” she was four “You know years old, and what?” Carole at age eight said during an appeared on interview on the television NPR’s Fresh shows The Air. “When I Children’s Carole King started college at age 16, which is where she met her songwriting partner and future was younger, Hour and The I was kind of Amateur Hour husband Gerry Goffin fearless…I was with Ted Mack. completely naïve.” But it worked! Ø While still in high school in Ø Carole, who had skipped two the 1950s, Carol Klein started writing grades in elementary school, entered songs, changed her name to Carole college at age 16 and made demo King and formed a band called the records with fellow student, her pal Co-Sines. Paul Simon, for $25 a session. Ø On the advice she got at age Ø On meeting Gerry Goffin, 15 from famed DJ Alan Freed: “He her future songwriting partner and told me to look in the phone book husband: “At fifteen, I had come upon under 'Record Companies’ and play a drawing in True Story magazine of a my songs for the A&R man…The young man with dark hair and dark next day, less than ten minutes after eyes. It had so epitomized my ideal the last school bell had rung, I was on boyfriend that I cut it out and put it an express train from Kings Highway in my wallet.” The drawing was still to Manhattan wearing a pink sweater there when she started at Queens set, a black felt skirt with a pink College the following year, where she poodle on it, a ponytail, white bobby sox, and a pair of white sneakers.” She met Goffin. “…the door opened and Gerry walked in. My heart stopped. walked into Atlantic Records' offices He looked exactly like the drawing in unannounced, and asked if she could play her songs for someone. Moments my wallet.” later, she was performing for Atlantic's
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