Carole King’s Shy Debut: How James Taylor Turned Her Song Into a #1 Smash

Coming up… the story of one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the rock era, Carol King. Ironically, Carol despised her own voice and, when she started composing songs without her famous husband, she doubted anyone would care. It took the friendship of another emerging superstar of the singer/songwriter world, James Taylor, to encourage her to open for him at an iconic nightclub in West Hollywood. During Carol's set, literally shaking from nervousness, she sang You've Got a Friend, a song that mesmerized James, who was watching from the club balcony. Enchanted by her performance, Taylor felt compelled to record the song for his upcoming album. Little did he know that Carol King had written the song as a response to his first big hit. To her surprise, his cover of her song became a #1 smash… Let’s relive the magic of this heartwarming classic and the musical icons that brought it to life…NEXT on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .