Carole King is a performer.
Carole King ( born Carol Joan Klein , February 9 , 1942 ) is an American composer and singer-songwriter . King 's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s , when she sang her own songs , accompanying herself on the piano , in a series of albums and concerts . After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer , King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry , which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years .