Starting as a Youngster
King’s early musical inspiration came from her mother. She started arranging and composing music back when she was in high school, and that’s when she formed and performed in the vocal quartet called the Co-Sines, at just 15 years old. She briefly attended Queens College and dropped out to marry Gerry Goffin in 1959. He abandoned his dreams of becoming a chemist to write music with her.
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Together, Goffin and King started writing songs for Aldon Music in a little cubicle next to the Brill Building on Broadway. It didn’t take long for the couple to become the most successful songwriting duos in the industry. Their first hit was “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was recorded by the Shirelles in 1961. The track became a number one single on the U.S. 100 while King was still a teenager. At 19 years old, she had a promising career ahead of her.