GERRY GOFFIN (1939 - 2014)

The gifted lyricist, Gerry Goffin, who along with his then-wife, Carole King, wrote some of the most memorable and enduring hit songs of the rock-n-roll era, passed away on June 19th.

Although he went to school to pursue a practical occupation as a chemist, Goffin found himself making music as he had been writing lyrics since he was a child. He was working on a musical and needed a partner to write the music. Goffin met Carol Klein (who later changed her professional name to "Carole King") and began a musical partnership which soon became romantic. Goffin and King managed to have more than fifty top-forty pop hits during their time together which began with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles in 1961. Other major hits included "Up On The Roof", "One Fine Day", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman","He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "The Loco-Motion"

After their marriage ended in 1968, Goffin went on to write with other musicians like Barry Mann and Michael Masser and had other hit songs such as "Saving All My Love For You" and "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" which earned him and Masser an Oscar nomination.

All of Goffin's songs continue to be recorded by a wide variety of artists and that's because they are well-crafted classics that will truly stand the test of time. Here is a small selection of my favorites co-written by Gerry Goffin:

"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" - The Shirelles (1961)

"The Loco-Motion" - Little Eva (1962)

"Up On The Roof" - The Drifters (1963)

"(You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin (1967)

"Saving All My Love For You" - Whitney Houston (1985)