Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin (born February 11, 1939 in New York City , New York , † June 19, 2014 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American songwriter of the Brill Building , who had his heyday in the 1960s.
Life and work
Goffin was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York in 1939 . In his youth he helped out his Jewish grandfather, who worked as a furrier . He grew up in the borough of Queens , where he began writing lyrics at an early age. In 1958 he met Carole King at college , whom he later married and with whom he had two daughters. The couple formed a songwriting duo. Aside from the songs Up on the Roof and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman , they co-wrote the four number one hits Will You Love Me Tomorrow for the Shirelles ,Take Good Care of My Baby for Bobby Vee (both 1961), The Loco-Motion for Little Eva (1962) and Go Away Little Girl for Steve Lawrence (1963).
When Carole King began a solo career in the 1970s, it ended both their private and professional partnerships.
Goffin released a solo album, It Ain't Exactly Entertainment , in 1973 , but his main focus remained on songwriting. In 1976 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Diana Ross ' number one hit, Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) , which he wrote with Michael Masser . Another Goffin / Masser composition reached the top of the charts in 1985 with Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love for You .
In 1990 Goffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with King in the non-performers category . With Backroom Blood his second solo album was released 1996th
Goffin was a second married and had three other children with his wife. He died on June 19, 2014 at the age of 75 at his Los Angeles home.
In 2015, Rolling Stone listed Goffin and King as seventh of the 100 best songwriters of all time .
Web links
- Gerry Goffin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- William Yardley, Peter Keepnews: Gerry Goffin, Songwriter With Carole King, Dies at 75th obituary in The New York Times, June 20, 2014
- Gerry Goffin at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b songwriter Gerry Goffin died. In: Bonner General-Anzeiger from June 20, 2014 (accessed June 20, 2014).
- ↑ Songwriter Gerry Goffin is dead. In: Spiegel Online from June 20, 2014 (accessed June 20, 2014).
- ↑ The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Rolling Stone , August 2015, accessed August 8, 2017 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Goffin, Gerry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 11, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | 19th June 2014 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |