Gerry Goffin

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Gerry Goffin
Background information
Birth nameGerald Goffin
Born(1939-02-11)February 11, 1939
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 19, 2014(2014-06-19) (aged 75)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Lyricist
Labels
Spouse(s)
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1959; div. 1969)​
  • Barbara Behling
  • Ellen Minasian
  • Michele Conaway
    ​
    (m. 1995)​

Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American

US No.1 hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Take Good Care of My Baby", "The Loco-Motion", and "Go Away Little Girl". It was later said of Goffin that his gift was "to find words that expressed what many young people were feeling but were unable to articulate."[1]

After he and King divorced, Goffin wrote with other composers, including

UK hits.[2] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1990, with Carole King.

Biography

Early life

Goffin was born in New York City.[3] As a boy, he wrote lyrics in his head, as a game.[4] In his teen years, he worked for his grandfather, a Russian-born Jewish furrier.[5] He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School. After a year at the U.S. Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 1961, he resigned from the Navy to study chemistry at Queens College.[6]

Partnership with Carole King

Main article:
Hits, charted songs and notable album tracks by Goffin and King

At college he met Carol Joan Klein, who had started writing songs under the name

B-side, "A Very Special Boy", was a Goffin-King composition.[7] Although the record was not a hit, the couple both secured contracts to write songs professionally at Aldon.[3][8]

Goffin at first worked with other writers including

one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the period, with hit songs including: "Take Good Care of My Baby" (a hit for Bobby Vee), "Halfway to Paradise" (Tony Orlando, Billy Fury), "The Loco-Motion" (Little Eva, and later Grand Funk Railroad and Kylie Minogue), "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence, and later Donny Osmond), "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)" (the Cookies), "It Might as Well Rain Until September" (Carole King), "One Fine Day" (the Chiffons), "Up on the Roof" (the Drifters and later James Taylor), "I'm into Something Good" (Herman's Hermits, but recorded first by Earl-Jean McCrea under the name Earl-Jean), "Don't Bring Me Down" (the Animals), "Oh No Not My Baby" (Maxine Brown, and later Rod Stewart), "Goin' Back" (Dusty Springfield, The Byrds), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin), and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (the Monkees).[6][9] Goffin and King also wrote several songs jointly with record producer Phil Spector.[9] In 1963, John Lennon was quoted as saying that he wanted Paul McCartney and himself to become "the Goffin-King of England".[3]

In 1964, Goffin fathered a daughter with singer

drug use affected his health, and he was hospitalized for a time.[3]

Other collaborations

Goffin also worked successfully with other composers in the early 1960s, including Barry Mann ("Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)") and Jack Keller ("Run to Him").[9]

After splitting from King, Goffin released a solo album in 1973, It Ain't Exactly Entertainment, but it was not successful, and he began working with other composers, including

Golden Globe nomination for "So Sad the Song" from the 1976 Gladys Knight film Pipe Dreams.[9]

Goffin co-wrote three songs for the soundtrack to Grace of My Heart, a 1996 movie whose principal character's life paralleled that of Carole King in many ways.

Later life

Goffin and King were inducted together into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.[3]

In 1996 he released his second solo album, Back Room Blood, which he said was inspired by his anger at conservative gains in the

1994 congressional elections.[10] The album was mostly co-written with Barry Goldberg, but included two songs co-written with Bob Dylan, "Tragedy of the Trade" and "Masquerade". Goffin described Dylan as "sort of like a god to me".[10] Goffin was one of the first people to take notice of Kelly Clarkson's talent and had hired her to do demo work before she auditioned for American Idol in 2002.[11]

Goffin and his second wife, Michele, attended opening night of the musical "Beautiful", which depicted his marriage to Carole King.[4]

Personal life

Gerry Goffin was married to Carole King between 1959 and 1969; they had two daughters, singer-songwriter Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor.[4] Goffin also had a daughter, Dawn, with Jeanie Reavis (Earl-Jean McCrea). He married Barbara Behling in the early 1970s and had a son, Jesse Dean Goffin, in 1976. They divorced later that decade. Goffin then married songwriter Ellen Minasian in the 1980s and had one daughter, Lauren, in 1984.[12][13] Following their divorce, he married actress Michele Conaway (the sister of actor Jeff Conaway) in 1995.[14][15]

Death

Goffin died on June 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 75. His death was announced by his wife, Michele. No cause was specified. He left behind a wife, one son, four daughters, and six grandchildren.[4]

Tributes

On hearing of his death, Carole King said that Goffin was her "first love" and had a "profound impact" on her life."[16] She went on to say, "His words expressed what so many people were feeling but didn't know how to say... Gerry was a good man and a dynamic force, whose words and creative influence will resonate for generations to come."[4] Barry Goldberg, who wrote many later songs with Goffin, said "Gerry was one of the greatest lyricists of all time and my true soul brother."[16]

See also

Discography

Albums

  • It Ain't Exactly Entertainment (1973), Adelphi Records Inc – AD4102 (double vinyl album)
  • Back Room Blood (1996),
    Genes Records
    – GCD 4132
  • It Ain't Exactly Entertainment Demo & Other Sessions (2010), Big Pink – BIG PINK 92 (CD album)

Singles and EPs

  • It's Not the Spotlight (1973), Adelphi Records Inc – AD-452
  • Back Room Blood (The CD Single) (1996), Genes Records – GCD 4532

References

  1. ^ "Gerry Goffin – obituary", The Telegraph, 20 June 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
  2. ^ Stuart Devoy. The People Who Created The Soundtrack To Your Life eBook: stuart devoy: Kindle Store. Retrieved July 26, 2016 – via Amazon.com.
  3. ^
    Washington Post
    , June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
  4. ^ a b c d e f Yardley, William; Keepnews, Peter (June 19, 2014). "Gerry Goffin, Songwriter With Carole King, Dies at 75". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Laing, Dave (June 20, 2014). "Gerry Goffin obituary: Lyricist who, with his partner Carole King, wrote many hit songs of the 1960s", The Guardian. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Gerry Goffin, Songwriters Hall of Fame Archived February 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 21, 2014
  7. ^ "Oh Neil", Discogs.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014
  8. ^ a b Kevin Rawlinson, "Gerry Goffin, US lyricist, dies at 75", The Guardian, June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
  9. ^ a b c d Songs written by Gerry Goffin, Secondhand Songs. Retrieved June 20, 2014
  10. ^ a b Inc, Nielsen Business Media (April 13, 1996). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ Kory Grow, "Gerry Goffin, Songwriter and Carole King's Ex-Husband, Dead at 75", Rolling Stone, 19 June 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014
  12. ^ California, Marriage Index, 1960–1985, Ancestry.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014
  13. ^ "Spending Time with the Legendary Lyricist Gerry Goffin", Brushed by Fame. Retrieved June 22, 2014
  14. ^ Gerry Goffin, IMdB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014
  15. LA Times
    , June 19, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014
  16. ^ a b "Gerry Goffin, writer of song Natural Woman, dies". BBC News. June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.

External links

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