Carole King First Woman to Get US Song Honor

Carole King makes a little history next spring when she collects the 2013 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the US Library of Congress. King is the first woman to win the honor, which salutes a body of songwriting, reports the LA Times. King, 70, made her name with the seminal 1971 album Tapestry, featuring "It's Too Late" and "You've Got a Friend." Before that, however, she had a hand in writing hits such as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "One Fine Day," and "Up on the Roof."

Reuters notes that she might be best known for songs written by her but performed by others, including "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin and James Taylor's version of "You've Got a Friend." Previous winners of the award are Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. (More Carole King stories.)