MEETING CAROLE KING

When Sherrod Brown ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006, I was thrilled to learn that Carole King would be in Wilmington to campaign for him. She was scheduled to be at the Municipal Building and there was a large crowd to meet her. She said that she had first met Sherrod when he was a Congressman and she testified before his House Committee about environmental issues.

She asked the crowd, "I may be a celebrity, but when did I lose my right to have an opinion or to speak?" She continued, "I have one vote too! My celebrity might bring a lot of people into a room, but I recognize it is just a tool but I embrace that!" She said that instead of talking politics in a group, she simply asks people how they are doing and if their lives are going well and from there people can decide what candidate they think can help their families more. She said that was why speaking directly to people always has the greatest impact.


King said that visiting Wilmington mirrored her own life in rural Idaho. She mentioned that both Idaho and Ohio were historically Republican strongholds, but now show signs of Democratic progress. She said, "I came to Wilmington because I love meeting you all and it's a town that resonates with things I care about." She added that she prefers to be with people from rural areas. This from a Jewish girl from Brooklyn!

For the voters who think that their votes don't count, she reminded people that John Kerry lost the election in 2004 by 9 votes per precinct. If we had had just 9 more votes per precinct, especially in Southern Ohio, we would have won that election.

Carole King has sold more than twenty-five million records, won four Grammy Awards, and has been inducted in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame and of course, the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame for writing and performing such songs as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", "A Natural Woman", "Take Good Care Of My Baby", "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Every Breath I Take", and "One Fine Day". Before becoming a recorded singer in her own right, her songs were recorded by James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Monkees, The Chiffons, and The Shirelles. Her album "Tapestry" holds the record for the longest time an album by a female remained on the Billboard chart (six years) and to be Number One (15 weeks).

I was surprised by her tiny stature as I was taller. She said "I'm now a senior citizen, but I can still rock!" After pleading and cajoling, she finally acquiesced to our begging to hear her sing. She said that she would sing if we all sang along with her. As we joined in, she sang, a cappella, my favorite, "You've Got A Friend."

As usual, I was in my "groupie" mode, and she gave me an autograph. Oh, how I wished I'd brought along the albums! As she and I were munching on the hors d'oeuvre, she commented that she'd never tasted one of the cheeses before. I told her it was "Mont St. Benoit" cheese and then I said, "It's BATAMTA!" She laughed and said she wasn't used to hearing YIDDISH in Ohio OR Idaho!