Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Five years ago on December 6, 2015 Carole King received yet another award for her illustrious career, a Kennedy Center Honor. The highlights of the ceremony included James Taylor’s version of “Up On The Roof” & Aretha Franklin’s performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”. Even King herself could not hide her excitement over The Queen Of Soul’s powerful rendition. The next year King reprised her role as Sophie Bloom in The Gilmore Girls “Year In The Life” event. And the play based on King’s life, “Beautiful” was a Broadway hit until the pandemic shut it down. There are so many career highs for this unbelievably talented woman who began writing songs when she was only 17.

That is why I am outraged & utterly appalled that she is not in the Rock & Roll HOF as a performer, only as a songwriter with her previous husband & writing partner, Gerry Goffin. In two months her album “Tapestry”, one of the most prodigious records by a female artist in musical history, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release. That means she was eligible for induction as a performer in 1996. It is absolutely absurd that she has been snubbed by one of the very institutions that should celebrate her the most.

King became a part of my Christmas playlist in 2011 with the release of her album, “A Holiday Carole”. This is one of my favorite tracks from that collection.

“Fireside is blazing bright
We’re caroling through the night
And this Christmas will be
A very special Christmas for me“.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Carole King: “This Christmas” (2011, written by Donny Hathaway & Nadine Theresa McKinnor).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.