(On Jan. 24 four-time GRAMMY winner Carole King will be honored as the 2014 MusiCares Person of the Year. In advance of the gala in her honor, The Recording Academy asked some of the artists set to perform at the benefit concert in tribute to King to share how her work has inspired their own careers.)
"Carole King's 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' got me to make out with my first girlfriend and taught me how to sing. Being asked to perform for Carole is my payback to her for one of the greatest moments of my life. Carol's melodic sensibility defined a generation. She got us out of doo-wop and into rock and roll and her music became the tapestry of our lives. She's a true pioneer and I am so proud to call her a friend." — Steven Tyler
"When I was a young aspirational songwriter I had heard of the giants in our industry. These giant songwriters pushed me to better myself as a songwriter to one day to create songs that would become No. 1 hits. More importantly, the work of the great writers pushed me to create songs that would impact people's lives at birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and wherever people got together to celebrate victories like basketball championships, World Series, Super Bowls, and World Cups.
"I always looked up to the giants. Carole King is one these giants. She deeply impacted the world of music and composition in a world that was dominated by males. She slayed with wonderful songs that made us cry and with songs that made us be better people, better lovers, and be better citizens when people gathered and rallied for a better world. She pushed us to imagine, and her songs also helped us escape when times were tough. Carole King is a true giant in the music industry." — will.i.am
"Carole King is one of my all-time favorites. Her writing, singing, piano playing, it's all incredible. To be with her onstage or even just in the same room makes me feel like I'm a success. I am so blown away to be invited to this event for her.
"I was in Erie, Penn., stealing my sisters records when I heard Tapestry and that record was the beginning of me wanting to be in music." — Pat Monahan (Train)
"We are more than honored to be a part of this special night that commemorates the career of Carol King. Our dad was Mexican and our mom is from Wisconsin and we thank her so much because a big part of our music influence was the music she played to us when we were kids and Tapestry was played almost every day at home. So, for us being a part of this night is a career highlight in many ways." — Jesse Y Joy
"When an autographed copy of the original Tapestry album jacket arrived in the mail in 1995 as Carole's 'thank you' for my participation on the Tapestry Revisited project, I instantly felt 12 years old again. Heart racing, legs pumping, screaming, and shouting, I ran to the phone to share the news with the two people I knew would get it: my mother and my sixth grade boyfriend. Countless nights of junior high, Johnny and I had listened to Carole King records from beginning to end, one of us pressing the needle down until we could hear the songs sync up across the phone line. Watching the spinning A&M, reading and rereading the lyrics ... the songwriting credits ... the musicians' names … all became part of the muscle memory.
"Your honesty in the way you expressed your view of life helped to shape mine. Thank you, Carole. Thank you for sharing your gifts, your life and your heart with all of us for so many years." — Amy Grant