Charles Larkey is an American bassist who has played with several bands, including "Jo Mama," "The City," "The Myddle Class," and "The Fugs". As a bassist, he has numerous credits on songs such as Tenderness Junction (1968) by The Fugs, Now That Everything’s Been Said (1969) by The City, Tapestry (1971) by Carole King, and Taught by Experts (1976) by Peter Allen.
Larkey is also known for being one of the four men who married the four-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and musician, Carole King. Their marriage lasted six years and they have two children, Molly and Levi. Here's everything you need to know about him.
Biography Of Charles Larkey
Charles Larkey was born in New Jersey. However, there is limited information about his early life. He grew up in a business family; his father was involved in the local men’s clothing business and owned a chain of stores and other small companies in Newark, New Jersey.
In contrast, his ex-wife, Carole King, was born on February 9, 1942, in Manhattan, New York City, to Eugenia and Sidney N. Klein, both of Jewish origin. Her father was a firefighter, and her mother was a teacher.
Regarding education, Larkey attended Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. His ex-wife attended James Madison High School in Midwood, Brooklyn, then went to Queens College in New York City.
A Brief Look At The Career Of Carol King's Ex-Husband
Charles Larkey began playing bass in a New Jersey-based garage rock band called "The Myddle Class". After spending some time with the group, he moved to Los Angeles and joined the trio "The City", featuring Carole on piano and vocals and Danny Kortchmar on guitar. They recorded the album Now That Everything’s Been Said in 1968. However, the band disbanded the following year due to the album's commercial failure.
He then returned to playing bass in other bands, including "The Fugs," and "Jo Mama."
Later, he took a brief hiatus from music, pursuing acting and working as an aerobatic pilot and flight instructor for an airplane dealer. He eventually returned to music, recorded a few more albums, and ultimately settled into a quieter life in Austin, Texas.
He received credit as a bassist in many songs/albums of the bands he was involved with, and other artists such as:
Tenderness Junction (1968) by The Fugs
It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest (1968) by The Fugs
Lay It All Out (1971) by Barry Mann
Tapestry (1971) by Carole King
Sister Kate (1971) by Kate Taylor
Press On (1973) by David T. Walker
Jezebel (1974) by Mary McCreanry
It’s All Done with Mirrors (1975) by Richie Lecea
One to One (1982) by Carole King
Pretty Things (2002) by Christina Martin
How Charles Larkey Met, Married Carole King, and Had Two Children During Their 6-Year Marriage
Charles Larkey and Carole King first met in the 1960s when he played bass for "The Myddle Class" in Newark, New Jersey. It’s not entirely out of place to say that their shared passion for music brought them together. At the time, the four-time Grammy Award winner was married to her first husband, Gerry Goffin, and they needed a band to collaborate with for their songs.
In 1968, King and Goffin divorced, and Larkey began a relationship with the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. They both moved to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, where they started a three-member band, “The City,” and produced one album, Now That Everything’s Been Said (1968). However, the group disbanded a year later.
In 1970, Larkey and King married in Los Angeles, California, in the presence of a few friends and family members. Six years later, in 1976, the couple divorced due to “disparate schedules,” as described by King.
During their six-year marriage, the bassist and his ex-wife had two children. Their first child, a daughter named Molly Larkey, was born a year after their wedding in 1971. Molly is an artist and writer, focusing on the creation of portraits of famous writers who have committed suicide.
Their second child, a son named Levi, was born in 1974. He tried his hand in the entertainment industry and had a few Hollywood credits before going low-key.
His Ex-Wife Married Three Other Men Besides Hi,
Charles Larkey’s ex-wife, Carole King, married three men apart from him. As mentioned, she was first married to lyricist Gerry Goffin between 1959 and 1968, and they had two daughters: Louise Goffin, a singer-songwriter, and Sherry Goffin Kondor. Goffin died on June 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, at age 75.
In 1977, one year after Larkey and King divorced, she married Rick Evers, whom she first met at a party organized by Eagles singer Don Henley. Sadly, Evers became physically and financially abusive. He died of a drug overdose a few days after they separated in 1978, at age 31.
She met Rick Sorensen, a carpenter, through a mutual friend. They started a relationship and married in 1982. The marriage lasted five years before they divorced in 1987.
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