Carole King's landmark solo album Tapestry, was released 45 years ago on February 10, 1971 on Ode Records.  The album, produced by Lou Adler, included songs which were all written or co-written by Carole.  Several of the songs on the album had already been hits for other artists such as Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and The Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" both of which were co-written with Gerry Goffin.  Also listed as a co-writer on "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is Jerry Wexler.  Another song, "Smackwater Jack" was also co-written with Gerry Goffin and two songs "It's Too Late" and "Where You Lead" were co-written by Carole and Toni Stern.  

In 1972, in a first for a female writer/artist, Tapestry  won all three of the key Grammy Awards—record, song and album of the year—as well as best female vocalist honors for Carole. With more than 25 million units sold, Tapestry remained the best-selling album by a female artist for a quarter century.  The album was number one on the Billboard 200 for 15 consecutive weeks and remained on the Billboard charts for more than 300 weeks.

The VH1 TV Network named Tapestry the 39th Greatest Album Ever in 2001 and in 2003, Tapestry  was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  Also in 2003, Tapestry  was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, to be added to the National Recording Registry.  Recordings added to the National Recording Registry are selected for their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.   

The cover photograph of Carole sitting in front of a window with her hand-stitched tapestry and her cat Telemachus was taken by A&M staff photographer Jim McCrary.

*On February 19, 2016, nine days after the 45th anniversary of Tapestry's release,  the documentary film 'Carole King: Natural Woman' will air on PBS's American Masters.  Check your local listing for channel and availability.