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You’ve Got a Friend: Alicia Keys Pens Heartfelt Tribute to Carole King for “People”

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Child 13/Getty ImagesRock and Roll Hall of Famer Carole King will be honored later this month as the 2014 MusiCares Person of the Year, an award given out annually by the Grammy folks to recognize performers for their artistic and charitable contributions.  To mark the occasion, People magazine has tapped Alicia Keys to pen a tribute to Carole for its new issue.

Like Carole, Alicia is a piano player who grew up in New York and discovered music at an early age.  Calling her “one of the most significant inspirations of my life,” Alicia writes, “She is pure, powerful and one of the greatest songwriters of all time!”  Pointing in particular to one of Carole’s classic compositions, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” Alicia writes, “I swear when I sit down at the piano to play [it], I can only daydream about the moment in her life that ignited what I would call a perfect song. It gives me chills!”

“She reminds us that a woman alone at a piano can be as powerful as a 30-piece orchestra or an electrifying rock band,” adds Alicia. “Her legacy is enduring, and her albums will be passed down to generations almost as a rite of passage.  I am so grateful for all the inspiration she’s given me.  I’ll never be able to thank her enough.”

Carole and Alicia performed together last year in New York City at Alicia’s annual charity event, The Black Ball.  Alicia finishes her People tribute by writing, “When I think about the fact that I can call her a friend, I almost faint!”

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio 


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