By 1968, keyboardist Carole King had co-written, along with lyricist husband Gerry Goffin, dozens of classic songs: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “Up On The Roof,” “I’m into Something Good,” “One Fine Day,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” among others, made them among the best songwriters in the nation.

That same year, however, King and Goffin divorced. The former left their New Jersey home and relocated to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, and decided to reactivate a recording career that she had stopped (after a handful of singles, including the hit “Might As Well Rain Until September”) in 1966.

King formed a band, dubbed THE CITY. Joining her on guitar and vocals was Danny Kortchmar, who had played in The Flying Machine with James Taylor (which, incidentally, was not the band that had a hit with “Smile A Little Smile For Me,” but was referenced in Taylor’s “Fire And Rain” with the line “sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground). In 1968, Kortchmar was part of the rolling collection of musicians who backed The Fugs, the seminal proto-punk band. Also coming along from that band to join The City was bassist Charles Larkey. The aforementioned Taylor jammed with the group on a number of occasions, but ultimately opted out of becoming a member. While he was not a band member, drums would be provided by noted sessioneer Jim Gordon, who would go on the join Eric Clapton in Derek & The Dominoes and providing the ending coda for “Layla” (although it turns out he stole the melody from a song by then-girlfriend Rita Coolidge called “Time”).

In 1968, the band’s debut album, “Now That Everything’s Been Said” was released. Predictably, the album was dominated by King’s writing (still with Goffin) and singing. Just as predictably, the album produced a number of songs that would soon be covered by other artists: “Wasn’t Born To Follow” (by The Byrds, although they actually recorded it first), “A Man Without A Dream” (The Monkees), and “Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)” (Blood, Sweat & Tears). But the album was a flop, largely due to King’s reluctance to play live and a change in distributors resulting in the album simply disappearing from shelves. The band disbanded in 1969.

While the band broke up, King kept Kortchmar and Larkey (whom she married) around, and had James Taylor come back. These musicians, along with a handful of others, recorded “Tapestry,” which, upon its release in 1971, became an instant classic.

Those who take the time to listen to The City’s disc will find that it is basically “Tapestry,” but with a rougher edge and just the right amount of jazz touches. In particular, the lead track (“Snow Queen”) became a favorite of FM radio upon its rediscovery in the 1980s.