Whose biography would a voyeuristic baby boomer with former rock star aspirations, probably female, drool over? Grace Slick? Janis Joplin? Laura Nyro?

How about a triple header featuring Carole King, Carly Simon, and (drumroll) Joni Mitchell? I might have traded Carly Simon in for Laura Nyro but thus far, Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller is pretty darn good. 

I’m a Joni Mitchell (forgive me) worshipper, a Carole King admirer, and somewhat appreciative of Carly Simon’s music.  When it comes to female vocalists, I’m a mite critical and usually insert myself into an imaginary ring positing whether or not I could hold my own. In the cases of Joni and Carole, it’s impossible. With Carly, probably not, but I can dream. (Notice who’s on the world stage and who isn’t…)

The book is about 575 pages and I’m still only in 1969 on page 203. The author crafts a good biography and segments it into years rather than lives. Therefore, I’m reading about 30 pages at a time about each diva. (which is perfect for my gnat’s attention span). Everybody’s there. Weller almost tells more than I need to know, especially when the asterisks appear and we learn the too detailed back story of accompanying characters. Some of it’s interesting, but some of it is just too much.

But, learning the background of these music icons is pure delight.  Picture Carole King writing hit after hit still a teenager, married to her master lyricist husband, Gerry Goffin, with a baby on her knee. Working in a songwriting mill, pumping out one classic after another.

There’s a window into Carly Simon’s unconventional yet privileged family between New York and Connecticut and lots of name dropping of future trendsetters and newsmakers from the Sarah Lawrence campus.  Who wouldn’t get a vicarious thrill when traveling to the south of France with Simon’s novelist beau?

Meanwhile, in a small town in Saskatchewan,  Joni Mitchell’s evolving from beauty queen to art student to  bohemian talent. We watch her belly grow bigger behind her guitar as she goes through a very solitary pregnancy. The heart wrenching result: adoption.

And, except for Carole King’s career jump as a prolific songwriter, none of the three have yet to realize their solo careers as important minstrels to an entire generation. (None have yet met James Taylor, either, a fellow who touches their lives in one way or another)

I count myself as a lifelong fan of at least Carole King since I’m sure I was doing a 7-year-old’s version of the  “mashed potatoes”  to her hit, “the Loco-Motion,” at  my older sister Pam’s parties.  And, I’m not talking about the version by Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 or Kylie Minogue in 1988.  It was the first genesis of the song by Little Eva, a 19 year old girl from King’s NJ neighborhood.

Joni Mitchell’s music began to permeate my life (and still does) at age 14 when my friend Jackie and I would steel away to the woods with my guitar to harmonize folky tunes. 

I’m at the part of the book where King is splitting with Goffen, moving to Los Angeles where the stage will be set for her to launch Tapestry. I can just feel it (and the earth move under my feet).  As with many adolescent girls of that era, the songs from Tapestry are markers in our personal histories. I’m sure lots of us are still emotionally triggered by some of these songs.

Joni Mitchell will soon emerge from playing traditional folk songs like Sloop John B to her quintessential Joni originals. (I will swoon). Carly Simon will emerge from her family duo with sister Lucy to write iconic tunes like “Anticipation.” 

I have a long way to go before I reach the current century but I’m savoring all the stops along the way. As a book lover and a rabid music fan, especially of great women singer/songwriters, I look forward to returning to the pages of Girls Like Us. Let me know what you’re reading. Anything out of the ordinary for you? Next on my list, The Girl From Foreign by Sadi Shepard. (Those are the books I want to hear about!)

I may sling a good self-help book or two, but my momentary lapse into voyeuristic baby boomer lit is very satisfying.

Maybe inspiring enough to dust off and tune up one of those guitars hiding in the spare bedroom.

p.s. Sorry Carly, my King and Mitchell pedestals are so tall, it’s hard to picture room for anyone else way up there

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