Charles Larkey is an American musician and bassist whose career became connected with important sounds of the 1960s and 1970s. He played with The Fugs and The City.
He became widely recognized through his bass work, collaborations with other musicians, and marriage to singer-songwriter Carole King. His contribution to several recordings remains an important part of his story.
This biography explores Charles Larkey’s music career, bands, recordings, relationship with Carole King, marriage, children, artistic contributions, private lifestyle, and the lasting place his work holds in American music.
Quick Facts
| Personal Detail |
Information |
| Full Name |
Charles Larkey |
| Also Known As |
Charlie Larkey |
| Nationality |
American |
| Profession |
Musician, Bassist |
| Main Instrument |
Bass |
| Music Era |
1960s and 1970s |
| Known For |
The Fugs and The City |
| Former Wife |
Carole King |
| Marriage |
1970–1976 |
| Daughter |
Molly Larkey |
| Son |
Levi Larkey |
| Major Album With The City |
Now That Everything’s Been Said |
| Music Styles |
Rock, Pop, Folk-Rock |
| Public Lifestyle |
Private |
Early Life and Background
Charles Larkey spent his early years in the United States, where his interest in music gradually became an important part of his life. His childhood remained mostly separate from public attention.
His family background, parents, siblings, and early home life were never major subjects of interviews or media discussions. Instead, Charles became better known through the professional path he later created in music.
As he entered the American music scene, bass became his main instrument. His developing skills eventually helped him work with creative musicians and become associated with notable groups during the 1960s.
Education and Musical Development
Charles Larkey’s education has never become a major part of his public biography, and his musical career provides a clearer picture of his development. He became skilled in bass and eventually worked with different forms of the instrument, including electric, acoustic, and string bass. His professional credits also connect him with composition, production, and group membership, showing that his experience extended beyond simply playing one instrument.
During an era when musicians often developed through bands, performances, recording sessions, and collaboration, Charles built practical experience within the music world. These abilities later allowed him to contribute to several different projects and work comfortably alongside established songwriters and performers.
Beginning His Professional Music Career
Charles developed his career mainly as a bassist, becoming active during a period when American popular music was changing quickly. Rock was mixing with folk, poetry, protest music, and experimental sounds, giving musicians opportunities to explore different creative directions. His ability to support songs through rhythm made bass his most recognizable musical role. Charles was not primarily known as a frontman or celebrity performer.
Instead, he worked within groups and recording projects where musicians depended on one another to create a complete sound. This supporting position became an important feature of his career and eventually connected him with The Fugs, The City, Carole King, and several other recording artists.
Charles Larkey and The Fugs
One of the earliest important chapters in Charles Larkey’s career was his association with The Fugs. The group emerged from New York’s underground music scene and developed an unusual sound combining rock, folk, poetry, satire, and protest. Charles played bass with the group and was sometimes credited professionally as Charlie Larkey.
His involvement placed him inside a creative environment very different from conventional commercial pop music. He remained connected with the band during part of its active 1960s period, including recording work and touring. His experience with The Fugs gave him a place within the experimental side of American music before his career moved toward softer singer-songwriter and folk-rock projects.
His Recordings With The Fugs
Charles Larkey’s work with The Fugs included recording activity during the 1960s. He was connected with sessions surrounding The Fugs Second Album, recorded during 1966 and 1967. His name also became associated with releases including Tenderness Junction, It Crawled into My Hand, Honest, Golden Filth, and The Belle of Avenue A.
These recordings represent a meaningful part of his early professional history because they show him working within a distinctive underground group before later projects changed the direction of his career. The experience also placed Charles among musicians willing to experiment with different styles rather than remaining inside the traditional boundaries of mainstream popular music.
Joining The City
After his involvement with The Fugs, Charles became part of The City, a group that represented another important stage of his musical journey. Its central lineup brought together Carole King on piano and vocals, Danny Kortchmar on guitar and vocals, and Charles on bass. Drummer Jim Gordon also contributed to the group’s recordings.
Carole was hesitant about the demands of performing regularly, while Charles supported the idea of concentrating more strongly on recording. This arrangement suited a group whose strength came from songwriting and studio collaboration. Although The City existed for a relatively short period, it connected Charles directly with musicians who would become closely associated with the singer-songwriter movement.
The City’s Now That Everything’s Been Said Album
The City released Now That Everything’s Been Said in 1968, with Charles Larkey playing bass on the album. It became the group’s main studio release and an important entry in his discography. The project combined the talents of Carole King, Danny Kortchmar, Charles, and drummer Jim Gordon, creating music that stood between late-1960s pop and the developing singer-songwriter style.
The City did not continue as a long-running recording group, yet its single album later gained additional interest because of the musicians involved. For Charles, the record demonstrated his ability to support songwriting-focused music and marked an important transition from his earlier work with The Fugs.
His Style as a Bass Player
Charles Larkey’s musical role was built around support rather than showmanship. Bass provides the connection between rhythm and harmony, helping drums, vocals, piano, and guitar work together naturally. His work suited songs where emotion and songwriting were more important than dramatic instrumental solos. This became especially useful as his career moved toward the warmer folk-pop and singer-songwriter sound associated with The City and Carole King.
A bassist working in this style needs control, timing, and an understanding of when to remain understated. Charles’s career demonstrates the importance of musicians whose contribution may not dominate a recording but gives the song stability, depth, and a stronger musical foundation.
Working With Carole King
Charles Larkey and Carole King shared both a professional and personal connection. Their musical relationship developed before they became husband and wife, giving them a common creative interest that remained important during their years together. Charles played bass on work connected with Carole’s solo career, including Writer, released in 1970, and Music, released in 1971.
These projects came during an important period when Carole was establishing herself as a solo recording artist. Charles’s bass playing supported music centered on vocals, piano, lyrics, and melody. Their collaboration therefore became more than a family connection, as Charles participated directly in recordings from an important stage of Carole’s career.
Other Music Credits
Charles Larkey’s professional history reaches beyond The Fugs, The City, and his work with Carole King. His recording career has also been associated with artists such as Paul Williams, Jo Mama, Jimmie Spheeris, Peter Keane, and Mark Viator. His individual role varied across different projects, but these connections demonstrate the wider nature of his work as a musician.
His credits have included electric bass, acoustic bass, string bass, composition, production, and membership in musical groups. This variety helps explain why his career should not be viewed through only one band or relationship. He spent years participating in the collaborative environment that supports professional recording artists.
Charles Larkey and Carole King’s First Connection
Charles knew Carole King through music before their relationship became romantic. He played bass within the musical circle connected with Carole and her first husband, Gerry Goffin. King and Goffin were both married and a successful songwriting partnership during the earlier part of her career. After Carole and Gerry separated, Charles and Carole’s relationship developed further, and they began living together.
Music therefore formed an important foundation for their connection from the beginning. Their relationship was shaped by shared creative experiences, musicians they knew, and recording projects. That professional connection eventually became a marriage and produced another major chapter in Charles’s personal life.
Marriage to Carole King
Charles Larkey married Carole King in 1970, becoming her second husband. Their marriage combined creative collaboration with family responsibilities during a period when Carole’s solo career was developing rapidly. They enjoyed making music together, and their shared artistic background gave them an important connection.
Over time, however, their preferred ways of living began moving in different directions. Charles remained strongly interested in playing with bands and participating in the musician’s lifestyle, which could involve spending extended periods away. Carole increasingly preferred a more home-centered way of life. Their marriage lasted approximately six years before the couple eventually divorced in 1976.
What Led to Charles Larkey and Carole King’s Divorce
The end of Charles and Carole’s marriage appears closely connected with differences in the lives they wanted to lead. Charles remained deeply interested in performing, working with bands, and following the schedule that accompanied professional music. Carole had reached a point where that lifestyle no longer suited what she wanted personally.
Their separation was therefore connected with different priorities rather than simply their shared musical interests. Music had originally helped bring them together and remained something they enjoyed, but it could not remove the differences developing in their daily lives. Their divorce was completed in 1976, ending their marriage while leaving their musical and family connection as part of both biographies.
Charles Larkey’s Children
Charles Larkey and Carole King became parents to two children during their marriage. Their daughter, Molly Larkey, was born in 1970, while their son, Levi Larkey, was born in 1974. Both children grew up connected with an important musical family but developed lives that were considerably less public than their mother’s international career.
Family remains a meaningful part of Charles’s biography because his years with Carole included both professional collaboration and parenthood. Even after their marriage ended, Molly and Levi continued to represent the lasting family connection between them. Their individual creative interests also show how artistic activity remained present within another generation of the family.
Life Away From the Spotlight
As the years passed, Charles Larkey became increasingly removed from public attention. His strongest public identity remains tied to his earlier music career, especially his work during the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike performers who continue appearing regularly in interviews, entertainment coverage, and public events, Charles has maintained a quieter lifestyle.
His current daily activities and personal life have remained private, allowing his historical music credits to speak for much of his career. This distance from celebrity culture also explains why interest in him often begins with older albums, The Fugs, The City, or Carole King rather than with recent public appearances or entertainment news.
Charles Larkey’s Musical Legacy
Charles Larkey’s story demonstrates how important supporting musicians are to the creation of memorable records. His career connects several different areas of American music, beginning with the experimental underground world of The Fugs and moving toward The City and the softer singer-songwriter recordings associated with Carole King.
He was never required to become the central public figure for his work to have value. Bassists create structure, strengthen rhythm, and allow other performers to build around them. Charles performed that role across different musical environments. His surviving credits give listeners a way to trace his contribution and understand his place within an important period of American recording history.
Charles Larkey’s Net Worth and Earnings
Charles Larkey earned money through his long career as a musician and bassist. His work included performing with The Fugs and The City, along with contributing to recordings by Carole King and other artists.
His income would have mainly come from recording sessions, music performances, album work, and other professional projects. His career covered an important period of American rock, pop, and folk-related music.
Charles has kept his financial life private, so there is no reliable net worth figure to give. His professional history is better understood through his music credits and career achievements rather than estimated wealth.
Charles Larkey’s Life Today
Charles Larkey has lived a quiet life away from the entertainment spotlight in more recent years. Unlike his earlier music career, he rarely appears in interviews, public events, or major entertainment coverage.
His best-known professional work remains connected with The Fugs, The City, and recordings involving Carole King. These projects continue to introduce his name to listeners interested in classical American music.
Today, Charles is mainly remembered through his bass work and musical credits from the 1960s and 1970s. His low-profile lifestyle has kept his current residence, daily activities, and recent music projects largely private.
Final Thoughts
Charles Larkey built a meaningful career as an American bassist during the 1960s and 1970s. His time with The Fugs connected him with experimental rock, while The City introduced a softer folk-pop sound.
He also worked on recordings connected with Carole King and collaborated with other musicians throughout his career. His bass playing provided rhythm and support without taking attention away from the songs themselves.
Charles was married to Carole from 1970 to 1976, and they had two children, Molly and Levi. Beyond this relationship, his work with notable bands and recordings remains an important part of his musical story.
FAQs
Who is Charles Larkey?
Charles Larkey is an American musician and bassist known for his work with The Fugs and The City. He was active during an important period of American music and also worked on recordings connected with Carole King.
What is Charles Larkey famous for?
Charles Larkey is famous for playing bass with The Fugs and The City. He also gained public attention through his musical collaboration and marriage with singer-songwriter Carole King during the 1970s.
Was Charles Larkey married to Carole King?
Yes, Charles Larkey married Carole King in 1970. Their relationship included music, marriage, and family life. They remained together for around six years before their marriage ended in divorce in 1976.
How many children does Charles Larkey have?
Charles Larkey and Carole King have two children together. Their daughter, Molly Larkey, was born in 1970, while their son, Levi Larkey, was born in 1974. Both have lived relatively private lives.
What bands did Charles Larkey play in?
Charles Larkey played bass with The Fugs before becoming a member of The City. The City included Carole King and Danny Kortchmar, while drummer Jim Gordon also contributed to the group’s recordings.
What instrument does Charles Larkey play?
Charles Larkey is mainly known for playing bass. His music credits include electric bass, acoustic bass, and string bass. His playing helped provide rhythm and musical support across several rock, pop, and folk-related recordings.
What albums did Charles Larkey work on?
Charles Larkey played on The City’s Now That Everything’s Been Said and was connected with several recordings by The Fugs. His career also included bass work on Carole King’s albums Writer and Music.
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