Carole King and James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name - A look at the songwriting partnership of legendary artists Carole King and James Taylor, with performances of some of their classic songs

Who are we talking about? Carole King and James Taylor, of course.

These days, it’s hard to imagine James Taylor as anything but what he looks like – a fairly ordinary 76-year-old bloke, a grandfather and family man (he has four children, including two with his ex-wife, fellow singer-songwriter Carly Simon).

He’d probably tell you he IS all these things, but as anybody who is familiar with his life and career, particularly his early years, knows that a lot of it is far from being run of the mill.

Taylor was born in 1948, the second of five children. He came from a well-off background and grew up in rural North Carolina in what would appear to be an idyllic setting, with summers spent in the exclusive region of Martha’s Vineyard – an area popular with the Kennedy clan.

However, in his teens he suffered from depression and was institutionalised; two of his younger siblings, Livingston and Kate, would also spend time there.

Taylor would eventually begin a music career which was threatened by an addiction to heroin. Nevertheless, he became the first non-British artist to be signed by the Beatles’ Apple Records; his 1970 album Sweet Baby James (the title refers to his namesake nephew ratther than himself) is still regarded as a classic. It also featured the talents of Carole King.

Even if she had never scored a hit in her own name, King could still claim to be one of the most successful songwriters of all time – along with her then-husband Gerry Goffin she wrote classics including Will You Love Me Tomorrow (for The Shirelles), The Loco-Motion (for Little Eva) and One Fine Day (The Chiffons).

After they divorced in 1968, she launched a hugely successful solo career as a recording artist, which included the 25-milllion-selling album Tapestry – it remains one of the bestselling LPs of all time and features You’ve Got a Friend; Taylor’s version became a hit in 1971, the same year as Tapestry’s release.

King and Taylor have been pals ever since those heady days; they’ve recorded and performed together on numerous occasions, as this documentary from acclaimed director Frank Marshall discusses in detail. It also features performances of some of their biggest hits, as well as footage of their Troubadour reunion shows from 2007.

And if that’s not enough King/Taylor action for you, the rest of BBC Two’s evening schedule is dedicated to the duo, beginning with concerts from each of them recorded in 1971. They’re followed by King’s Central Park gig from 1973 (11.25pm), documentary profile Carole King: Natural Woman (12.45am) and, last but not least, clips from the archive in Carole King and Her Songs at the BBC (1.40am).

After hours of such gentle, soothing music, you should at least get a good night’s sleep!