Carol Connors

About Carol Connors

Carol Connors, born Annette Kleinbard, is a singer-songwriter who gained early fame as lead vocalist on The Teddy Bears' 1958 number-one hit "To Know Him Is To Love Him." She co-wrote "Gonna Fly Now," the iconic Rocky theme, earning an Academy Award nomination, and penned hits including "Hey Little Cobra" and "With You I'm Born Again." She received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 1999.

In this interview

• Discusses co-writing a song for Diane Ladd's directorial debut film "Mrs. Monk" with Steve Plunkett.
• Recalls how Phil Spector wrote "To Know Him Is To Love Him" based on his father's epitaph.
• Explains that Spector fell in love with her voice and wrote the song for her.
• Praises Spector's musical genius while criticizing him as a person, calling him "a minor zero."

“I think that Phil Spector as a man of music is a hundred plus. As a human being he's a minor zero.”— Carol Connors, in this interview

Since this interview

Carol Connors published her memoir "Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story" in 2025. The audiobook version received a Grammy nomination for Best Audiobook at the 68th Grammy Awards in 2026. A documentary based on her memoir entered the film festival circuit in 2026.