Kimberly Redmond

kredmond2@lohud.com

NYACK - Although she didn't intend to sing, the boisterous crowd packed into Nyack's 8 North Broadway restaurant convinced Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Carole King to perform a little something.

King wound up belting out the chorus of "You've Got A Friend" — a message she's been sending to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ever since the former Secretary of State formally announced her White House ambitions.

The songstress's appearance at the downtown Nyack restaurant was one of several stops she made Friday to drum up support for Clinton in advance of Tuesday's New York presidential primary. The event was organized by Clinton's campaign in conjunction with the Rockland County Democratic Club.

King told the crowd of more than 100 people that she's "known Hillary for a long time" and described Clinton as someone who is "strong, solid and smart."

King said she believes Clinton has a good grasp on "the big picture and sees issues such as the economy and the environment as interwoven, rather than separate.

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"I don't want to name names," King said as she shot the attendees a knowing smile, "but Hillary is about building bridges while the other guy wants to build walls."

"When you elected her as your Senator the first time, she went to work and knew what to do. There were so many things she did as Senator and you all know because you returned her a second time to office as Senator," King said.

"It would be such a milestone to have our first woman President. A lot of the younger generation doesn't realize what my generation went through," King said. "But, gender aside, she is the best person for the job."

Born and raised in New York, King first became involved in politics when she canvassed for John F. Kennedy at the age of 21. Since then, she's lent her support to various Democratic candidates' presidential campaigns including Gary Hart, President Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

During the 2016 campaign cycle, King has turned up several events on the of Clinton campaign. Just last weekend, the pop legend performed at a fundraiser hosted by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffee.

King's appearance at the Nyack eatery was brief with her remarks lasting less than 10 minutes before she was escorted off to her next destination: a "Get Out the Vote" event in Manhattan with Chelsea Clinton and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

"Let's make sure our girl is the nominee!" King called out before leaving.

Nyack Mayor Jen Laird White said it was a thrill to meet the pop legend.

"I used to sing the songs from 'Tapestry' at the top of my lungs when I was growing up," she laughed.

Besides King, Clinton has received endorsements from a host of celebrities including Robert DeNiro, Lena Dunham, Olivia Wilde, Katy Perry, Salma Hayek, Kim Kardashian, Amy Poehler, 50 Cent, Salma Hayek, RuPaul, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Demi Lovato, Kerry Washington and America Ferrera.

Twitter: @kr0618