Carole Joyner Gourley; Wrote Lyrics to ‘Young Love’

Carole Joyner Gourley, 59, who wrote the lyrics to the 1957 hit song “Young Love.” Along with her guitar-playing boyfriend Ric Cartey, Gourley wrote the song when she was an 18-year-old high school student. The melody and dreamy lyrics caught on, selling more than 2 million copies in 1957. Versions by Tab Hunter and Sonny James reached the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard chart. In later years, the song was recorded by several popular artists, including Lawrence Welk, Bobby Vinton and Donny Osmond. It has sold more than 25 million copies. On Dec. 7 in Atlanta of cancer.