Folk and ballad singer, and songwriter, born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The brother of pop-folk musicians, Alex, Kate and Livingston Taylor, as a teenager he turned to the guitar and played with brother Alex's band. In 1965 he committed himself to a psychiatric hospital for 10 months, after which he went to New York City and played with a folk-rock group, the Flying Machine. He first gained wide popularity with his album Sweet Baby James (1970), and went on to record several successful singles and albums, often singing others' songs and often with other well-known singers. In 1972 he and singer-songwriter Carly Simon were married (later divorced). His music mixed folk, rock, and blues, and is known for its easygoing rhythms and crooning style of singing. His own lyrics were often in the confessional vein.
| James Taylor | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born |
March 12, 1948 Belmont, Massachusetts, USA |
| Genre(s) | Folk rock, Soft rock, R&B |
| Affiliation(s) | The Flying Machine |
| Label(s) |
Apple (1968–1969) Warner Bros. (1970–1976) Columbia (1977–) |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Official site | www.jamestaylor.com |
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Belmont, Massachusetts.
Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his audience in the early 1970s, singing sensitive and gentle acoustic songs. He was part of a wave of soft singer-songwriters of the time that also included Carole King, Joni Mitchell, John Denver, Jackson Browne as well as Carly Simon, whom Taylor later married.
Taylor's four siblings, Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate, have also been musicians with recorded albums.
Early career
Taylor first learned the cello as a child, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, then switched to the guitar in 1960. While attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, Taylor met Danny Kortchmar at Martha's Vineyard, and the two began playing folk music together.
While living in New York City, Taylor became addicted to heroin. One night, after receiving a desperate phone call, his father (Dr. Isaac Taylor) drove to New York and 'rescued' him. Taylor later wrote a song called "Jump Up Behind Me" that paid tribute to his father's help during a time of desperate need. The song also reflects on Taylor's memories of the long drive from New York back to his home in Chapel Hill.
In 1968, Taylor moved to London. Despite the Beatles connection, and the presence of Paul McCartney and George Harrison on one track, the album did not sell very well and Taylor's addiction worsened.
1970s success
Once recovered, Taylor signed to Warner Bros. The success of this single and the album piqued interest in Taylor's first album, James Taylor, bringing the album and the single, "Carolina In My Mind", back into the charts.
Taylor worked with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys on a film, Two-Lane Blacktop, but this was unsuccessful at the time.
In 1972, Taylor returned with One Man Dog and married fellow singer-songwriter Carly Simon on November 3. It became a huge hit and remains Taylor's best selling album.
Taylor's wife, Carly Simon, was unhappy with his extended absences due to touring. After an ultimatum from her that he spend more time with their children, Ben and Sally, Taylor and Simon divorced in 1983.
Taylor signed to Columbia Records and released JT in 1977 winning another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his cover version of "Handy Man".
After collaborating with Art Garfunkel and briefly working on Broadway, Taylor took a two-year break, reappearing in 1979 with another successful album, Flag featuring a Top 40 cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Up On The Roof". Taylor also performed at the No Nukes concert in Madison Square Garden and appeared on the album and film from the concert.
1980s and 1990s
In the early 1980s Taylor's career was again beset by his continuing drug problems, his divorce from Simon, and pressures of the music business.
Taylor's two albums of original material from the 1990s were notably successful.
2000s
In 2001 Taylor wed for the third time marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, a Smith College graduate who is the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
In 2004, after his Columbia/Sony record contract was not renewed, he released James Taylor: A Christmas Album with distribution through Hallmark Cards.
Always visibly active in environmental and progressive causes, in October 2004 Taylor joined the "Vote for Change" tour playing a series of concerts in American swing states.
In December 2004, Taylor appeared as himself in an episode of The West Wing entitled "A Change Is Gonna Come".
In 2006, Taylor contributed the song "Our Town" to the animated film Cars and its soundtrack.
User Comments Add a comment…