James Taylor

James Taylor typically comes to mind whenever the label "singer/songwriter," frequently paired with the adjective "sensitive," surfaces in either complimentary or dismissive contexts. Appearing in the early 1970s armed with reflective compositions, an acoustic instrument, and a restrained, understated vocal manner, he captured the emotional depletion felt by a generation after years of social upheaval. Much as Bing Crosby's soothing delivery helped steer the nation through the Great Depression and World War II, Taylor smoothed the passage from 1960s protest movements and their resulting disappointments into the comparatively apolitical and self-focused 1970s. Recognition followed in the shape of multiple successful albums and singles—many of the latter, unexpectedly, being reinterpretations of earlier material rather than his own writing—while he outlasted his initial celebrity to enjoy sustained commercial viability. He maintained a profitable touring schedule across decades, and after the pivotal 1970 album Sweet Baby James nearly every subsequent studio release through the end of the century earned gold or platinum certification, with the 1976 collection Greatest Hits attaining diamond status for surpassing ten million copies sold. His stature was already secure at the century's turn, marked by inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000. Although later work largely consisted of carefully selected cover projects, concert recordings, and seasonal releases, he resurfaced roughly once per decade with another strong original album, most notably securing his first chart-topping position with Before This World in 2015.

Taylor was born to Dr. Isaac Taylor and Gertrude Taylor. His three brothers—Alex (1947-1993), Livingston, and Hugh—along with his sister Kate, each pursued music careers and issued their own albums. In 1951 Dr. Taylor accepted the position of dean at the University of North Carolina medical school in Chapel Hill, prompting the family's relocation from New England to the South. Taylor began cello lessons in childhood yet first picked up the guitar in 1960. He entered Milton Academy, a Massachusetts preparatory school, in 1963. That same summer on Martha's Vineyard he encountered guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, and the pair started a folk duo. Taylor left school at age 16 and started a band alongside his brother Alex. After relocating to New York he experienced depression and voluntarily entered McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts, an experience that later shaped several early songs. He completed high school requirements while there. Following his release he returned to New York in 1966 and assembled the Flying Machine with Kortchmar and Joel O'Brien. The group performed in Greenwich Village and secured a deal with the new Rainy Day Records imprint, whose name derived from Taylor's composition "Rainy Day Man." The label issued one single, "Brighten Your Night with My Day" backed with "Night Owl," both written by Taylor. The record failed to connect and the band dissolved in spring 1967.

By 1968 Taylor had developed a heroin dependency. Seeking to break the addiction he relocated to London and submitted a demo to Peter Asher, formerly of Peter & Gordon and then an Apple Records executive. This led to a contract with Apple and the recording of his debut solo album, James Taylor, issued in the U.K. in December 1968 and the U.S. in February 1969. Initial response remained modest. A more immediate problem was his continued inability to overcome heroin use, which prompted a return to the United States and admission to Austin Riggs Hospital in Massachusetts. By July 1969 he had recovered enough to make his solo debut at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, yet shortly afterward he suffered a motorcycle accident that broke both hands and sidelined him for months.

Released from his Apple contract, Taylor signed with Warner Bros., settled in California, and, keeping Asher as manager and producer, cut his second album, Sweet Baby James. Issued in February 1970, it grew into a major hit over the following year, driven by the single "Fire and Rain," which drew on his institutional experiences and climbed into the Top Five in October, the same month Sweet Baby James reached the same position on the album charts. Renewed interest lifted his first album and the single "Carolina on My Mind" onto the charts, along with the short compilation James Taylor & the Original Flying Machine: 1967 drawn from the earlier band's unfinished tapes. Sweet Baby James yielded a second hit, "Country Road," which entered the Top 40 in March 1971. That month Taylor appeared on the cover of Time magazine, presented as the originator and chief exponent of the emerging "singer/songwriter" movement.

Taylor also took a role in the film Two-Lane Blacktop alongside Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. The picture underperformed commercially and he did not pursue acting further, though later critical opinion has viewed it more favorably. He next prepared a new album, Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon, which reached stores in April 1971. While he toured the country the LP held a summer position in the Top Ten, ultimately peaking just below the summit and paced by its lead single, Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," which ascended to number one in July and earned gold certification. Follow-up single "Long Ago and Far Away" reached the Top 40, and the album ultimately surpassed two million copies sold. On March 14, 1972, Taylor received the 1971 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "You've Got a Friend."

Taylor took an unusually extended interval—more than eighteen months—to deliver his next album, One Man Dog, released in November 1972. On November 3, 1972, during a concert at Radio City Music Hall he informed the audience that he had married singer/songwriter Carly Simon earlier that day. Simon had already scored hits with "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and "Anticipation" and would soon top the charts with "You're So Vain." One Man Dog registered a dip in sales yet still went gold, reached the Top Five, and produced the Top 20 single "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

Taylor reemerged in January 1974 with a duet alongside his wife, "Mockingbird," a cover of the 1963 Inez & Charlie Foxx hit, included on her Hotcakes album. Issued as a single, the track climbed to the Top Five and achieved gold status. That spring he mounted an extensive tour ahead of Walking Man, released in June. Although it entered the Top 20 the album underperformed commercially, missing gold certification and failing to yield a charting single. Taylor recovered the following year with Gorilla, released in May. Success again arrived via an older cover, this time Marvin Gaye's 1964 "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," which reached the Top Five and propelled the album into the Top Ten with gold sales.

In the Pocket, Taylor's seventh album, appeared in June 1976 as his third consecutive summer release. Its single, the original "Shower the People," entered the Top 40 while the album reached the Top 20 and earned gold status. Approaching the close of his Warner Bros. agreement, Taylor re-recorded two Apple-era songs for the November release of Greatest Hits, which became a steady catalog seller. Shortly thereafter he secured a contract with Columbia. His label debut, JT, arrived in June 1977. Once more a cover boosted its performance: Taylor's version of Jimmy Jones's 1959 "Handy Man" reached the Top Five, followed by the Top 20 placement of his own "Your Smiling Face." These tracks helped JT reach the Top Five and surpass two million copies sold. On February 23, 1978, Taylor claimed a second Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for "Handy Man."

He joined Paul Simon as a featured vocalist on Art Garfunkel's cover of "(What A) Wonderful World," a former hit for Sam Cooke and Herman's Hermits, which peaked in the Top 20 in March 1978. Taylor next contributed three songs to the Broadway musical Working, adapted from Studs Terkel's book. The production closed after only 25 performances following its May 14, 1978 opening, yet Taylor retained "Millworker" and "Brother Trucker" for his subsequent album. Meanwhile his duet with Carly Simon on a revival of the Everly Brothers' "Devoted to You" reached the Top 40 in September.

Flag, following nearly two years between albums, appeared in April 1979; its Top 40 single was a cover of the Drifters' 1963 hit "Up on the Roof." Despite lacking a major single the album entered the Top Ten and went platinum. That September Taylor performed at Madison Square Garden during the No Nukes concerts, later appearing on the resulting triple album and concert film.

He launched a national tour in summer 1980 without a new album to support. From this point onward regular touring formed a consistent element of his career and helped sustain his long-term audience. That fall he contributed "Jelly Man Kelly" to the children's album In Harmony 2, which won the 1981 Grammy for Best Recording for Children. Extensive touring continued through 1981, culminating in the February release of Dad Loves His Work. The album reached the Top Ten and earned gold certification, propelled by the Top Ten single "Her Town Too," co-written with J.D. Souther and Waddy Wachtel and marking Taylor's most successful original composition since "Fire and Rain."

Taylor maintained a heavy touring schedule through the early 1980s as his marriage to Carly Simon ended in divorce in 1983. Many performances occurred abroad. In January 1985 he appeared at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, resulting in the Brazil-only live album Live in Rio. His next studio album, That's Why I'm Here, arrived in October 1985 after a gap of more than four years. As customary the label released a cover as the single, Buddy Holly's "Everyday," which achieved modest chart placement. Nevertheless Taylor's established following ensured the album eventually went platinum. On December 14, 1985, he married Kathryn Walker; one month later he resumed touring in Australia.

Touring remained his principal activity through the mid-1980s, yet he completed another album, Never Die Young, released in January 1988. The title track barely charted as a single, but the album sold a million copies. Worldwide touring continued through the late 1980s and early 1990s. New Moon Shine, his thirteenth regular studio album, appeared in October 1991, the same month he sold out six consecutive nights at New York's Paramount Theater; the album remained on the charts for nearly a year and sold a million copies.

Although a consistent concert draw, Taylor had never issued a domestic live album until the August 1993 release of Live, a two-disc set that achieved platinum status within months. Columbia, lacking a prior career-spanning compilation, distilled it into a single-disc hits collection titled Best Live in 1994. Taylor's second marriage ended in divorce in 1996. His next studio album, Hourglass, released in May 1997, entered the Top Ten, confirming his continued appeal. On February 25, 1998, it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Pop Album. In October of that year Columbia issued the DVD Live at the Beacon Theatre while Billboard presented Taylor with its Century Award.

By 2000 Taylor's original Greatest Hits collection had surpassed ten million copies sold, earning the RIAA Diamond Award. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, and Columbia closed the year with Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, spanning 1977-1997. After a five-year wait for new material, October Road appeared in 2002, receiving two Grammy nominations and eventually going platinum. A year later The Best of James Taylor became the first compilation to encompass his Apple, Warner Bros., and Columbia eras. In 2004 he guest-starred on the television series The West Wing, released a Christmas album, and performed the national anthem before game two of the World Series. Two years later he issued James Taylor at Christmas and contributed to the soundtrack of the Pixar film Cars. In 2007 the CD/DVD One Man Band appeared on the Hear Music label. A collection of twelve covers, titled Covers, followed in 2008, also on Hear Music, with the sequel Other Covers arriving in 2009.

After a successful joint tour with Carole King, the pair released the concert CD/DVD Live at the Troubadour in 2010. Never reluctant to express political views, Taylor participated in Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, performing at the Democratic National Convention and at the president's second inauguration in January 2013. In April 2015 he premiered the single "Today, Today, Today" ahead of Before This World. Featuring appearances by Sting and Yo-Yo Ma, the album marked Taylor's first collection of original material since October Road; released June 16 it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming his first chart-topping release. Another five years elapsed before he returned with American Standard in 2020, interpreting selections from the Great American Songbook.