James Taylor

Singer, songwriter, guitar player

Veteran performer James Taylor ushered in the singer/songwriter movement in the early 1970s and refined his style over the course of three decades, all the while maintaining the distinct musical craftsmanship that had led to his early success. Taylor appeared on the cover of Time in 1971 and was touted by the magazine as the originator of the singer/songwriter era. In 1997, 26 years later, Bob Kurson of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote of a live Taylor performance, "Even the most militant atheist … would have sworn that James Taylor's voice was a gift from God. … Taylor's voice resonates with a thousand personalities." Kurson wrote of Taylor's guitar playing, "There are guitarists—terrific guitarists—who would gleefully trade their firstborns to play an acoustic like Taylor." Blessed with a loyal fan base, Taylor's albums have routinely reached gold and platinum status.

Overcame Drugs and Depression

Taylor was born James Vernon Taylor on March 12, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, as one of five children born to Dr. Isaac and Gertrude Taylor. His siblings included brothers Alex, Livingston, and Hugh, and sister Kate Taylor, all of whom would eventually become recording artists in their own right. Three years after he was born, the family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father had accepted a position as Dean of the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill Medical School. Starting at the age of five Taylor attended Milton Academy, a prep school located outside of Boston. By the time Taylor was eight, he had already studied cello and had expressed a desire to play guitar.

His parents gave him a guitar in 1960, and by 1963—at the age of 15—he was playing folk songs at local venues on Martha's Vineyard with close friend Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar. He dropped out of Milton Academy during his junior year, and joined a band called The Fabulous Corsairs with his brother Alex and Zach Weisner. Weisner was replaced a few months later with Jerry Burnham. In 1965, at the age of 17, Taylor moved to New York City and soon afterwards, admitted himself for ten months to the McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts to be treated for depression. His song "Knocking Round the Zoo" was inspired by his stay there.

In 1966 Taylor graduated from high school while still at the McLean Psychiatric Hospital, and then joined Kortchmar and O'Brien to form The Flying Machine. Although they created studio recordings at the time, their material was not released until 1971 under the name James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine. The band stayed together for only one year. Taylor began using heroin in 1968. He moved to London, recorded demos, and was introduced to Paul McCartney by producer Peter Asher. Taylor became the first outside artist signed to the Beatles' record label, Apple Records. However, his debut disc, James Taylor, was released in England with little success. Subsequently Taylor returned to the United States and admitted himself into the Austin Riggs psychiatric hospital in Maryland, where he was treated for heroin addiction and depression.

A year later in 1969, James Taylor was released in America. Taylor was signed to Warner Brothers Records and moved to California with Asher. The role of the former Peter & Gordon singer should not be overlooked. Asher—who also produced such acts as Cher, Linda Rondstadt, Diana Ross, and Randy Newman—knew how to frame Taylor's voice with sparse arrangements so the singer's warm, expressive vocals were never overshadowed. As a result, Taylor's early work still sounds as fresh and intimate as it did when it was first recorded.

For the Record …

Born James Vernon Taylor on March 12, 1948, in Boston, MA, son of Dr. Isaac (university dean) and Gertrude Taylor; married Carly Simon (a singer), 1972 (divorced, 1982); married Kathryn Walker, 1985, (divorced, 1996); married Kim Smedvig (a Boston Symphony executive), 2001; children: Ben and Sally (with Simon), Henry and Rufus (with Smedvig).

Studied cello as a child; took up the guitar at age 12; played folk songs at local venues on Martha's Vineyard with close friend Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar as a teen; joined band The Fabulous Corsairs with his brother Alex and Jerry Burnham; moved to New York City; formed band The Flying Machine with Kortchmar and O'Brien; released demo material as James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine, 1971; first outside artist signed to Apple Records; released James Taylor in U.K., 1968, and U.S, 1969; released Sweet Baby James, 1970; released single "Fire & Rain," 1970; featured on cover of Time, 1971; released single "Don't Let Me Be Lonely," 1972; with Carly Simon, released duet "Mockingbird," 1974; released Gorilla and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," 1975; has appeared on numerous network television programs, including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Today Show, The Early Show, and the 1997 special James Taylor Live.

Awards: Grammy Awards: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "You've Got A Friend," 1972; Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "Handy Man," 1978; Best Children's Recording, for In Harmony Sesame Street, 1981; Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for Hourglass, 1997; Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," 2001; (with Alison Krause) Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for "How's the World Treating You," 2004; Lifetime Achievement Award at 1998 Billboard Music Awards; inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, 2000; inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2000; named MusiCares Person of the Year, 2005.

Addresses: Record company-Columbia/Sony, 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022 Official label website - http://www.sonybmgmusic.com. Website—Official artist website: http://www.jamestaylor.com.

When Sweet Baby James was released in 1970 it rose to number one on the charts and became a bestseller for two years. The popular single "Fire & Rain" was released in 1970 as well, and Sweet Baby James was soon certified as platinum. Taylor performed with Joni Mitchell on a BBC radio show in 1970, and his career was permanently launched.

Singer/Songwriter Era

Taylor was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1971 as the originator of the burgeoning singer/songwriter movement. His popularity was such that the demos he cut with his former band were compiled and rush-released as James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine. The hit single "You've Got A Friend" was released in 1971, and Taylor toured 27 cities with his band, which included Carole King and Kootch's band, Jo Mama. Taylor won a Grammy Award in 1972 for "You've Got A Friend." The song also garnered a Grammy for Carole King for Song of the Year. Taylor released the single "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" in 1972. That same year he married singer Carly Simon, with whom he had a son, Ben, and a daughter, Sally.

Taylor and Simon released a duet remake of Inez and Charles Foxx's 1963 hit "Mockingbird" in 1974, which was featured on Simon's Hotcakes album and became a million seller. Turning increasingly towards the Adult Contemporary sound, Taylor released Gorilla and scored a smash hit in 1975 with his soothing rendition of Marvin Gaye's 1965 hit "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)." That year he played at Carnegie Hall with King and David Crosby. He released the single "Shower The People" in 1976 and toured with saxophonist David Sanborn. Later that year the platinum selling James Taylor's Greatest Hits was released, followed by James Taylor a year later, also reaching platinum status. In 1978 he received a Grammy Award for his tasteful remake of Jimmy Jones's 1960 hit "Handy Man," while Peter Asher won a Grammy for Producer of the Year for his work with Taylor. Taylor won another Grammy in 1981 for Best Children's Recording for In Harmony Sesame Street. In 1982 Taylor performed for more than a million fans in New York City's Central Park as part of a nuclear disarmament rally, which also included performances by Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, and Linda Ronstadt. The concert was aired nationally on radio and filmed for In Our Own Hands.

Taylor and Simon divorced in 1982. Taylor's 1981 release, Dad Loves His Work, was later viewed as a response to an ultimatum delivered by Simon over the amount of time Taylor spent touring. Three years later he married Kathryn Walker at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. They divorced in 1996. Taylor performed in 1985 at the first rock festival held in Moscow, highlights of which were shown on the Showtime cable network.

Further Success and Personal Losses

Taylor's 1969 Apple debut was reissued in 1991 by EMI Records, followed by James Taylor Live in 1993, which sold more than a million copies. James Taylor Best Live was released in 1994, and a year later he received an honorary doctorate of music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he delivered the college's commencement speech. The year 1996 was a turbulent one for Taylor: he and Walker divorced, his father died at the age of 75, and producer and band member Don Grolnick died of cancer. Taylor's 1997 release, Hourglass, reflected his losses and an acute awareness of the brevity of life. It opened and peaked at number nine on the Billboard charts, with more than 70,000 copies sold in the first week of its release. Taylor performed at the VH1 Honors benefit concert in Los Angeles, and performed on the A&E network's Live By Request show.

An Icon of Soft Rock

Taylor has collaborated with a diverse group of musicians throughout his long career, including his ex-wife Simon, King, Mitchell, Karla Bonoff, Steve Winwood, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, sister Kate Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, George Jones, Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento, Neil Young, Crosby and Graham Nash, Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Buffett, and the Roches and John Hall of Hall & Oates. Meanwhile, Taylor's grown children Ben and Sarah began professional music careers of their own, recording for the independent Iris and Blue Elbow labels respectively, and the two have occasionally traded background musical contributions with their illustrious parents.

Still a soft rock icon, Taylor's voice and style has remained intact and he still communicates with integrity and personal ease. His Academy Award-nominated version of Randy Newman's "Our Town," in the 2006 animated feature film Cars, rings with compassion and poignancy. With the exception of 2002's October Road, Taylor's later recordings have featured less original songwriting and more interpretations of other people's songs. Far from feeling creatively stifled, however, Taylor has seemed happy, especially in his third marriage to Boston Symphony executive Kim Smedvig; they have twin boys, Henry and Rufus, born to them through a surrogate mother. When not touring, the singer delights in his second time around as a father. "It's always the most compelling thing and it draws your focus right to the center of the culture, even at a time when you would think to be choosing your own path," he told SFGate.Com. "You are dragged kicking and screaming right into the minivan center. It really reattaches you to life in a way nothing else can."

Selected discography

Singles

"Fire And Rain," Warner, 1970.

"Country Road," Warner, 1971.

"You've Got a Friend," Warner, 1971.

"Long Ago and Far Away," Warner, 1971.

"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," Warner, 1972.

(With Carly Simon) "Mockingbird," Elektra, 1974.

"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," Warner, 1975.

"Mexico," Warner, 1975.

"Shower the People," Warner 1976.

"Handy Man," Columbia, 1977.

"Your Smiling Face," Columbia, 1977.

(With Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle) "(What a) Wonderful World," Columbia, 1978.

(With Carly Simon) "Devoted to You," Elektra, 1978.

"Up On The Roof," Columbia, 1979.

(With J.D. Souther) "Her Town Too," Columbia, 1981.

"Everyday," Columbia, 1985.

"Only One," Columbia, 1986.

"That's Why I'm Here," Columbia, 1986.

"Time With You," Columbia, 1997.

"On the 4th of July," Columbia, 2002.

"Whenever You're Ready," Columbia, 2002.

"September Grass," Columbia, 2003.

Albums

James Taylor, Apple Records, 1968; reissued, EMI Records, 1991.

Sweet Baby James, Warner Brothers Records, 1970.

James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine, Euphoria Records, 1971; reissued, Gadfly Records, 1996.

Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon, Warner Brothers, 1971.

One Man Dog, Warner Brothers, 1972.

Walking Man, Warner Brothers, 1974.

Gorilla, Warner Brothers, 1975.

In The Pocket, Warner Brothers, 1976.

Greatest Hits, Warner Brothers, 1976.

James Taylor, CBS Records, 1977.

Flag, CBS Records, 1979.

Dad Loves His Work, CBS Records, 1981.

That's Why I'm Here, CBS Records, 1985.

Never Die Young, CBS Records, 1988.

New Moon Shine, Columbia Records, 1991.

James Taylor Live, Columbia Records, 1991.

James Taylor Best Live, Columbia Records, 1994.

Hourglass, Columbia/Sony Records, 1997.

Live at the Beacon Theatre, Columbia/Sony Records, 1998.

Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Columbia/Sony Records, 2000.

October Road, Columbia/Sony Records, 2002.

Everyday, Columbia/Legacy, 2003.

The Collection [box set], Columbia/Sony Records, 2004.

A Christmas Album, Hallmark, 2004.

James Taylor at Christmas, Columbia/Sony Records, 2006.

Video/DVD

In Concert Live, Sony, 1991.

Squibnocket, Sony Video, 1993; reissued, 2006.

Live at the Beacon Theatre, Sony, 1998.

Pull Over, Sony, 2002.

A MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute [live], Rhino, 2006.

James Taylor at Christmas, Columbia/Sony Records, 2006.

Sources

Books

Rees, Dafydd, and Luke Crampton, Vh-1 Music First—Rock Stars Encyclopedia, Dorling Kindersley Ltd., 1999.

White, Timothy, Long Ago and Far Away—James Taylor: His Life and His Times, Omnibus Press, 2001.

Periodicals

Acoustic Guitar, July/August 1992.

Boston Herald, June 4, 1998.

Chicago Sun-Times, July 5, 1997.

Chicago Tribune, July 5, 1997.

Frets, December 1987.

Guitar Extra, Spring 1992.

Guitar Player, May 1984.

Life, October 1985.

Musician, April 1988.

New York Times, February 3, 1988; April 8, 1981.

New York Times Magazine, February 21, 1971.

Newsweek, November 4, 1985.

Parade, July 12, 1981.

People, August 24, 1981; October 6, 1980.

Rolling Stone, December 10, 1981; June 11, 1981; July 10, 1980; September 6, 1979; February 18, 1971.

Saturday Review, September 12, 1970.

Stereo Review, January 1978.

Time, October 23, 1985; March 1, 1971.

Online

"James Taylor," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com. (March 3, 2007).

"James Taylor," Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com, (March 3, 2007).

"Life Stays Sweet for James Taylor," SFGate.com,http://www.sfgate.com (February 11, 2007).