Half a century of excellence
Described as the epitome of the troubadour, Taylor's sometimes troubled life has often been the subject of his songs.
Never gifted academically, Taylor struggled to complete his education. In 1965, feeling isolated, he committed himself voluntarily to McLean, a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. The stay provided him with a sense of time and structure.
James Taylor's third studio album, 'Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon,' contains his biggest hit single in the US, a version of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend.'
On the back of 'Sweet Baby James,' Taylor agreed to appear on Carole King's 1971 album 'Tapestry.' Also helping out on backing vocals was Joni Mitchell. Taylor and King are seen rehearsing a track.
Taylor's next studio album, 'Gorilla' (1975), his sixth, fared batter, with the singles, 'Mexico' and 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)' both reaching the top five on the Billboard charts. Carly Simon provided harmony vocals on several tracks.
Treated and clean, Taylor yearned for a change of scenery. He found it by relocating to London, England. There, with a little help from his friend Danny Kortchmar, he released his debut album, 'James Taylor,' on The Beatles' newly formed label Apple Records, becoming the first non-British act signed to the label. The album includes two of his most-loved songs: 'Something in the Way She Moves' and 'Carolina in My Mind.'
On a different stage, Taylor costarred alongside Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird in 'Two-Lane Blacktop.' Directed by Monte Hellman and released in 1971, this picture remains one of the most celebrated road movies ever made.
A new deal with Warner Bros. Records in October 1969 resulted in the release of 'Sweet Baby James.' It was Taylor's critical and popular breakthrough, with the musician acknowledging input from fellow singer-songwriter Carole King— someone who'd remain influential throughout his career. The album includes two of Taylor's earliest successful singles: 'Fire and Rain' and 'Country Road.'
Taylor first picked up a guitar in 1960 while at school in North Carolina. By age 15, he was playing coffeehouses with buddy Danny Kortchmar on Martha's Vineyard during summer breaks. He later formed a band, The Corsayers, with older brother Alex Taylor (1947–1993). James Taylor has three surviving siblings—Kate Taylor and Livingston Taylor, both musicians, and Hugh Taylor.
With his debut album receiving generally positive reviews, Taylor returned to the United States in July 1969 for a six-night run at the Troubadour in Los Angeles (he's pictured backstage at the venue). Later the same month, a triumphal performance at the Newport Folk Festival was cheered by thousands of fans.
James Taylor is pictured with a pregnant Carly Simon rubbing shoulders with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York in 1977. Taylor often cites his good fortune to that day back in 1968 when The Beatles gave him their blessing by releasing his debut album.
The release of Taylor's fourth album, 'One Man Dog,' in November 1972 coincided with his marriage to singer-songwriter Carly Simon. During the union the couple would guest on each other's albums and have two hit singles as duet partners: a cover of Inez & Charlie Foxx's 'Mockingbird,' and a cover of The Everly Brothers' 'Devoted to You.' They had two children, Sarah and Benjamin, before divorcing in 1983.
Taylor and Mitchell (pictured) were among the performers at a Vancouver benefit concert that funded Greenpeace's protests of 1971 nuclear weapons tests by the US Atomic Energy Commission at Amchitka, in Alaska.
'You've Got a Friend' earned Taylor his first Grammy Award (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male), this in March 1972. Coincidentally, Carole King also won Song of the Year at the same ceremony. And 'Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon' was only kept off the Billboard album charts top spot by King's 'Tapestry.'
Meanwhile on March 6, 2000, James Taylor was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by none other than Paul McCartney.
As prolific a songwriter as ever, by the turn of the 21st century James Taylor had 15 studio albums behind him. He was also winning a new, younger audience. He's pictured in November 2011 with Taylor Swift performing onstage during her Speak Now World Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Incidentally, Taylor Swift is named after him.
A lifelong Democrat, the singer-songwriter was active in support of Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign and opened the 2012 Democratic National Convention singing three songs.
President Barack Obama presented James Taylor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
The following year, 2016, Taylor was among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, awarded to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. Pictured from left to right, back row: Joe Walsh, Don Henley, and Timothy B. Schmidt of the rock band The Eagles. Front row, left to right: Al Pacino, Mavis Staples, Martha Argerich, and James Taylor.
'Before This World,' Taylor's first new studio album of original material since 2002's 'October Road,' became his first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
On December 14, 1985, Taylor wed actress Kathryn Walker at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. She was instrumental in weening the musician off drugs, and they remained together for 11 years, parting company in 1996.
The following year, 2001, James Taylor tied the knot with Caroline "Kim" Smedvig. Still married, the couple have two twin sons, Henry and Rufus. Henry, also a musician, toured as a backing vocalist with his father in 2021.
In 2004 at the UCLA Spring Sing, Taylor was handed the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement.
Taylor divided his time throughout the 1980s between the studio, the summer amphitheater circuit, and getting out on the water, sailing being one of his great passions.
James Vernon Taylor was born on March 12, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Rejected by the Vietnam draft on psychological grounds, Taylor moved to New York and formed a band called The Flying Machine. He was writing his own material, much of it about his stay at McLean. It was during this period that Taylor, plagued with self-doubt, began using drugs. He checked himself back into McLean to recover.
The 1974 album 'Walking Man' is noted for the appearance on backing vocals by both Paul and Linda McCartney. Other than that, however, 'Walking Man' tripped up big time, proving a critical and commercial failure.
Taylor's contract with Warner Bros. Records expired in November 1976. It was the end of an era. By way of a signing off, the label released 'Greatest Hits,' which went on to sell more than 10 million copies.
In fact, James Taylor had become a close acquaintance of John Lennon's, living as he did near his apartment in The Dakota building. He was therefore absolutely numbed when he later found out that the gun shots he heard on the night of December 8, 1980 were those being fired by Mark David Chapman, who fatally wounded the former Beatle. Furthermore, Taylor told the BBC, he'd encountered Chapman only the day before, the crazed fan pinning Taylor against a wall and telling him "how he was going to get in touch with John Lennon. It was surreal to actually have contact with the guy 24 hours before he shot John," Taylor said.
Now signed with Colombia Records, the 1980s and much of the 1990s were mostly troubling times for James Taylor. His divorce from Carly Simon, the deaths of Lennon and later John Belushi and Dennis Wilson, a reoccurring problem with substance abuse, and poor album sales led to thoughts about retiring.
In 1997, six years since his last studio album, Taylor released 'Hourglass.' The album was a huge commercial success and provided him with a popular hit, 'Little More Time With You.' He followed 'Hourglass' with the platinum-certified 'October Road,' released in 2002.
A committed environmentalist and champion of liberal causes, Taylor has appeared at many charity concerts to help raise funds for various organizations. He's pictured here on stage with former Beatle Ringo Starr during VetsAid at the Tacoma Dome on November 11, 2018, in Tacoma, Washington.
James Taylor's latest album is 'American Standard.' It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards—his sixth Grammy win... and counting!
James Taylor is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His eponymous debut album was released in 1968 on The Beatles' Apple Records label. Two years later with the release of the folk-rock masterpiece 'Sweet Baby James,' his soft and sensitive acoustic style of music was being compared to the likes of Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Shy and brooding as a young man, Taylor's troubled early life is reflected in some of his most celebrated compositions. With success came a growing self-confidence and the first of six Grammy Awards. Numerous other accolades have followed. In 2020, Taylor released his 20th studio album. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains one of popular music's most respected and influential singer-songwriters. So how has this man, known for his confessional lyrics and soulful voice, sold more than 100 million records worldwide?
Click through for an appreciation of James Taylor's career to date.
James Taylor, music's folk-rock troubadour
He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time
CELEBRITY Retrospective
His eponymous debut album was released in 1968 on The Beatles' Apple Records label. Two years later with the release of the folk-rock masterpiece 'Sweet Baby James,' his soft and sensitive acoustic style of music was being compared to the likes of Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Shy and brooding as a young man, Taylor's troubled early life is reflected in some of his most celebrated compositions. With success came a growing self-confidence and the first of six Grammy Awards. Numerous other accolades have followed. In 2020, Taylor released his 20th studio album. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains one of popular music's most respected and influential singer-songwriters. So how has this man, known for his confessional lyrics and soulful voice, sold more than 100 million records worldwide?
Click through for an appreciation of James Taylor's career to date.