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James Taylor

The embodiment of the American singer-songwriter in the late 60s and early 70s was the frail and troubled James Taylor. He was born into a wealthy family. His mother was a classically trained soprano and encouraged James and his siblings, including future recording artists Livingston Taylor (b. 21 November 1950, Boston, Massachusetts), Alex Taylor (b. 28 February 1947, Boston, Massachusetts, USA), Hugh Taylor (b. 24 July 1952, Durham, North Carolina, USA) and Kate Taylor (b. 21 November 1950, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) to become musical.

The young James Taylor wanted for nothing and divided his time between two substantial homes. He befriended Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar at the age of 15 and won a local talent contest. As is often the case, boarding school education often suits the parents more than the child, and James rebelled from Milton Academy at the age of 16 to join his brother Alex in a rock band, the Fabulous Corsairs. At only 17 he committed himself to the McLean Mental Institution in Massachusetts to undergo treatment for his severe depression. Following a nine-month stay he reunited with "Kootch" and together they formed the commercially disastrous Flying Machine. At 18, now being supported by his parents in his own apartment, the seemingly affluent James drew the predictable crowd of hangers-on and emotional parasites. He experimented and soon was addicted to heroin.

Eventually he had the drive to move out from his family home, and after several months of travelling he arrived in London and found a flat in Notting Hill (which in 1968 was hardly the place for someone trying to kick a drug habit!). Once again "Kootch" came to the rescue, and suggested Taylor take a demo tape to Peter Asher. "Kootch" had supported Peter And Gordon on an American tour, and Asher was now looking for talent as head of the new Apple Records. Both Asher and Paul McCartney liked the work and the thin, drug-weary, weak and by now experienced teenager was given the opportunity to record. James Taylor was not a success when released, even though classic songs like "Carolina On My Mind" and "Something In The Way She Moves" appeared on it.

Depressed and still hooked on heroin, Taylor returned to America, this time to the Austin Riggs Mental Institution. Meanwhile Asher, frustrated at the disorganized Apple, moved to America, and persevering with Taylor, he secured a contact with Warner Brothers Records and rounded up a team of supportive musician friends; "Kootch", Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel and Carole King. Many of the songs written in the institution appeared on the superlative Sweet Baby James. The album eventually spent two years in the US charts and contained a jewel of a song: "Fire And Rain". In this, he encapsulated his entire life, problems and fears; it stands as one of the finest songs of the era. Taylor received rave notices from critics and he was quickly elevated to superstardom. The follow-up, Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon, consolidated the previous success and contained the definitive reading of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend". Now free of drugs, Taylor worked with the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson on the cult drag-race movie Two Lane Blacktop and released One Man Dog which contained another hit, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". Fortunately Taylor was not lonely for long; he married Carly Simon in the biggest showbusiness wedding since Burton and Taylor. They duetted on a version of the Charlie And Inez Foxx hit, "Mockingbird", which made the US Top 5 in 1974.

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Extended Analysis

Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition (CD/DVD)

Read "Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition (CD/DVD)" reviewed by Doug Collette


To hear and see Neil Young express such deep-seated personal contentment near the end of his film Harvest Time is to understand more fully why he would go to some lengths to curate a box set of the album upon which the movie is based. While some of the content enclosed on the CDs and DVDs in the 50th Anniversary Edition of the 1972 album has been in unofficial circulation for awhile, immersion in the collection vividly depicts the vagaries ...

6
Live Review

James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt at the Prudential Center

Read "James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt at the Prudential Center" reviewed by Mike Perciaccante


James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt The Prudential Center Newark, NJ July 6, 2017 On a pleasant Thursday evening just after the 4th of July, when many of the audience members were enjoying an extended Independence Day holiday, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt touched down at Newark, NJ's Prudential Center for the first night of their 2017 summer tour. James Taylor was born in Boston, MA on March 12, 1948. In 1951, his family ...

206
Live Review

James Taylor and His Legendary Band

Read "James Taylor and His Legendary Band" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


James Taylor and His Legendary BandVerizon Arena TheaterNorth Little Rock, ArkansasApril 29, 2001 Sentiment and nostalgia are potent motivators for the Baby Boom generation. This explains why musical acts like the Rolling Stones and Eagles remain not only viable, but certain moneymakers--bands which came of age with the post-World War II- generation, a large and varied group of Americans born between 1946 and 1964. These bands developed extensive and popular songbooks during their lengthy ...

342
Album Review

Michael Brecker: Nearness of You: The Ballad Book

Read "Nearness of You: The Ballad Book" reviewed by David Adler


There comes a time, it seems, when every major-label jazzer has to add a ballads album to his or her discography. That time has come for Michael Brecker, who enlists the formidable Pat Metheny as both producer and guitarist. Along for the ride are three players you may have heard of: Herbie Hancock, Charlie Haden, and Jack DeJohnette. The 11 tracks (divided into two five-track “chapters" and a one-track “epilogue") are flawlessly executed--practically airbrushed--and as mainstream as can be, but ...

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1

Event

Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves and more to Play Michael Brecker Cancer Benefit

Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves and more to Play Michael Brecker Cancer Benefit

Source: Michael Ricci

Once-In-A-Lifetime Concert to Also Feature: Randy Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Joey Calderazzo, Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Evans, Branford Marsalis, Steve Wilson, John Patitucci and Antonio Sanchez New York, NY — On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin and Dianne Reeves along with other prominent musicians will honor the memory of their friend and colleague, 15-time Grammy-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker, at The Nearness of You benefit concert in New York City. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness are ...

1

Performance / Tour

John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, Phil Lesh, Miles Davis, James Taylor Sidemen Form New Touring Band - The Ringers

John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, Phil Lesh, Miles Davis, James Taylor Sidemen Form New Touring Band - The Ringers

Source: Abstract Logix

Los Angeles, CA: Talk about one of the most amazing group of musicians playing together, debuting in early 2013 – they are THE RINGERS featuring three top notch Rock-Blues Guitarists Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic, The Dead, Phil Lesh) Wayne Krantz (Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Michael Brecker), Michael Landau (James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis) , drummer Keith Carlock (Sting, Steely Dan, John Mayer) and bassist Etienne Mbappe (John McLaughlin, Ray Charles, Joe Zawinul). This super-group of talent, with such varying ...

Recording

Singer Amanda Brecker Pays Homage To Carole King & James Taylor, Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of "Tapestry", With 2/26 Decca CD "Blossom", Produced By Jesse Harris

Singer Amanda Brecker Pays Homage To Carole King & James Taylor, Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of "Tapestry", With 2/26 Decca CD "Blossom", Produced By Jesse Harris

Source: Seth Cohen PR

Singer-songwriter Amanda Brecker pays homage to Carole King and James Taylor, and commemorates the 40th anniversary of ‘Tapestry’, with her beautiful new CD ‘Blossom’, produced by Grammy winner Jesse Harris (Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, more,) and featuring musicians from the original ‘Tapestry’ recordings. The 12 song collection, set for a February 26th North American release on Decca, is a breath of fresh air in a noisy pop world – Brecker shows a graceful respect for the seminal music, infusing each ...

126

Career

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1970; 2011 Audio Fidelity Remaster)

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (1970; 2011 Audio Fidelity Remaster)

Source: Something Else!

Recorded in the waning days of the 60's, James Taylor's second album became one of a handful of albums that defined the pop and rock landscape in the immediate wake of the Beatles' breakup. Sweet Baby James needs no introduction to just about anyone over the age of 45, but over four decades later, the album still holds up well, and it does by going against a lot of prevailing trends of the time. Rock by the end of the ...

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Recording

P.J. Pacifico's 'Outlet' Set for 6/7 on Viper Records; CD Evokes Gin Blossoms, James Taylor

P.J. Pacifico's 'Outlet' Set for 6/7 on Viper Records; CD Evokes Gin Blossoms, James Taylor

Source: Seth Cohen PR

A New Marriage Sparks Songs of Hopefulness, as Radio-Friendly Rock/Pop CD Evokes Gin Blossoms, Matthew Sweet and a Bit of Simon and Garfunkel P.J. Pacifico's Outlet is Set for June 7th on Viper Records—Features Tracks Produced by Grammy Award Winner Dave O'Donnell (John Mayer, James Taylor) Singer-songwriter P.J. Pacifico delivers a confident, upbeat collection of road-tested rock/pop music, on his June 7th Viper Records release, 'Outlet.' With a radio-friendly sound that evokes Gin Blossoms and Matthew Sweet, and a storyteller's ...

309

Performance / Tour

Live Review: James Taylor and Carole King at the Hollywood Bowl

Live Review: James Taylor and Carole King at the Hollywood Bowl

Source: Michael Ricci

James Taylor and Carole King made no effort to disguise their ages Thursday night at the Hollywood Bowl, where the two sixtysomething singers played the first of three dates on their Troubadour Reunion trek. The world tour which stops Tuesday at the Santa Barbara Bowl and wraps July 20 at the Honda Center in Anaheim comes 40 years after Taylor and King first performed together at the cozy West Hollywood club that gives the road show its name; a live ...

148

Performance / Tour

James Taylor and Carole King Tour

James Taylor and Carole King Tour

Source: JamBase

JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING NORTH AMERICAN TROUBADOUR REUNION DATES SET

King & Taylor by Kevin Estrada Iconic recording artists Carole King and James Taylor unveiled North American dates for the Troubadour Reunion tour. This once-in-a-lifetime event marks a rare concert experience bringing two of the most beloved singer-songwriters on tour together - intimate and in the round - for the first time in four decades.

North American dates begin on May 7 in Portland, OR, and extend through June ...

196

Performance / Tour

James Taylor and Carole King Announce World Tour

James Taylor and Carole King Announce World Tour

Source: JamBase

CAROLE KING AND JAMES TAYLOR ANNOUNCE TROUBADOUR REUNION WORLD TOUR Hollywood Bowl Tickets Go On Sale November 23 With N. American and European Dates To Be Announced Soon

James Taylor Iconic musicians Carole King and James Taylor announced today that they will embark on a Troubadour Reunion world tour. The world tour will kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 27 and will then travel to New Zealand and Japan before coming to North America and Europe. This ...

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Music Industry

James Taylor Tells the Stories Behind His Favorite Covers

James Taylor Tells the Stories Behind His Favorite Covers

Source: All About Jazz

For years, James Taylor has been covering many of his favorite songs from the 1950s and 1960s during soundchecks before his concerts. This past September, he released some of them on Covers, a collection of twelve classic tracks he recorded at his Massachusetts studio. He recently sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss some of his favorites songs on the set, from Leonard Cohen to Elvis Presley to the Drifters. Leonard Cohen - Suzanne Leonard predates me a ...

113

Recording

James Taylor Digs into "Covers" This Fall

James Taylor Digs into "Covers" This Fall

Source: All About Jazz

James Taylor will release a covers collection

Covers featuring songs from the '50s, '60s and '70s on Sept. 30 through Starbucks' Hear Music label. The album, appropriately titled Covers, will be available at both traditional retail outlets and Starbucks locations. The 12-song set finds the singer/songwriter and his “Band of Legends" tackling songs from artists such as Big Mama Thorton ("Hound Dog"), Leonard Cohen ("Suzanne") and Junior Walker & the All-Stars ("(I'm A) Road Runner") The album is Taylor's first ...

Martha J.
vocals
Amaury Faivre
harmonica
Drew Schultz
producer
Stefán S. Stefánsson
composer / conductor

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live at the...

Concord Music Group
2010

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Nearness of You: The...

Verve Music Group
2001

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