Genres: Seasonal,Pop,Classical/Opera,Soundtracks,Rock,Blues,Folk

James Taylor grew up in Massachusetts.  He received a psychological rejection from the Selective Service System during the Viet Nam war, due to a voluntary psychiatric inpatient stint for depression.  He would later credit his issues with depression as one catalyst to his success.

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James Taylor

I believe musicians have a duty, a responsibility to reach out, to share your love or pain with others.

The Early Years

James Taylor grew up in Massachusetts.  He received a psychological rejection from the Selective Service System during the Viet Nam war, due to a voluntary psychiatric inpatient stint for depression.  He would later credit his issues with depression as one catalyst to his success.  

In 1966, he moved to New York to form a band, with friend and guitarist Danny Kortchmar.  They recruited and formed The Flying Machine.  The band performed regularly in area clubs; by summer, they were playing the high profile Night Owl Cafe in Greenwich Village.  Taylor continued to struggle with depression and developed a heroin addiction, which eventually led to the demise of the band and his returning home.

Coming Back

Once recovered, James Taylor moved to California and launched a solo career.  In 1970, with the assistance of Carole King, Taylor released Sweet Baby James, which went to #3 on the Billboard Top 200.  His first major hit, Fire and Rain, was included on the album, and also went to #3.  In 1970 he performed in a Vancouver benefit that funded Greenpeace's protests against 1971 nuclear weapons tests.  The 1970s saw seven more albums, with nine top 10 hits, including How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Handy Man, and Shower the People.

Three releases in the 1980s enjoyed moderate success, although not to the degree of his earlier albums.  A divorce in 1981 spurred recurrence of drug use and depression issues.  He managed to gain control and kick the drug habit for good by the end of 1983.  In 1985, James Taylor performed in the Rio De Janeiro Festival in front of 300,000 people.  He would later cite this experience as the point at which he regained a heart to continue and perform.  

A Legend

Five more albums in the 1990s and 2000s certified platinum in sales.  In 2008, he released Covers, an album entirely of covers, including Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'.  Over the course of his career, James Taylor won five Grammy Awards.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2000.  

Since 1968, James Taylor has collaborated and/or performed with over 75 different artists, including George Harrison, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and Ray Charles.  He has headlined countless tours, toured with other big names, and participated in numerous charity and activist related events.  

Did you know . . .

1. The single, Fire and Rain, is based on Taylor's experience in the psychiatric hospital and the suicide of his friend, Suzanne Schnerr.

2. James Taylor appeared on Sesame Street, singing Your Grouchy Face to the tune of Your Smiling Face to the muppet, Oscar.  He also appeared on the Sesame Street video, Silly Songs, singing Jellyman Kelly.

3. Taylor sang back-up vocals on Steve Winwood's 1986 hit, Back in the Highlife.

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