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Over the course of his long career, James Taylor has earned 40 gold,
platinum and multi-platinum awards and 5 Grammy Awards for a catalog
running from 1970's Sweet Baby James to his Grammy Award-winning
efforts Hourglass (1997) and October Road (2002). Taylor's first
Greatest Hits album earned him the RIAA's elite Diamond Award, given
for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. For
his accomplishments, James was honored with the 1998 Century Award,
Billboard magazine's highest accolade, bestowed for distinguished
creative achievement. The year 2000 saw his induction into both the
Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriter's Hall of
Fame. In February 2006, The National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences selected James as its MUSICARES Person of the Year. In
September 2008 James Taylors One Man Band (2007) was nominated for
an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. The
last two years have seen two remarkable releases; Taylor's One Man
Band CD/DVD accompanied by a world tour and his most recent album
Covers (2008), which was nominated for two Grammy® Awards. Covers
features Taylors full band and is his own musical interpretation of
tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Raised in North Carolina,
James now lives in western Massachusetts. He has sold some 40
million albums throughout his career, which began back in 1968 when
he was signed to the Beatles' Apple Records. The album James Taylor
was his first and only solo effort for Apple, which came a year
after his first working experience with Danny Kortchmar and the band
Flying Machine. It was only a matter of time before he would make
his mark.
Above all, there are the songs: "Fire and Rain,"
"Country Road," "Something in The Way She Moves," "Mexico," "Shower
The People," "Your Smiling Face," "Carolina In My Mind," "Sweet Baby
James," "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "You Can Close Your Eyes,"
"Walking Man," "Never Die Young," "Shed A Little Light," "Copperline"
and many more. Taylor's songs have had a profound influence on both
songwriters and music lovers of all generations and from all walks
of life.
As a recording and touring artist, James set a
precedent for solo singer/songwriters and blazed a path to which
countless numbers of earnest young musicians have since aspired. His
warm baritone is among the most recognized voices in popular music
and his guitar playing has established its own standard.
James released Sweet Baby James in 1970. It went triple-platinum and
spawned his first Top 10 hit, the intensely personal "Fire and
Rain". The following year saw the release of another million-seller,
Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon and the #1 single, "You've Got a
Friend", written by long time friend Carole King. The recording won
a Grammy Award in 1971 for Best Pop Male Vocal. In 1972, Taylor
scored another Gold album with One Man Dog, which was followed up in
1973 with Walking Man.
The album Gorilla (1975) included two
more major chart entries: "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and
"Mexico". Following his final Warner Brothers recording, In The
Pocket, James moved on to Columbia Records and released a string of
critically praised and commercially successful albums: JT, his 1977
double-platinum debut, included a Top 10 cover of Jimmy Jones'
"Handy Man," a song that gave Taylor another Grammy for Best Pop
Male Vocal. Flag (1979), Dad Loves His Work (1981), That's Why I'm
Here (1985), Never Die Young (1988), New Moon Shine (1991) and the
double-disc Live album (1993), show Taylor's consistency: all were
certified platinum. Hourglass (1998), which garnered James' first
Grammy Award for Best Pop Album, and October Road (2002), another
Grammy winner, also enjoyed platinum sales.
James Taylor's
music embodies the art of songwriting in its most fundamental form.
He has been at it for decades: transforming introspective
meditations into lyrics, melodies and harmonies that comfort and
reassure the listener with the sense that these sometimes painful,
sometimes celebratory moments are a part of life, shared by us all.
In 1971, James was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, who
heralded him as the harbinger of 'the singer/songwriter era". Today,
the quintessential singer/songwriter has seen that era crossover
into the 21st century. James currently resides in The Berkshires
with his wife, Caroline and their sons Henry and Rufus. |
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