2 languages
James Taylor
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
James Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Boston in 1948. He grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in a large musical family: his brothers and sister Alex, Livingston, Kate and Hugh also became musicians. His breakthrough came with Fire and Rain, in 1970. In 1971 he had his first number one with You've Got a Friend, written by Carole King.
Music and breakthrough
Taylor is known for his gentle voice and his precise fingerpicking on the acoustic guitar. He wrote songs such as Sweet Baby James and recorded cover versions, such as How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) and Handy Man. The compilation Greatest Hits from 1976 is one of the best-selling albums ever in the United States. Every album he released between 1977, beginning with JT, and 2007 sold more than a million copies. In the 1990s and 2000s his career revived with, among others, Hourglass, October Road and Covers. In 2015 he had his first number one album with Before This World. He also played the lead role in the film Two-Lane Blacktop (1971).
Influence
Taylor won six Grammys and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is regarded as the most important voice of the singer-songwriter wave of the early 1970s, in which personal, restrained songs took centre stage. He continues to perform.
Listening
Fire and Rain · James Taylor, 1970Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1968James Taylor
- 19701967
- 1970Sweet Baby James
- 1971Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon
- 1972One Man Dog
- 1974Walking Man
- 1975Gorilla
- 1976In the Pocket
- 1977JT
- 1978Working (soundtrack)
- 1979Flag
- 1981Dad Loves His Work
- 1985That's Why I'm Here
- 1988Never Die Young
- 1991New Moon Shine
- 1997Hourglass
- 1997Liberty! (soundtrack)
- 2002October Road
- 2004A Christmas Album
- 2006James Taylor
- 2008Covers
- 2015Before This World
- 2018Working: A Musical (Original London Cast Recording) (soundtrack)
- 2020American Standard
- ?James Taylor
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- After Hours: Session 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Soft rock and AOR Genre
Soft rock, with its polished production and strong vocal melodies, lay close to pop and was heard from the early 1970s with the Carpenters, Bread and James Taylor; Rumours (1977) by Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-selling albums ever.