Taylor, James Vernon,
1948-, American singer-songwriter, b. Boston, Ma. Taylor
was born in Boston but raised in Chapel Hill, N.C. As a teenager, he began
writing songs and in 1966 formed a band, The Flying Machine. In late 1967,
he moved to London where he was among the first artists signed to The
Beatles’
newly formed Apple Records; his self-titled album was released in late 1968.
He achieved his greatest success beginning in 1970 with the release of
Sweet Baby James, producing “Fire and
Rain” (#3); the album topped a million sales in its first year alone
and earned several Grammy nominations. Other hits in the ‘70s
included his cover of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A
Friend” (#1; Grammy, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male), Marvin
Gaye’s
“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” (1975, #5),
“Shower the People” (1976; #22 pop, #1 Adult Contemporary),
“Handy Man” (1977; #4 pop, #1 Adult Contemporary; Grammy
Award, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male); he also married fellow
singer/songwriter Carly Simon in 1972 (they were subsequently divorced in
1981). His later career has seen a few hits (“Never Die Young”
1988; “Copperline,” 1991) while he has continued to release
albums and regularly perform, including a successful reunion tour with
Carole King in 2010. Taylor was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, and awarded a Presidential Medal
of Freedom (2015) and a Kennedy Center Honor (2016).
See biographies by T. White and M. Glazer (2011) and M. Ribowsky (2018).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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