James’s Audible Original audio memoir, Break Shot, was released just one year ago — in February 2020. To celebrate the release, James sat with journalist Bill Flanagan for a far-reaching on-stage interview at the Sheen Center in New York.
Click now to watch that conversation in full!
Kim and James celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary today! Below, a photo of the happy couple, taken just after their ceremony in Boston.
The genre singer/songwriter was named around 1970, give or take, and was said to apply to me among others: Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne… Why that supposed movement didn’t begin with Bob Dylan or even Woody Guthrie or Robert Johnson beats me, maybe they were still “folk“. But, if it means anything, Carole King deserves to be thought of as its epitome. I’d been deep into her songs – “Up on the Roof”, “Natural Woman, “…Cryin’ in the Rain” – for a decade before Danny Kortchmar introduced us in Los Angeles in 1970. She played piano on my “Sweet Baby James” while working on the songs for her own “Tapestry”. Our collaboration, our extended musical conversation over the next 3 or 4 years was really something wonderful. I’ve said it before but Carole and I found we spoke the same language. Not just that we were both musicians but as if we shared a common ear, a parallel musical/emotional path. And we brought this out in each other, I believe.
It was a big change for Carole to leave NY for LA. She left behind an established, hugely successful career as a Brill Building tunesmith, with her husband/lyricist Gerry Goffin and went west, on her own, with two young daughters. She started writing by herself, about herself – that is to say, from her own life. It came out of her so strong, so fierce and fresh. So clearly in her own voice. And yet, so immediately accessible, so familiar: you knew these songs already. I had that experience the first time I heard Carole sing “You’ve Got a Friend” from the stage of the Troubadour: “oh yeah, that one” Incredible that this song didn’t always exist… Carole’s focus was her family: Louise and Sherry and imminently, Levi and Molly. She had no time for the stuff the rest of us in Laurel Canyon were up to. She had her family and her songs. Certainly she would have her adventures, dramatic emotional switchbacks, in years to come. But in those days, she seemed to watch the dancers with a kind, wry detachment. To me, she was a port in the storm, a good and serious person with an astonishing gift, and, of course, a friend.
James Taylor for The Guardian, February 12, 2021.
Click here to read the full article on TheGuardian.com.
Photo: Elissa Kline Photography
Click now to watch “So Far Away” from Tapestry, with Carole, James and Charles Larkey on bass. The video is taken from Carole’s 1971 ‘BBC In Concert’ special.
Click below for another segment from James’s 1997 appearance on the BBC’s Later…with Jools Holland — a performance of his classic tune, “Fire and Rain” which was part of the Hourglass album release tour.
James keeps digging through his archives vault — subscribe to the James Taylor official YouTube channel today to see what comes next!
James’s “Sister Kate” has just re-launched her website with a fresh new design by her daughter (and James’s niece!), documentarian Liz Witham.
Click to visit the site now and be sure to browse the “Paintings” section to see some of Kate’s amazing watercolors and original works; also click on the “Videos” tab to watch vintage video of James and his four siblings performing “Shower The People” on NBC in 1981!
Thanks to everyone who submitted a video for James’s recent #JTYouveGotAFriendChallenge. James and team continue to enjoy watching these covers celebrating Carole King, and here are just a few of our favorites!
Click now to watch the complete and unedited video tour of James’s favorite guitars. Filmed in 2011 at TheBarn, James calls this series like a “photo album of my life”.
The Zac Brown Band has just released a cover of JT’s “Sweet Baby James” as part of the “Amazon Original” series. Zac explains, “I started listening to James Taylor in elementary school. He’s probably my single biggest influence that I’ve ever had… (James) showed me what you can do with a single guitar to accompany a song. I hope our fans love this as much as we do.”
Click here to stream the Zac Brown Band’s version of “Sweet Baby James” on Amazon Music now!
Click now to see Sophie Proix and Jaco Largent perform James’s “Traffic Jam”, which he first released on the 1977 album, JT. If you’d like your own #JTFanCover to share, please send a link to your video here!