Introduction about James taylor

James Taylor was the pre-eminent singer/songwriter of the Seventies and has remained a solid musical craftsman and performer. Born in Boston in 1948, Taylor grew up in the university town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He summered with his family on Martha's Vineyard, where he met fellow guitarist/songwriter Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar and began performing. Beset by drug problems, he voluntarily institutionalized himself and began writing songs during his stay. Moving to New York , Taylor formed the Flying Machine with Kortchmar in 1966. After their breakup, he headed to London, where he lived for a year. He cut a demo tape that got him signed to the Beatles' Apple Records by A&R man Peter Asher, who became his manager and producer. The debut album James Taylor (1968) contained Taylor's classic "Carolina in My Mind."

In 1969, he signed to Warner Bros. and moved to California, where he recorded the classic Sweet Baby James with a band that included guitarist Kortchmar and Carole King on piano. Released in March 1970, the album offered its share of signature songs, including "Fire and Rain," "Sunny Skies," "Country Road" and "Sweet Baby James." Its phenomenal success helped usher in an age of "new troubadours"--including such singer/songwriters as Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and Crosby, Stills and Nash--who pointed popular music in a quieter, more introspective direction after the turbulent Sixties.
His third album, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971), found Taylor-mania in full swing. It was certified platinum the month of its release and reaches #2 on Billboard's album chart. Taylor's version of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" became his first--and, to date, only--#1 single. It won Grammys both for Taylor (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male ) and King (Song of the Year). A 1971 cover story in Rolling Stone proclaimed James Taylor and his musical siblings--sister Kate and brothers Livingston, Alex and Hugh--"the first family of the new rock."
Taylor remained a prolific recording artist throughout the Seventies, releasing a string of solid albums: One Man Dog (1972), Walking Man (1974), Gorilla (1975) and In the Pocket (1976). Such breezy, soulful singles as "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)" and "Mockingbird," a duet with Carly Simon, made the Top Five. His reign as a pop icon culminated in the December 1976 release of Greatest Hits, which has sold more than 11 million copies. Taylor's combined catalog has sold an astonishing 30 million copies to date.
In 1977, Taylor moved to Columbia Records, where he debuted with JT, an album that found him in peak form as a folk-pop stylist whose songcraft cut deeply. The pace of his releases has slowed over the years, but his work has intensified in its depth and craft. His later albums, notably New Moon Shine (1991) and Hourglass (1997), rank with his best. In fact, Hourglass won Taylor a coveted Grammy for Best Pop Album in 1998. Taylor's hit-filled live shows are renowned for their exquisitely polished musicianship.

Concert Paris Olympia 4/6/2008

(image DVD One Man Band 2007)

What a great artist! A great performer! Quel artiste, quel grand musicien de scène!

Très grande soirée à l'Olympia ce dimanche 6 avril 2008, Monsieur James Taylor nous a transporté dans son univers dès la première note de musique.

A very big and amazing show in Paris, Olympia on this Sunday April,6th. Miister James taylor brought us in his univers, from the first note!

Beaucoup d'humour, essayant de traduire son spectacle en Français, langue etonnement bien étudiée compte tenu de certains mots sortis ce soir là.

A lot of humour, trying to speak french as soon as he can, french language he had perfectly learned

Pour les fans de Carlos Vega, malheureusement James n'a pas dit un mot sur les 10 ans de la disparition de Carlos ....le lendemain.

Unfortunetly for Carlos' fans, James did not say word about the 10th aniversary of death 'carlos....

Petit Coup de Coeur pour "Traveling Star" avec la section Choriste sur écran video enregistrée.