Amazing James Taylor

A master musician and song writer. James Taylor's easy going style speaks to people through telling a story.

He was born in Lenox, Massachusets on March 12, 1948 to Isaac Taylor and Gertrude Woodard. His father was a doctor and his mother was a singer. When he was 3 years old in 1951 his family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and it was here that he was raised. He first learned to play the Cello, but switched to the guitar in 1960. He wrote his first song at age 14 and in the summer of 1963 began playing at coffee houses with his friend Danny Kortchmar. They were influenced by blues and folk music. Taylor struggled with school and ended up checking himself into a mental institution for a short period due to a bout with depression. This saved him from being drafted during the Vietnam war. Later he moved to New York at the urging of his friend Kortchmar.

1966-1969 Taylor was living in New York and playing with a band called, The Flying Machine. They played at the Owl Cafe in Greenwich Village alongside acts such as The Turtles. It was at this time that Taylor got into drugs and began using heroin. This eventually helped lead to the break up of the band. Taylor later said of his New York experience, "I learned a lot about music and too much about drugs." His Dad came to his rescue and drove him back to North Carolina where Taylor spent six months recovering and getting treatment.

He decided to be a solo act and in 1967 he moved to London. He ended up taking some demos to Peter Asher of the Beatles who was the head of the Beatles newly formed Apple Records. Asher showed the demos to Paul McCartney. After hearing the demos and seeing James Taylor live McCartney later said, "I just heard his voice and his guitar and I thought he was great ... and he came and played live, so it was just like, 'Wow, he's great."

After another bout with drugs Taylor returned to New York. Later Apple Records fell apart. Asher offered to manage Taylor. In October 1969 Taylor signed on with Warner Brothers Records. After recovering he moved to California and it is there in December of 1969 he recorded his second album, Sweet Baby James.

With the participation of Carole King, Sweet Baby James was released in February 1970 and was Taylor's breakthrough. It was made popular by the single "Fire and Rain", a song about Taylor's experience in psychiatric institutions and the suicide of his friend, Suzanne Schnerr. Both the album and the single reached #3 in the Billboard charts. Sweet Baby James sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone.