James Taylor (born March 12, 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who defined the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s. Bob Dylan brought confessional poetry to folk rock, but Taylor became the epitome of the troubadour whose life was the subject of his songs.
Among the experiences that shaped Taylor, who grew up in an upper-middle-class North Carolina family, were voluntary stays in mental institutions—once as a teenager and later to overcome heroin addiction. Having played in bands with his brother Alex and friend Danny Kortchmar, Taylor traveled to England, where he released his largely unnoticed debut album in 1968 on the Beatles’ Apple label.
Taylor’s next album, Sweet Baby James (1970), and its melancholy hit “Fire and Rain” began Taylor’s reign as a chronicler of the life passages of middle-class baby boomers (for instance, later, his failed marriage to singer-songwriter Carly Simon). Conveyed by his gentle tenor, his contemplative songs—rooted in complex chord changes and influenced by Appalachian folk music, Hank Williams, and early soul vocalists—were set against his deft accompaniment on acoustic guitar and the rock-oriented backing of a regular group of studio musicians that included Kortchmar. Ironically, among his biggest hits were cover versions of rhythm-and-blues songs such as Otis Blackwell’s “Handy Man.” In 1976 Taylor released Greatest Hits, which went on to sell more than 10 million copies. With more than 16 studio albums of varying commercial success behind him, Taylor remained a prolific writer and performer at the beginning of the 21st century. His enduring appeal was evident in 2015, when Before This World became his first album to top the Billboard 200 chart.
Taylor was the recipient of numerous honours, including several Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2015 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2016.