James Taylor Through the Years

Early Years
James Vernon Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 12, 1948 in
Boston General Hospital at 5:06 p.m.
Adult JT stands 6’3" and weighs about 155 pounds.
His mother’s name is Gertrude. His father’s is Isaac (died 1996).
Brothers: Alex (1947-1993), Livingston (born 1951), and Hugh (born 1952?)
Sister: Kate (born 1949)
All the siblings have recorded songs.

1951 - Family moves to Chapel Hill, NC
- His father was the dean of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
medical school.

1953 - Begins attending Milton Academy, a prep school outside Boston.

1958? - Hears someone play guitar and decides he wants to learn how. JT
had studied cello when he was younger.

1960 - JT’s parents buy him his first guitar.

1963 - Meets Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar on Martha’s Vineyard
- JT and Kootch win a hootenanny contest.
- JT and Kootch play folk gigs locally.

1964 - Drops out of Milton Academy during his junior year.
- Joins a band, The Fabulous Corsairs, with brother Alex and Zach Wiesner.
Wiesner was replaced a few months later by Jerry Burnham.

1965 - Moves to to New York City
- 17-year-old JT admits himself and spends ten months in McLean 
Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts as a result of depression. His
song “Knocking ‘Round the Zoo” was inspired by his stay there.
- Goes on a trip to Russia.

1966 - Graduates from high school in the McLean Psychiatric Hospital.
- Kootch and Joel O’ Brien join JT to form The Flying Machine.
- Release one single: “Night Owl” / “Brighten Your Night With My Day”
- The Flying Machine makes studio recordings. Album wasn’t released
until 1971 under the title “James Taylor and the Original Flying
Machine.”

1967 - The Flying Machine breaks up.

1968 - Begins using heroin.
- Moves to Notting Hill Gate section of London and records demos.
Auditions them for record companies.
- Introduced to Paul McCartney by Peter Asher and signed to the Beatles’
record label, Apple Records. JT was the first outside artist signed to
that label.
- November: “James Taylor” released in U.K. with little commercial success
- Returns to U.S.
- Enters Austin Riggs, another mental hospital in Massachusetts, partly
due to his heroin addiction.

1969 - February: “James Taylor” released in U.S.
- March: Single “Carolina In My Mind” / “Taking It In” released.
- July: Single “Something’s Wrong” released.
- July: JT debuts at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.
- Breaks both his hands in a motorcycle accident and is forced to stop
playing for several months.
- Signs to Warner Brothers label and moves to California with Asher.

1970 - March: “Sweet Baby James” released on Warner Brothers label.
Album goes to number one and is a best-seller for two years.   
- April: Single “Sweet Baby James” / “Suite For 20G” released.
- April 24: Performs at Harvard College. Recorded and circulated among
tape collectors.
- August: Single “Fire and Rain” / “Anywhere Like Heaven” released.
Eventually hits number one on the charts.
- October 16: “Sweet Baby James” album certified platinum.
- November: Single “Carolina In My Mind” / “Something’s Wrong” released.
- Performs with Joni Mitchell on BBC radio show.  Recordings of the
show are often bootlegged under the titles “In Perfect Harmony” or
“You Can Close Your Eyes.”

1971 - January: Single “Country Road” / “Sunny Skies” released.
- JT on the cover of Time magazine, touted as originator of the
“singer/songwriter era” (March 1 issue date).
- “James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine” released.
- March 23: Plays Anaheim Civic Center. Show recorded and used for two
early bootlegs: “Taylor Made” and “Isn’t It Nice To Be Home Again.”
- March: Appears in film “Two Lane Blacktop.”     
- Parents separate.
- “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon” released. Goes platinum.
- Plays to sold-out audiences in 27-city tour. Band includes Carole
King and Kootch’s band, Jo Mama.
- May: Single “You’ve Got a Friend” / “You Can Close Your Eyes”
released. Single goes gold.
- September: Single “Long Ago and Far Away” / “Let Me Ride” released.

1972 - Wins Grammy, “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male” for “You’ve Got
A Friend.” Song also earns Carole King the “Song of the Year” Grammy.
- October: “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” single released.
- Nov. 3: Marries Carly Simon.  Son Ben and daughter Sally from that
marriage. Sally is the subject of his song “Sarah Maria.”
- “One Man Dog” released.

1973 - February: “One Man Parade” / “Hymn” single released.
- March: “Hymn” / “Fanfare” single released.
 
1974 - “Mockingbird” duet with C. Simon released as a single
(million-seller) and on Simon’s “Hotcakes” album.
- April 30: Four-week U.S. tour to promote “Walking Man.”
- June: “Walking Man” released.
- July: “Daddy’s Baby” / “Let It All Fall Down” single (inspired by
Watergate) unsuccessful when Nixon resigns the day after its release.
- July 13: Three-week tour with the Manhattan Dirt Riders and Linda
Ronstadt.
- August: “Walking Man” / “Daddy’s Baby” single released.

1975 - April 30: Four-week tour.
- May: “Gorilla” released.
- “How Sweet It Is” / “Sarah Maria” single released.
- May 30: Plays Carnegie Hall in NYC with guests Carole King and David
Crosby. “You’ve Got a Friend” duet with King released on her “The Ode
Years” collection in 1994.
- July 2: Four-week U.S. tour.
- August: “Mexico” / “Gorilla” single released.
- September: Solo tour of 8 cities.

1976 - April 21: Two-week tour.
- May: “In the Pocket” released.
- “Shower the People” / “I Can Dream of You” single released.
- July 3: Four-week tour with David Sanborn.
- October: “You Make It Easy” / Woman’s Got To Have It” single released.
- November: “Greatest Hits” released (goes platinum).
- December: Leaves Warner Brothers for Columbia Records.

1977 - June 3: “Handyman” / “Bartender’s Blues” single released.
- June 24: “JT” released on CBS label (goes platinum).
- June 26: One-month tour with 22 shows.
- August: Produces and performs for Kate Taylor’s single “It’s In His
Kiss.”
- September 20: “Your Smiling Face” / “If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight”
single released.
- November: Tour of California followed by two shows in Honolulu.

1978 - January 31: “Honey Don’t Leave L.A.” single released.
- February: Wins “Best Pop Vocal Performance” Grammy for “Handyman.”
- Peter Asher wins “Producer of the Year” Grammy.
- JT produces and performs on Kate Taylor’s self-titled album. Also
composed the song “Happy Birthday Sweet Darling” on that album.
- Wrote “Millworker,” “Brother Trucker,” and the music for “Un Mejor
Dia Vendra” for the Broadway musical “Working.” The show bombed.
- July 20: Original cast album for “Working” released (Columbia
Masterworks).
- September: Duet of “Devoted To You” with Carly Simon on her “Boys
In the Trees” album.

1979 - April 26: “Flag” released.  Includes recordings of “Millworker”
and “Brother Trucker” from the musical “Working.”
- May 22: “Up On the Roof” / Chanson Francaise” single released.
- July 3: Six-week U.S. tour with 25 shows. 2 nights at Ohio’s Blossom
Music Center taped for a Showtime special.
- September 19-23: Performs at a series of 5 antinuclear concerts
called “MUSE/No Nukes”.  See section 5.5 for more information on the
album and film.
- December: “No Nukes” 3-LP album released (Asylum). JT is heard on
6 tracks.

1980 - May 12: Performs at nuclear disarmament rally in New York’s
Central park attended by over 1 million people.  Other performers
include Springsteen, Browne, Ronstadt, and Baez.  Concert broadcast
nationally on radio and filmed for “In Our Own Hands.”
- July 18: “No Nukes” feature-length movie opens in New York. JT’s
studio recording of “Stand and Fight” is added.
- August 3: Four-week tour with 23 shows.

1981 - “In Harmony” Sesame Street album wins “Best Children’s
Recording” Grammy.
- February 11: Five-week tour.
- February 20: “Her Town Too” / “Believe It Or Not” single released.
- February 26: “Dad Loves His Work” released.
- April 25: Two and a half-month tour with 47 shows.
- May 12: “Hard Times” / “Summer’s Here” single released.
- May 13: Live performance at Fox Theater in Atlanta broadcast
nationally on radio. Title: “James Taylor Live In Concert.”
- September 4: Plays role of truck driver in PBS TV production of
“Working.”
- September 10: Month-long tour of Far East with 17 shows in Japan
and Australia.

1982 - February 1: Six-week tour with 30 shows.
- July 14: Five-week tour with Karla Bonoff opening.
- Divorces Carly Simon.

1983 - August 1: Six-week tour.

1984 - April 4: Four-week tour.
- August 1: Six-week tour with Randy Newman.

1985 - January 12 and 14: Performs at Rock in Rio concert in Brazil.
Song “Only a Dream In Rio” inspired by this visit.
- September 12: Two-week tour of Italy.
- October 15: “Everyday” / “Limousine Driver” single released.
- October 17: “That’s Why I’m Here” released. 
- October 25: Three-week tour.
- “Live In Rio” released by Columbia Brasil.
- Performs at first Moscow Rock festival.  Highlights shown on
Showtime cable network.
- December 14: Marries Kathryn Walker at Cathedral of St. John the
Divine in New York.

1986 - January 24: Two-week tour of Australia.
- March 16: Five-week tour of Europe.
- July 23: Six-week U.S. tour.
- September 29: One-week U.S. tour.
- October 11: Two-week tour of Brazil.

1988 - “Never Die Young” released.
- Two-week Australian tour.

1991 - “James Taylor” (JT’s 1969 Apple debut album) re-released by EMI.
- “New Moon Shine” released.

1993 - “James Taylor (LIVE)” released (more than 1 million copies sold).

1994 - “James Taylor (Best LIVE) released (contains subset of LIVE).

1995 - April 12: Performs at Rainforest Action Network benefit at New
York’s Carnegie Hall with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Paul
Simon, and others.
- May 7: Receives honorary doctorate of music at the Berklee College
of Music in Boston. Also gives commencement speech.
- Tours U.S. playing with major symphony orchestras.
- August 30: Performs rare joint concert with Carly Simon on Martha’s
Vineyard. Dubbed “Livestock 95” since it was a benefit for the
Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society.

1996 - June 1: Longtime JT band member and musical director Don
Grolnick dies of cancer.
- June: Italian bootleg company KTS releases “Carnegie Hall” bootleg.
KTS has since gone out of business.
- July: JT begins long summer tour of the U.S.
- October: Gadfly releases CD version of “James Taylor and the
Original Flying Machine.”
- November 1: JT’s father, Dr. Isaac Taylor, dies. He was 75.

1997 - April 10: JT performs at the “VH1 Honors” benefit concert in L.A.
- May 20: “Hourglass” released. Opens and peaks at #9 on the Billboard
charts with more than 70,000 copies sold in the first week.
- June 25: Performs on the A&E network’s “Live By Request.”
- June: Summer tour of the Eastern U.S. and two Canadian cities begins.
- October 21: Elektra releases “No Nukes” on CD

1998 - Summer and/or symphonic tours planned.