The world needs James Taylor now more than ever. Taylor’s reassuring lyrics, relaxed vocal delivery and gentle acoustic-guitar accompaniment have been rediscovered by generation after generation since he emerged from the early ’70s singer-songwriter scene centered around Doug Weston’s Troubadour in West Hollywood. With mental health awareness gaining traction and rates of depression reaching all-time highs in the U.S., there’s never been a better time for Taylor to take his All-Star Band on tour and soothe souls in person.
For most listeners, Taylor’s career began with “Fire and Rain,” his first hit full of clues about his past. His musical origins date back to when his parents led impromptu singalongs of show tunes and pop standards that evolved into kitchen concerts as the Taylor children became proficient on instruments. James took four years of cello and taught himself guitar, developing his trademark finger style from the get-go.
He’d write his first song about his hometown in North Carolina at 14, play beach music in a band with older brother Alex and meet lifelong friend and collaborator, Danny Kortchmar, in Martha’s Vineyard, where the Taylors had a summer home. The friends would later migrate to New York and form The Flying Machine to play clubs in Greenwich Village, but not before Taylor had his first major depressive episode that led to an extended stay at psychiatric institution McLean Hospital.
Treatment worked well enough for him to get back on a musical path that led to New York and then England. A demo reached Paul McCartney’s ears, and he was signed to Apple Records. Taylor’s self-titled debut album contained contemporary setlist staple “Something in the Way She Moves,” which inspired George Harrison to write The Beatles’ great love song, “Something.”
Taylor was meant to enter the ’70s in Southern California, though. He and Kortchmar became part of an extended musical family that included Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell. His first album for Warner Bros., Sweet Baby James, included the title track, “Country Road” and “Fire and Rain.” The latter, along with a cover of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” on 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, placed Taylor in a position of being a confessional songwriting savior during a turbulent time in U.S. history.
He hadn’t anticipated that, or being considered pop-music royalty during his marriage to Carly Simon. By the early ’80s, he ended his long dance with substance abuse and in 1985 released comeback album That’s Why I’m Here. He’s recorded and toured consistently ever since.
Taylor’s last album, 2020’s American Standard, revisited the music of his family’s singalongs. It topped the album charts for one week, making him the first act to have a Top 10 album in each of the six previous decades. His current All-Stars include son Henry on backing vocals, making performing a family affair for Taylor again and, as always, musical therapy for fans who’ve seen lonely times when they could not find a friend.
The Cosmopolitan, 8 p.m. June 4-10, starting at $58.85 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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