 | The Cavalier daily Friday, April 27, 1973 |  |
'Sweet James' Soothes Many Moods
By DARLENE SPRINKLE
Changing gears from the
hard-driving rock'n'roll of
Manassas, PK German
tomorrow night offers the soft,
mellow tones of James Taylor.
When this willowy, subdued
young man flows onto the
stage, perhaps the audience will
remember that he is, as he
described it, "the product of a
haphazard music
environment." Music simply
"happened" to him, affording
him his reputation as a writer
and a musician.
Surrounded By Talent
Born into an affluent family
(his father is now Dean of
University of North Carolina
Medical School), Taylor is
surrounded by musical talent.
His brother Livingston has
released an album and
performed in several concerts.
Sister Kate appeared on
national TV in "Good
Vibrations From Central
Park."
Recently, Taylor added
another star to the family's
galaxy by marrying Carly
Simon and announcing the
marriage at a concert.
Taylor had his first taste of
music by playing the cello and
studying theoretic music. But
studying was not the Taylor
style, and he took up guitar on
his own, embarking on what
was to be his sensitive tradition
in lyrics and sound.
Taylor's first public Satisfied Lovers of Rock And Mood-Melodies
appearance was in 1966 with
The Flying Machine. About it
he has written, "We were a
good band – I wrote a lot." It
James Taylor:
one disc on the Euphoria label.
Apple records, the company
owned and managed by the
Beatles signed Taylor to his
first solo contract, which is
why he says, "I owe my first
album to the Beatles." His
James Taylor disc, (where Paul
McCartney played bass),
brought him his first true
recognition, but Apple released
him because he didn't show
much promise.
Ironically, Taylor
skyrocketed to success with
the release of Sweet Baby
James on Warner Brothers.
Aided by Danny Kortchmar
from his Flying Machine days
and Carole King, Sweet Baby
James transformed James
Taylor into a household word
with a fan club of
widely-ranged ages.
"Top 40" Hit
His first international hit
was "Fire and Rain," written
about his girlfriend. "Top 40"
stations adopted it and played
it out.
He now has a total of five
albums, One Man Dog being his
latest. From One Man Dog
came another song in his
characteristic style, "Don't Let
Me Be Lonely Tonight", which
quickly became a hit.
With a fine, musically-accomplished
back-up band,
Taylor's concert performances
are very satisfying for both
lovers of rock and
mood-melodies. Tomorrow
night "Sweet James" promises
a good show.
| The Cavalier daily Friday, April 27, 1973 | |