James Taylor has been entertaining crowds for decades with his smooth voice and guitar skills. He is one of the more quiet musicians though, so he does not get the spotlight very often. To change this up a bit, here are few fun facts about Sweet Baby James.
Number Fifteen: He Comes From A Musical Family
James Taylor definitely comes by his music talents honestly considering that all four of his siblings have recorded albums. His mother, Gertrude, was also a trained opera singer.
Number Fourteen: The Guitar Was Not His First Instrument
James Taylor is not seen on stage without his guitar very often, but the instrument was not the first he learned. He actually started out playing the cello and picked up the guitar when he was 12.
Number Thirteen: He Was Signed To The Beatles’ Record Label
The Beatles made Apple Records a household name with all of their hits. Little known fact though is that James Taylor was one of the only non-British musicians who also recorded songs for the label, he was signed to the label in 1968.
Number Twelve: James Taylor Recorded With The Beatles
Because the band and Taylor were at the same label, they were bound to run into each other. Not only that, they even recorded together. Beatles members Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison also sing backup vocals on James’ hit Carolina In My Mind and the lyric from the song “holy hosts of others standing around me” refers to them.
Number Eleven: He Thought Of Retiring Early
Taylor came to a point in 1985 where he thought of retiring from performing. But he changed his mind after being asked to perform at an event in Rio where the audience was extremely responsive. He wrote the song Only A Dream In Rio right after his performance.
Number Ten: He Had A Run In With John Lennon’s Killer
While James Taylor was living in New York, he happened to live in the building next to Bealtes member John Lennon. Taylor actually talked to Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s killer, the day before the assassination which Taylor heard.
Number Nine: Another Musician Was Named After Him
Taylor began rising in popularity during the 1960s and 70s, meaning that many of his fans have older children. Two of those fans named their daughter after him, and she would be singer Taylor Swift. Stay tuned for our second article on James Taylor coming soon!