ALBUMJames Taylor at Christmas (Bonus Track Version)James Taylor
ALBUMOctober Road (Limited Edition)James Taylor
ALBUMHourglassJames Taylor
ALBUMNew Moon ShineJames Taylor
ALBUMNever Die YoungJames Taylor
ALBUMThat's Why I'm HereJames Taylor
James Taylor's Popular Music Videos
Here Comes the Sun
Yo-Yo Ma & James Taylor
Shower the People (Live At the Beacon Theater)
James Taylor
Her Town Too
James Taylor
So Far Away (with James Taylor) [BBC In Concert, February 10, 1971]
Carole King
Teach Me Tonight
James Taylor
Fire and Rain (from Pull Over)
James Taylor
You've Got a Friend (from Squibnocket)
James Taylor
Carolina In My Mind (from Pull Over)
James Taylor
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) [from Pull Over]
James Taylor
You've Got a Friend (Live At the Beacon Theater)
James Taylor
Artist Playlists
James Taylor Essentials
Sweet Baby James made the world safe for deep-thinking singer/songwriters.
Inspired by James Taylor
His smooth tunes have sparked countless singer/songwriters.
James Taylor: Deep Cuts
His serene tenor belies the personal struggles in his music.
James Taylor: Influences
He draws from Laurel Canyon, protest songs, and cloudy soul.
James Taylor: The Songwriters
The folk auteur’s legacy includes country, rock ’n’ roll, and more.
Artist Biography
“In my case it’s very simple,” singer/songwriter James Taylor told Apple Music about his approach to selecting which songs to record. “I simply take the song that I feel some real connection with, and then just play it on the guitar and sing it with my voice.” Taylor’s simple distillation—of arrangement, craft, feeling—has been a defining element of his music since well before his breezy 1970 breakthrough hit, “Fire and Rain.” Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Taylor captured the collective comedown of the nation at the end of the ‘60s with gentle, understated folk that he created in California’s famed Laurel Canyon. The subject matter behind Taylor’s fingerpicked guitar isn’t always as soft as it sounds; “Fire and Rain” draws on his time in psychiatric hospitals and a friend’s suicide, and “A Junkie’s Lament” addresses heroin addiction, a struggle Taylor understood firsthand, over dreamy strings. Still, there’s good reason Taylor’s name itself conjures something uplifting and calm. “You’ve Got a Friend”—written by Carole King in response to “Fire and Rain”—is one of his best-known covers and a deeply moving declaration of unconditional love. Taylor’s warm vibe has forged an enduring emotional connection with fans: Since 1970’s Sweet Baby James, only one of his records has failed to go gold, and he got his very first No. 1 album with 2015’s Before This World.