About James Taylor

James Taylor hits the road; new music on the horizon?

James Taylor is on the road again. The icon kicked off an extensive summer tour across the United States back on May 30 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon and has been garnering exceptionally favorable reviews.

"James Taylor delivers a fresh, satisfying show" said one headline from the Lincoln Star Journal on June 21 following his concert at Pinnacle Bank Arena. "James Taylor familiar, charming" said the Kansas.com website following his performance at Intrust Bank Arena. The Berkshire Eagle also described Taylor's "hero's welcome" for the July 4th holiday, when a tropical deluge soaked the crowd, and a rather intense thunderstorm delayed his performance by close to a half-hour.

To celebrate the tour, Taylor launched two new features on his website, JamesTaylor.com. A section called "Life on the Road" provides photos and videos of the behind-the-scenes activity surrounding set up and the daily routine to prep for a James Taylor show each day. Meanwhile, "Meet the Band" introduces each of the members of Taylor's "All-Star Band." There are individual Q&A's with each band member sharing their experiences of life on the road.

Taylor has been gifting the fans with performances of new songs from an upcoming album. The intimate ballad, "You and I Again" and the country-flavored "Today, Today, Today," are just two of the tracks concert-goers have been able to hear from what will be his first new album of original material since 2002's "October Road."

Taylor's current US tour will wrap August 5 in Alpharetta, Georgia at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. He'll then head to Europe for a lengthy run of dates that will wrap with a two-night stay at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

James Taylor makes it to Utah (Updated 9/13/13)

What does it sound like when James Taylor performs with the Mormon Tabernacle choir? Fans of the star got a chance to find out, as he performed a dozen songs on Friday, September 6, 2013 with the 360-person choir, the Utah Symphony and some with his touring combo.

It only took seven years for the Taylor and choir officials to book a date for the performance – but it was undoubtedly worth the wait. A capacity crowd of 21,000 cheered classics like "Shower the People," "Fire and Rain," "Carolina in My Mind," and "Lonesome Road." Taylor later raved to media outlets about the choir, calling it "a national treasure and a great gift to the world."

Of course this wasn't the only time Taylor has performed in front of an orchestra this year. He sang at the memorial service for slain MIT police officer Sean Collier, who is believed to have been killed by the men responsible for the Boston Marathon Bombings. He was accompanied by the MIT Symphony Orchestra and three MIT a cappella groups.

Taylor was also an active supporter of President Barack Obama's reelection campaign, and performed at the President's second inauguration. He also performed at a benefit called The One Fund to benefit the Boston Marathon bombings, and has otherwise spent the majority of 2013 working on material for a new album. He's also actively promoting a new project by longtime drummer Steve Gadd and fellow bandmates as they worked to put out their first record, "Gadditude."

About James Taylor

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and five-time Grammy Award winner all describe the incomparable James Taylor. But the living legend and rock icon has made a career of low-key, simplistic performance and continues to remain relevant at a time when overzealous production, auto-tune and fleeting popularity plague the careers of many a musician.

Taylor's breakthrough came with the 1970 single, "Fire and Rain," and he hit pay dirt the following year with his first No. 1 hit, "You've Got a Friend." The latter was a recording of Carole King's classic song, and set Taylor's course from one of initial fame to an ever-lasting ride of popularity. All but one studio album for the rest of the decade was certified either gold or platinum, and a 1976 Greatest Hits collection eventually achieved a diamond certification for sales of more than 10 million copies.

Honored by Billboard magazine with its highest accolade – the Century Award – the achievements and recognition didn't stop there. Taylor was inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2006 was the Grammy Award-sponsored MusiCares Person of the Year. At a black tie ceremony held in Los Angeles, musicians from several eras paid tribute to Taylor by performing many of his hit songs.

Recurrent touring became a staple of Taylor's career beginning in 1980, undoubtedly contributing to his overall longevity as an artist. Known in many circles as true road dog, Taylor's summer shows became a tradition for generations of fans. Indeed, when Taylor joined King for what became the season's hottest tour in 2010, they played to arenas full of baby boomers – and their kids and grandkids. The tour sold more than 700,000 tickets and grossed more than $59 million.

Taylor is already lining up tour dates for 2013, with at least one date already penciled on the calendar. He'll play at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, Ohio on April 20 for "Shower The People – The Music of James Taylor."