Who doesn’t love James Taylor? Well, when it comes to a great musician like James Taylor, there is no shortage of videos of him busking here and there for everyone to enjoy. With great fame, comes a great list of the award up the catalogue.
Some of them that can be talked about here are the R & R Hall of Fame (2000), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (The highest US civilian award, 2015). Along with that, he also has six Grammys and the MusiCares Person of the Year award which he got in 2006. The people who played at his MusiCares event are enough to convince any nah-sayers. Here is a video of James with his son busking together in 2021.
It is very special to share a stage with your loved ones, and that is exactly what James did with his son. They can certainly sing, and the warm reception they both got from the audience is a great reminder. US Citizen wrote, “When people who are biologically related sing together, there is a magic undefined by words. This performance: Yes, yes and still again yes!” JT fan, The Cream says: “Wow, I didn’t know his son was following in his footsteps.”
Henry is a musician and vocalist like his father, and the two of them perform live quite a bit. Following his announcement the previous year, Henry will once again accompany James on tour as a supporting vocalist in early 2023.
The two performed “Moon River” on NBC’s The Voice in May 2020. In October 2021, the two performed a live version of James’ song “You Can Close Your Eyes” with guitar accompaniment.
Here is a list of musicians who covered James Taylor’s songs at the televised MusiCares event in 2006. They include Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Sting, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, David Crosby, The Chicks, Jerry Douglas, and Paul Simon. The list is very diverse and impressive.
James and Henry Taylor played the American songbook standard Moon River during their virtual performance on The Voice, as seen above. Henry mentioned this moment and stated, “We were stuck in Montana for a lot of the pandemic where there wasn’t a lot to do besides music. Dad taught me his fingering, his approach to songwriting, his technique and vocal warmups.”
After the pandemic, when the venues opened up again in September 2021, Henry started touring with his father as a backing vocalist. When he was asked about how he felt about it, he replied, “I have literally known this band all my life. There’s one photo where Arnold (McCuller) is holding me, which I am 3 months old in. There’s one with Kate (Markowitz) that same time. And Jimmy Johnson. I feel as if the band is family. They have always treated me in such a kind and warm way. It can’t be easy to have the ‘boss’s kid’ working next to you. And although being a part of this incredible ensemble of hugely talented musicians is a little overwhelming, I am excited to be doing what I love most. I do feel pressure. But I’m hoping the singers will put up with me and continue to teach me as they’ve done so graciously in the past.”
Looking back at the legacy of Taylor, his first ever album to top the Billboard 200 was his 2015 release, Before This World. This was more than 45 years since he first charted, which must have meant the world to him. Taylor has four children, Sally and Ben with Carly Simon, and twin sons Rufus and Henry with his third wife, Caroline ‘Kim’ Smedvig.