June 13, 2020 —– Chart #41
Hello Musical Friends,
Welcome to the weekend. Today I have a chart from one of my all-time most favorite singer songwriters, James Taylor. James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single “Fire and Rain” and had his first No. 1 hit in 1971 with his recording of “You’ve Got a Friend“, written by Carole King in the same year. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World. He is known for his covers, such as “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” and “Handy Man“, as well as originals such as “Sweet Baby James“. There is no musician that has had more influence on me that James Taylor.
So today I have chosen a song written by James Taylor which was released on his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. The song is “You Can Close Your Eyes”. It was also released as the B-side to his #1 single “You’ve Got a Friend“. It has often been described as a lullaby. It was initially recorded by his sister Kate Taylor for her 1971 album Sister Kate. The song has been covered by many artists, including Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Maureen McGovern, Richie Havens, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eddie Vedder with Natalie Maines and the King’s Singers. When you listen to James play this song you will hear dozens of iconic JT finger techniques, signature pull-off’s and hammer on’s, classic chord transitions. His finger style is nothing short of beautiful.
Enjoy the video and original recording:
Accompanied by his current wife and son: https://youtu.be/TNjHk9Y36u0
Performed with then-wife Carly Simon in 1977 at their home in Martha’s Vineyard: https://youtu.be/mjksn8mEt8M
Keep Rockin’,
Stan