James Taylor spent years knocking around New York as a member of an ill-fated- rock and roll group. The strain of the rock and roll scene and the re-occurrence of other unresolved problems sent him to a rest home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he voluntarily interned himself off and on for a number of years.
James finally wandered to England where he was brought to the attention of The Beatles by their long-time friend and former A & R man for Apple Records, Peter Asher. The label was at that time wide-open and looking for people to sign up.
James was part of the group that brought Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, and The Ivys to The Beatles. Peter was to produce the American singer, and James, on one of his leaves from Stockbridge, went to London and recorded his first album called James Taylor.
The album showed a great deal of promise and generated more than its share of praise among the critics and pop journals. Unfortunately, except for the critics, no one seemed to hear the album, and Apple, not really knowing where it was going, hardly knew what to do with another artist. Taylor was generally ignored.
Drifting into the arms of the Warner/reprise empire, Taylor recorded his second album, Sweet Baby James in 1970. The album achieved triple platinum sales and triumphantly established Taylor as a musical force in the new decade.
