James Taylor
In the 1970s James Taylor defined the sensitive singer/songwriter stereotype. In the process he lifted the folk singing tradition out of the coal mines and protest marches, making earnest lyrics and acoustic guitar safe for the condominium crowd.

His first release was a self-titled solo album on the Beatles' Applelabel back in 1969. But Taylor broke out a year later on Warner Bros. with themulti-platinum Sweet Baby James, which featured the mocking "SteamrollerBlues" and the first of his summer camp staples, "Fire and Rain." 

Despite his introspective reputation, Taylor's biggest hits wereother people's songs. 1971's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon featured the hit version of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend" and cemented his reputation as the Alan Alda of pop. He married singer Carly Simon the next year, and released a series of albums featuring numerous duets with his new bride. The best album of this period is considered to be Gorilla, which included the cover of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," a song that is still in heavy rotation on "lite-FM" stations everywhere.

Taylor followed his first greatest hits collection in 1976 with a move from Warner to Columbia Records and a return to form. JT was more upbeat, adding rock and R&B influences to his mellow musings on toe-tapping numbers like "Handy Man" and "Traffic Jam." Fans responded accordingly and the LP went double-platinum.

Taylor re-treaded this ground on subsequent albums, finishing out the'70s with several mediocre offerings. During the '80s, he began releasing albums less frequently and to little acclaim. He also divorced Simon in1983. Despite diminishing record sales, Taylor continued to tour regularly, packing in crowds of old fans and their neo-hippie kids on the summer circuit.

He returned in the '90s with a renewed focus. 1991's New Moon Shine demonstrated a sharper musical and lyrical focus than Taylor had shown in more than a decade. Taylor's latest album, 1997's Hour Glass features cameo appearances by Stevie Wonder, Yo Yo Ma, Shawn Colvin and Branford Marsalis.