Portraits of James Taylor in New York , 1970

James Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor was a major figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, known for his soothing voice, introspective lyrics, and acoustic guitar-driven sound. After breaking through with Sweet Baby James (1970), which featured the hit “Fire and Rain,” he became one of the defining artists of the decade.

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 11 million copies in the US alone, making it one of the best-selling albums in US history. 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 Before This World.

Taylor is also 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.” He played the leading role in Monte Hellman’s 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.

(Photos by David Gahr/Getty Images)