James Taylor

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  • Year:
    2000
  • Inducted by:
    Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
  • Category:
    Performers
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Introduction

Don’t let the lovely, understated tone fool you.

James Taylor delivered tales of a tortured soul in a rich, mellow tenor. His confessional singer-songwriter style paved the way for the likes of Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

 

Hall of Fame Essay

2000

Parke Puterbaugh

“I seem to write a lot about going from darkness to light,” James Taylor has observed of his songs, whose illuminations have provided insight, solace and pleasure to millions for more than three decades. 

He’s often been called a singer/songwriter, but that term - applied in the early Seventies to describe Taylor and others who prof­fered a more folkish, introspective retort to the rock & roll tumult of the Sixties - fails to recognize that he’s also incorporated all kinds of blues, Brill Building pop, Motown soul and country influences into one of the more unmistakable musical signatures of the rock era. 

His is a subtle, seductive magic, owing to the sturdy craftsmanship of his songs, the casual, amber warmth and Appalachian nasality of his voice and the utterly unique way he fingerpicks the acoustic guitar. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program 2000
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Quote_JamesTaylor
a haunting guy who could really play the guitar
Paul McCartney

Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage; Henry Diltz