How sweet it is

…to be 60 years old! Congrats James Taylor, my favorite singer. I was around on the internet when JT turned 50 and emailed the webmaster of his unofficial site some old photos I had. One or two got used in a card that was made for James! This year, I made my own. I use both Paint Shop Pro 7 and Adobe-switch back and forth. The photo of him playing a banjo was on his sister Kate’s website. (the bigger version is in flickr).

I bought my 1st JT lp when I was about 13 when my mom let my brother and me pick out what we wanted in JC Penneys. I believe it was ‘Sweet Baby James’ and Don picked out either Carol King or Joni Mitchell. I’ve been a fan ever since. I’ve seen him 4 times over the years. I know people who have seen him dozens of times. Garth Brooks named his daughter Taylor after him and Melina Kanakaredes is a fan too. I admire his kids and his family too. What’s my favorite JT song-I really love the sound of ‘Only A Dream in Rio’. I like ‘Line ’em up’ and ‘October Road’ too. And the oldies. What can I say?

JT special achievements:

Grammy Awards

1971 — Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, “You’ve Got a Friend”
1977 — Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, “Handy Man”
1998 — Best Pop Album, Hourglass
2001 — Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”
2003 — Best Country Collaboration With Vocals, “How’s the World Treating You,” with Alison Krauss
2006 — Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year. At a black tie ceremony held in Los Angeles, musicians from several eras paid tribute to Taylor by performing his songs, often prefacing them with remarks on his influence on their decisions to become musicians. These artists included Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, India.Arie, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, and Keith Urban. Paul Simon performed as well, although he was not included in the televised program; Taylor’s brother Livingston appeared on stage as a “backup singer” for the finale, along with Taylor’s twin boys, Rufus and Henry.