James Taylor manages to always be in tune to the desires of his listeners. The folk-rock legend never seems to miss a beat when it comes to choosing a ballad from his vast musical archive. The New Orleans Jazz Fest was clearly no exception.

Taylor, satisfied with his guitar-strumming role onstage, took listeners on a storied journey through his past releases at the Jazz Fest on April 25. Fans sang along to the classics, like "You've Got a Friend" and "Fire and Rain," and no one could be any happier. Taylor was a big draw at the event, with crowds swarming to get a glimpse of the classic artist perched on the Acura Stage. James Taylor has many other upcoming concert dates, so that you, too, can really get into your folksy groove. Check online for more information and while you are there get your pair of James Taylor tickets.

James Taylor took on the title "Singer/Songwriter" with great ease when he first debuted in the music industry during the start of the 1970s. His soft, introspective songs and acoustic guitar riffs helped calm the storm of clearly tumultuous times.

Taylor released his self-titled debut album in the U.K. in December 1968 and subsequently the following year in the U.S. It was a complex compilation of songs that featured equal measures of confidence, wit and sophistication. It was a beautiful debut for the aspiring artist and clearly demonstrated his skills as exemplified on songs like: "Something in the Way She Moves," "Carolina in My Mind" and "Rainy Day Man."

He found later success with the even more popular album Sweet Baby James. The record gained appeal thanks to the first single off the record, "Fire and Rain." The pessimistic attitude reflected in the lyrics gave insight into the war ravaged times of the 1960s and the subsequent melancholy hangover that clouded over the 1970s. The song hit the Top Ten and found another successful song in "Country Road," which landed in the Top 40.

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon arrived in the stores in April 1971 and featured the instant classics- "You've Got a Friend," "Mud Slide Slim" and "You Can Close Your Eyes." The first song hit the number one spot on the charts and helped Taylor win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1972.

Taylor continued to charm his fans and music critics with the releases of One Man Dog, Walking Man and In the Pocket. Taylor also appeared frequently with fellow folk crooner Carly Simon both on her records and at tour dates during the 1970s. The pair eventually married but then divorced in 1983.

Taylor continued recording through the 1980s, 1990s and even into today, where he still remains popular not only with the crowds from the '70s generation, but also with the younger generation. Most recently he released an album called Covers in 2008, which was followed by its sequel in 2009. He also still makes several live performances at music festivals and solo concerts.

This article was sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells James Taylor tickets, as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, special events tickets and theater tickets.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.