Music Legend James Taylor on Passing Namesake Taylor Swift to Claim #1 <em>Billboard</em> Spot

Tonight, I'm joined by the incomparable singer-songwriter James Taylor for the first of a two-night conversation. Taylor's first studio album in thirteen years,features ten tracks with guest appearances by Sting and Yo-Yo Ma.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Tonight, I'm joined by the incomparable singer-songwriter James Taylor for the first of a two-night conversation. Taylor's first studio album in thirteen years, Before This World features ten tracks with guest appearances by Sting and Yo-Yo Ma.

With a music career spanning over four decades, Taylor has sold over 100 million albums and earned five GRAMMY awards, producing a rich catalog of Top 10 hits and fan favorites including "Fire and Rain", "Country Road", "Shower the People" and "Copperline". His breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James debuted 45 years ago and went triple platinum, staying on the charts for two years.

But JT had never had a #1 album until Before This World.

In the clip below, he shares the moment he passed his namesake Taylor Swift to claim the #1 spot on the Billboard 200.

For more of our conversation, be sure to tune in to Tavis Smiley on PBS. Check our website for your local TV listings: www.pbs.org/tavis.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot