James Taylor - the man loves his work

Q: Can you think of one moment from your experience with James that really stands out?

LG: Hmm. Well, during my first tour with the band, when I was still feeling a little insecure about whether I was "cutting it" or not, we were onstage playing....I don't

Larry and James in Nashville

remember the song...But it was something that had an instrumental section where the band was just grooving on a few chords. I'm playing the organ, and I look up and there's James, playing guitar, and staring at me - a really kind of glazed, lost look. I panicked a bit, thinking I must have been playing something terribly wrong. Not knowing how to react, I gave him a nervous smile, and immediately, his blank stare melted into a huge, almost blissful grin. I realized then that the STARE had been that of a musician completely lost in the joy of making music with others. You know, there's James Taylor, the songwriter, the singer, the entertainer; but ever since that incident, I realize what pulls him on stage year after year, is that he just LOVES making music. He thrives on the give and take that exists between musicians, he loves to groove....he gets lost in it. This quality of James comes through so deeply when he performs....that genuine love of making music.