Turbulent Facts About James Taylor, The Velvet-Voiced Troubadour
When brooding folk-rocker James Taylor appeared on The Simpsons, they jokingly referred to him as the “Mild Man of Rock”. Well, when it comes to his personal life, you might wanna grab a glass of milk because it’s burn-your-face-off spicy.
1. His Life Was Anything But Laid Back
On the surface, there’s nothing threatening about James Taylor. At his peak, the sensitive, acoustic guitar-wielding tunesmith was basically a male Taylor Swift—in fact, the superstar songstress’s parents even named her after him.
Like Swift, Taylor was able to turn heartbreak into massive album sales. Unlike Swift, however, his life path veered into darkness, tragedy, and danger way too many times.
2. He Came From Money
It’s safe to assume that your family isn’t hurting for cash if you were born in the same Boston hospital where your father worked as a doctor. Despite this being the case when little James Taylor entered the world on March 12, 1948, he would soon find out that all the old money in the world couldn’t stop the freight train of heartache that would soon be heading his way.
3. He Was Off To An Embarrassing Start
Kids are always exploring and experimenting and seven-year-old Taylor was no different. One afternoon, when he thought he was alone, he dipped into the family record collection and pulled out some…show tunes! He started belting out “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” from Oklahoma! without realizing that his grandmother was in the next room.
Oh, if only this could have been his last encounter with the burning fires of shame instead of the first of many.
4. He Had A Single Mom (Kind Of)
Life wasn’t totally rosy while James was discovering his love of show tunes, however. It was around this time that his father was sent away on a two-year expedition to the South Pole. It’s hard to not have a father figure during those formative years, but shortly after his father’s return, we’re guessing that young Taylor was wishing that his dad had stayed far, far away.
