James "J.T." Taylor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James "J.T." Taylor
Taylor in the 1980s
Taylor in the 1980s
Background information
Birth nameJames Warren Taylor
Also known asJ.T. Taylor
Born (1953-08-16) August 16, 1953 (age 68)
Laurens, South Carolina, U.S.
GenresR&B, soul, funk, post-disco, electro
Occupation(s)Singer, actor, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, keyboards, bass synthesizer
Years active1978–present
LabelsMCA Records
Associated actsKool & the Gang
This article is about the Kool & The Gang member. For the solo musician, see James Taylor. For other persons with the same name, see James Taylor (disambiguation).

James "J.T." Warren Taylor (born August 16, 1953) is an American singer and actor who achieved worldwide fame as the lead singer of Kool & the Gang between 1979 and 1986.

Taylor joined Kool & The Gang in 1979, and remained with the group for 11 years. His tenure as lead singer was the most successful era in the band's history, with the albums Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), and hit singles including "Ladies' Night", the US No. 1 "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish".

Taylor left the group in 1989 to begin a solo career, but has reunited with the band a few times in concerts, and recorded one last album with them in 1996.

Early life[]

Taylor was born on August 16, 1953 in Laurens, South Carolina, and grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey. Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a teacher and night club singer, having first joined a band at the age of 13.

Kool & The Gang[]

Taylor joined Kool & the Gang in 1978 and eventually became the lead singer in 1979. He was the only member of the band they auditioned for lead singer. He sings lead vocals on some of the band's most popular songs, including "Ladies' Night", "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish".

In 1996, he briefly reunited with Kool & the Gang, releasing the 1996 album State of Affairs.

Solo career[]

In 1988, Taylor pursued a solo career and has released four solo albums to date.

In 1989, he released his first solo album titled Master of the Game, which produced several hits, including the album's first single "All I Want Is Forever", a duet with Regina Belle. The single "The Promised Land" was included on the soundtrack of Ghostbusters II.

In 1991, Taylor released his second solo album, Feel the Need, which garnered the hits "Long Hot Summer Night" and "Heart to Heart", a duet with Stephanie Mills.

1993 saw the release of the singer's third solo album, Baby I'm Back, followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 titled A Brand New Me.

Acting career[]

During the 1990s, Taylor began his acting career in the 1992 Hollywood film The Mambo Kings and the long-running Broadway musical Raisin.

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Year Album Chart positions Record label
US US
R&B
1989 Master of the Game – 77 MCA
1991 Feel the Need – –
1993 Baby I'm Back – –
2000 A Brand New Me – – Interscope Records
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles[]

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US R&B HipHop
[1] 		UK
[2]
1989 "All I Want Is Forever" (duet with Regina Belle) 2 — Tap OST
"Sister Rosa" 53 — Master of the Game
1990 "Master of the Game" — —
"8 Days a Week" (US only) 81 —
1991 "Long Hot Summer Night" 13 63 Feel the Need
"Heart to Heart" (duet with Stephanie Mills) (US promo) 65 —
"Feel the Need" (UK only; US promo) — 57
1992 "Follow Me" (UK only) — 59
1993 "Baby I'm Back" (US promo) 65 — Baby I'm Back
1994 "Prove My Love" (US promo) — —
1999 "Sex on the Beach" (US only) — — A Brand New Me
2000 "How" (US only) 82 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References[]

  1. ^ "James "J.T." Taylor – US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  2. ^ "James "J.T." Taylor – UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2014.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""