CMT Blog: James Taylor

Garth Brooks managed to provide a surprise even after word leaked out that he would be performing at the Wynn Las Vegas, one of the newest upscale hotels and casinos in America's gambling capital. He's always been known for his bombastic concert productions, so it seemed logical that his Vegas shows would provide something even more lavish and over the top -- maybe along the lines of country meets Cirque du Soleil. But in making Thursday afternoon's (Oct. 15) announcement, he revealed that the shows will be solo acoustic affairs -- just him and his guitar. He's done shows like this before but usually reserved them for special events. I saw one of those performances several years ago at the Radio & Records convention in Los Angeles. (Believe it or not, he opened the show for Paula Cole, who had a hit around that time with "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone.") It was nothing like Brooks' arena concerts, and I have to say I wasn't expecting nearly as much as he delivered. Read more...

Fifty minutes. That's how long I had to watch Oprah Winfrey's big kick-off show before I got what I wanted: Rascal Flatts.

There was so much hype about this show. Oprah's 24th season kick-off party was all anyone was talking about this week, at least in Chicago. But all I cared about was Rascal Flatts. (No offense, Oprah.) I wasn't able to go when they taped it on Tuesday (Sept. 8), because the crush of humanity made it impossible to get within a three-mile radius of the part of the city where it was being taped. So today, I watched what I missed.

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Quick. If you love Rascal Flatts and can get to downtown Chicago by this afternoon (Sept. 8), do it. Oprah Winfrey has blocked off a bunch of city streets (much to the chagrin of pedestrians, shop owners and cab drivers but -- whatever -- she's Oprah), and Rascal Flatts will be performing there. Taping starts at 5 p.m. And this time, the whole thing is free and open to the public. Which is ironic when you consider how hard it is for anyone to get their hands on tickets to be in her studio audience. Along with Flatts, Black Eyed Peas, Criss Angel, Jennifer Hudson, James Taylor and some other surprise guests will be there. Kids are welcome. If you go, wear comfy shoes because you'll be standing for a long, long time. And if you really want to get your 15 seconds of fame and be on the show when it airs on Sept. 10, be ready to sing along to every word of whatever song Rascal Flatts performs. Those are the people who always get the close-ups.

When Benjamin Taylor was a kid, his dad would go around the house singing one particular line from George Jones' "Things Have Gone to Pieces," over and over. "I don't think he knew the words to it, except for the part that was like, ‘I got nothing in my pocket except three nickels and a dii-ii-ime.' It sounded so much like Sam Cooke to me," says Taylor. "It was the first thing that really turned me on to country music in that soulful way, and the first time I really dug it and how soulful it really was."

Benjamin Taylor's dad is James Taylor. His mom is Carly Simon. And although Benjamin considers himself a "kung-folk" singer-songwriter, he says that Alison Krauss is "my No. 1 favorite singer" and remains a big fan of Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.

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It was 1973 when I discovered James Taylor. The man, not necessarily the music. My sister did this drawing of him for her high school art class, and I instantly fell head over heels. I mean, look at him. His deep-set eyes. His high cheekbones. The way the sun is highlighting his feathered hair. The way his chambray shirt was faded, even before vintage denim was hot. She drew it from a picture that I think was inside the album cover of 1971's Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. I was only 8, but I knew love like that did not come along every day.

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The upcoming (Sept. 18) release of two DVDs of performances from The Johnny Cash TV Show contains an astonishing array of artists and styles and influences. The DVDs contains no less than 66 performances. Artists include Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Waylon Jennings, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, George Jones, James Taylor, Tammy Wynette, Kris Kristofferson, Linda Ronstadt, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Roy Orbison, Mother Maybelle Carter, June Carter Cash, Marty Robbins and more. In many cases, this was each artist’s debut appearance on network TV -- and this was back when the big three networks controlled TV, in 1969-71.

Something else that’s astonishing to realize now in retrospect is that Cash ended each show with a gospel song and often did more than one on each show. I’m sure ABC was not terribly pleased with its role in spreading Southern gospel, but it did. Can you imagine that happening today? I think it should. What say you?