AMERICAN SONGSMITH

JAMES TAYLOR IS one of the most influential acoustic guitar players of all time, period. The iconic tunesmith is the first to admit that his “primitive” fingerstyle may not be fancy, but as he explains in the following interview, he invented his own approach, and it has certainly worked for him. Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums — pause to let that sink in for a moment — and yet, 2015’s Before This World was his first to reach Number One. His easygoing style practically defined the sound of the sensitive singer-songwriter in the ’70s, but his music has always had a timeless quality. Classic compositions like “Fire and Rain” and “Country Road,” and signature covers such as Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” will undoubtedly live in the troubadour lexicon far into the future. As true fans will know, Taylor was the first non-British artist signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records, in 1968, and he recorded the first versions of “Something in the Way She Moves” and “Carolina in My Mind” for his self-titled debut over scattered downtime sessions while the Fab Four were creating the White Album.

For his latest release, (Fantasy), Taylor is built. Special guests include upright-bass guru Victor Krauss and fiddle extraordinaire Stuart Duncan, whose playful licks sound absolutely lovely on “My Blue Heaven,” as well as Dobro king Jerry Douglas, whose expressive phrasing lifts “God Bless the Child” to the heavens. Meeting the challenge of playing such time-honored tunes has put the 72-year-old Taylor at the top of his guitar game. “I’ve been playing a lot these past couple of years to get this material ready to record with John, and also in preparation for a tour with Jackson Browne, with the strongest advanced sales I’ve had since the ’70s,” he declares. “Plus, I’ve been teaching my son Henry aspects of my style while sequestered with the family in Rhode Island. He’s got my vocabulary down, and my chops are up.”