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James Taylor Your name Your instructor’s name Your class The date James Vernon Taylor was born March 12, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the second of five children, all musically talented. Although all are musically talented James is undoubtedly the best known of the group. In 1951, James’ father , Dr. Isaac Taylor was appointed the dean of the medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the family moved from Boston to North Carolina. In 1961, James began attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. At the age of 16 James dropped out of school and formed a band with his brother Alex. During this time he suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts and therefore checked himself into McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts. While there he earned his high school diploma. Also this stay at the hospital would serve to inspire some of his early songs. A example of these are “Fire and Rain”, and “Knocking Around the Zoo”. “Fire and Rain” was written about a friend of his from the psychiatric hospital. “ The first verse was a reaction to a friend of mine from the mental hospital killing herself. The second verse of the song is about my kicking junk (drugs) before I left England. The third verse is about my going into another (mental) hospital in Western Massachusetts. It’s just a hard-time song, a blues without having the blues form.” (Rolling Stone magazine, James Taylor. February 18, 1971) By 1968, James had become addicted to heroin. Looking back at this time he feels his stay in the mental institution may have contributed to this addiction.
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