Lenox — Tickets to see James Taylor this summer for his 50th and 51st Tanglewood appearances will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, January 29, on Tanglewood’s website and at (888) 266-1200. In celebration of Independence Day, a fireworks display over Stockbridge Bowl will follow the July 4 concert, the proceeds of which will be donated (as usual) by Kim and James Taylor to support Tanglewood.
Half a century after his first appearance at Tanglewood, James Taylor, a pop musician, still draws a larger crowd to the Boston Symphony’s summer home than any classical musician who has ever appeared there. Yet Mr. Taylor would be the last person to point this out, since he is an unabashed champion of the Western classical music canon and one of the orchestra’s biggest donors.
Over the course of his career, Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, the first of which, in 1968, was produced by Peter Asher and released on Apple Records. (In his live shows, James tells an amazing story about auditioning for The Beatles, calling his signing to Apple Records “lucky.”) About 10 years later, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Taylor’s 1976 “Greatest Hits” album as 11-times Platinum in the United States. The record later earned a Diamond certification by the RIAA, eventually selling more than 20 million copies worldwide. (If you are a baby boomer and you want to see your life pass before your eyes, then check out Taylor’s full discography here).
In 2015, Taylor put out his first number one album of his career, “Before This World.” He has won multiple GRAMMY awards and was inducted by Paul McCartney into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2021, Taylor’s “American Standard” won the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and made him the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades. Taylor’s awards and recognitions are too numerous to list here (which you will see if you click the link), but the most recent was an honorary doctorate of music from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2022.
At the age of 75, James Taylor shows no sign of slowing down. (The pandemic had him champing at the bit, as you may recall.) He still tours the world with his band, and in a few months, he will embark on a concert tour with dates in Tokyo, Manila, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. He and his band will be amply warmed up by the time July rolls around.
Tanglewood, located in the Berkshire Hills between Stockbridge and Lenox, is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and site of the nation’s most celebrated summer music festival. Watch for a public announcement on February 1 detailing the 2024 Tanglewood season, including more dates in the Popular Artists Series.
James Taylor returns to Tanglewood with his All-Star Band for performances on Wednesday, July 3, and Thursday, July 4, at 8 p.m., in the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Get your tickets at 10 a.m., Monday, January 29, on Tanglewood’s website or at (888) 266-1200.
