James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit in 1971 with "You've Got a Friend", written by Carole King. His 1976 album "Greatest Hits" was certified Diamond and has sold 11 million copies in the United States, making it one of the best-selling albums in US history. Following his 1977 album "JT", Taylor maintained a large audience over the decades. Every album he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies, and his combined album and single sales in the US are certified at 33 million. He experienced a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s with albums including "Hourglass", "October Road", and "Covers". Taylor achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with "Before This World". He is also known for his cover recordings, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and "Handy Man", as well as original songs like "Sweet Baby James". Taylor played the leading role in Monte Hellman's 1971 film "Two-Lane Blacktop". Studio albums James Taylor (1968) Sweet Baby James (1970) Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971) One Man Dog (1972) Walking Man (1974) Gorilla (1975) In the Pocket (1976) JT (1977) Flag (1979) Dad Loves His Work (1981) That's Why I'm Here (1985) Never Die Young (1988) New Moon Shine (1991) Hourglass (1997) October Road (2002) A Christmas Album (2004) James Taylor at Christmas (2006) Covers (2008) Before This World (2015) American Standard (2020)