James Warren "J.T." Taylor (born August 16, 1953, Laurens, South Carolina) is an American R&B singer, best known as the former lead singer of the funk/R&B band Kool & The Gang.[1]
Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a schoolteacher and amateur night club singer. When he was 13 years old, he and his friends started their own band. He joined Kool & The Gang in 1978 and became the band's lead singer in 1979.
Together, they released the album Ladies' Night. Taylor helped the singles "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night" reach gold and platinum status. The group's change to a pop sound was raised by producer Eumir Deodato, who, starting with Ladies' Night, produced the group's next four platinum and gold albums, between 1979 and 1982. With the help of Deodato, the group's next album, Celebrate!, became one of the biggest hits of their career. In 1988, he separated amicably from Kool & The Gang to pursue a solo career.
As a solo artist, Taylor has released four solo albums to date. Signing with MCA Records, he started his solo career and released his debut album Master of the Game in 1989. Taylor had a hit with his first solo single: a duet with Regina Belle entitled "All I Want Is Forever." Two singles from that album, "Sister Rosa" and "8 Days a Week," got substantial airplay. He completed his second solo album, Feel the Need, in 1991, and two songs from that album, "Long Hot Summer Night" and his duet with Stephanie Mills, "Heart to Heart,". After that he also released Baby I'm Back. Taylor released his fourth solo album, A Brand New Me," in 2000.
During the mid-1990s, Taylor made both his Hollywood and Broadway acting debuts in The Mambo Kings and Raisin,
Taylor has been touring worldwide since 1990. JT is a community activist, working for numerous humanitarian charities, he has really done it all and looking to add more to his repertoire.
In August 2011 JT released his long awaited single titled "SHOWDOWN"!