James "J.T." Taylor
| James "J.T." Warren Taylor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Warren Taylor |
| Also known as | JT Taylor |
| Born |
August 16, 1953 Laurens, South Carolina |
| Origin | South Carolina |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk, post-disco, electro |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, bass synthesizer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | MCA Records |
| Associated acts | Kool & the Gang |
James "J.T." Taylor (born August 16, 1953, Laurens, South Carolina) is an American singer and actor best known as the former lead singer of the R&B/funk band, Kool & the Gang. Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a schoolteacher and amateur night club singer having first joined a band at the age of 13. He joined Kool & the Gang in 1978 and became the band's lead singer in 1979.
Kool & the Gang
In 1979, Kool & the Gang released the platinum-selling album, Ladies' Night, which garnered the hit singles, "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night", solidifying Taylor's status as the group's frontman for years to come. Taylor and Kool & the Gang's next three albums were also successful including the 1980 album, Celebrate! which produced perhaps the group's most recognizable hit to date, "Celebration".
Solo career
In 1988, Taylor amicably left Kool & the Gang to pursue a solo career and has released four solo albums to date. In 1989, he released his first solo album entitled Master of the Game which produced several hits including the album's first single, "All I Want Is Forever", a duet with Regina Belle.
In 1991, Taylor released his second solo album, Feel The Need, which garnered the hits, "Long Hot Summer Night" and "Heart To Heart", a duet with Stephanie Mills.
1993 saw the release of the singer's third solo album, Baby I'm Back, followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 entitled A Brand New Me.
1996: Kool & the Gang reunion
During Taylor's solo career, he briefly reunited with Kool & the Gang, releasing the 1996 album, State of Affairs. Although the album was well received by critics, it was not commercially successful in comparison to Kool & the Gang's releases from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Acting career
During the 1990s, Taylor began his acting career in earnest appearing in the 1992 Hollywood film The Mambo Kings, and the long-running Broadway musical, Raisin.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||||
| 1989 | Master of the Game | - | 77 | MCA | ||
| 1991 | Feel The Need | - | - | |||
| 1993 | Baby I'm Back | - | - | |||
| 2000 | A Brand New Me | - | - | Interscope Records | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B HipHop [1] |
UK [2] | ||||||
| 1989 | "All I Want Is Forever" (duet with Regina Belle) | 2 | — | Tap OST | |||
| "Sister Rosa" | 53 | — | Master Of The Game | ||||
| 1990 | "Master Of The Game" | — | — | ||||
| "8 Days A Week" (US only) | 81 | — | |||||
| 1991 | "Long Hot Summer Night" | 13 | 63 | Feel The Need | |||
| "Heart To Heart" (duet with Stephanie Mills) (US promo) | 65 | — | |||||
| "Feel The Need" (UK only; US promo) | — | 57 | |||||
| 1992 | "Follow Me" (UK only) | — | 59 | ||||
| 1993 | "Baby I'm Back" (US promo) | 65 | — | Baby I'm Back | |||
| 1994 | "Prove My Love" (US promo) | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | "Sex On The Beach" (US only) | — | — | A Brand New Me | |||
| 2000 | "How" (US only) | 82 | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
References
- ↑ "James "J.T." Taylor - US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "James "J.T." Taylor - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
External links
- James "J.T." Taylor at Allmusic
- James "J.T." Taylor at Discogs
- Official website
- Facebook Page
- Myspace
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