James Taylor To Make Grand Ole Opry Debut
The show is part of the venue’s 100th anniversary celebration.
James Taylor will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday, November 11 as part of the Opry’s ongoing 100th anniversary celebration.
The award-winning singer/songwriter, who has sold over 100 million albums and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, has collaborated with numerous country music artists over the past few decades including Chris Stapleton and Opry member and friend Vince Gill, and performed “Wichita Lineman” at ‘Country Music: In Performance At The White House” in 2011 with Lyle Lovett and Opry member Alison Krauss. Taylor won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration of the Year for his duet with Krauss on “How’s The World Treating You?”
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Longtime Opry legend George Hamilton IV is credited as the first country artist to champion the songs of James Taylor, recording covers of “Carolina in My Mind” in 1969 and “Sweet Baby James” in 1971, helping introduce Taylor’s music to country audiences. Taylor will be joined by his Opry member friends Gill and Emmylou Harris. Previously announced artists for the show include Scotty Hasting, Jamey Johnson, Craig Morgan, and Gary Sinise and the Lieutenant Dan Band.
“The Opry has been built over the last 100 years in large part by songwriters and storytellers. To have one of the very best ever with us to celebrate 100 years is amazing to so many of us,” said Dan Rogers, Opry executive producer.
In other James Taylor news, it was confirmed back in March that a new stage musical based on his music is in development. Titled Fire & Rain, the show will thread the legendary singer-songwriter’s tunes into a new original story by playwright and actor Tracy Letts, whose work on August: Osage County won him a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for Best Play in 2008.
