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| James Taylor to Perform Material from New Album 'Covers' Borders will host legendary singer/songwriter James Taylor live Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Borders store on Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor. The five-time Grammy Award winner is set to perform acoustic renditions of tracks from his forthcoming CD, "Covers." Following his performance, Taylor will sign copies of the "Covers" CD for fans. The CD officially goes on sale Tuesday, Sept. 30. For those who cannot attend, the James Taylor event will be featured online at Borders.com beginning Oct. 7 on "Borders Live at 01, " the retailer's popular broadband program that captures all the magic and excitement of in-store performances and other events at Borders' first store in Ann Arbor. In addition to featuring Taylor's much anticipated in-store performance, the episode will also include an exclusive interview with the singer talking about his new CD as well as the music, books and movies that inspire him, and more. "It's truly an honor to have James Taylor perform at Borders, " said Rob Gruen, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing for Borders Group. "He's a remarkable talent and one of the most prolific and beloved singer/songwriters of our time. This will be an event to remember for all who attend and we're pleased to be able to host James for this very special acoustical performance and to offer it online on our 'Live at 01' program." "I've enjoyed performing these songs during my career and now I have the opportunity to sing my own renditions of them at Borders, " said Taylor. "The Borders store will offer an intimate and personal setting for me to share these songs with my fans who attend the event, and then millions of others will be able to enjoy the performance later on by watching it on Borders.com." "Covers" features Taylor's own musical interpretations of tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s by artists including Buddy Holly, the Dixie Chicks, The Temptations, Leonard Cohen, George Jones and Eddie Cochran. Tracks include: "It's Growing, " "(I'm a) Road Runner, " "Wichita Lineman, " "Why Baby Why, " "Some Days You Gotta Dance, " "Seminole Wind, " "Suzanne, " "Hound Dog, " "Sadie, " "On Broadway, " "Summertime Blues" and "Not Fade Away." The songs on the CD were recorded live in a barn in Massachusetts with his "Band of Legends, " that included musical heavyweights Luis Conte, Michael Landau, Jeff Babko, Lou Marini, Arnold McCuller, Jimmy Johnson, David Lasley, Walt Fowler, Andrea Zonn, Kate Markowitz, Steve Gadd and Larry Goldings. Beginning at 9 a.m. on the day of the event, wristbands will be given out to customers in the store on a first come, first served basis and will hold each person's place in line. Taylor will only sign the "Covers" CD at the event, and customers must have the CD in hand in order to obtain a wristband. Customers may of course purchase the "Covers" CD at the store, but they may also bring a previously purchased "Covers" CD with them to the event to be signed. Line wristbands will be color-coded and the line will be organized by colors. Borders cannot guarantee that all customers with line wristbands will have the opportunity to meet Taylor and have their "Covers" CD signed. To ensure that he is able to meet as many customers as possible, Taylor will be unable to personalize his signature. No posed photographs may be taken during the book signing and no memorabilia or other CDs will be signed. Over the course of his long career, James Taylor has earned 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy Awards for a catalog running from 1970's "Sweet Baby James" to his Grammy Award-winning efforts "Hourglass" (1997) and "October Road" (2002). Taylor's first greatest hits album earned him the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) elite Diamond Award, given for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. For his accomplishments, James was honored with the 1998 Century Award, Billboard magazine's highest accolade, bestowed for distinguished creative achievement. The year 2000 saw his induction into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected James its MUSICARES Person of the Year in 2006 and most recently, James Taylor's "One Man Band" (2007) was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, " in September 2008. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |