Rick Springfield

From February 2001 through December 2002, Springfield performed in EFX Alive! at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada to critical acclaim. Other recognition:. Although his achievements are not well recognised in Australia, he has long maintained a large and fiercely loyal fan base in the United States and his many career achievements include a Grammy Award, four platinum albums, twenty US Top 100 singles and seventeen Top 40 hits including a US #1 and #2 single. Grammy Awards:. He played a few minor roles on television in the 1990s, and released an album in 1999. In 2001 Taylor wed for the third time to Caroline (Kim) Smedvig, Director of Public Relations and Marketing at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After a few albums with some hit singles, Springfield's lack of critical acceptance slowed his career, though he continued releasing albums throughout the 1980s. Taylor's appearances were joint performances with the Dixie Chicks.

Springfield was also nominated for two Grammys in 1982 and one Grammy in 1983. Bush in that year's Presidential campaign. Springfield won a Grammy in 1981 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Jessie's Girl". These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote for John Kerry and against George W. With a rabid fanbase, Springfield returned to music with Working Class Dog and the singles "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything for You". Always visibly active in environmental and progressive causes, in October 2004 Taylor joined the "Vote for Change" tour, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. He then became a soap opera actor, most notable for appearing on General Hospital. In 2004, with his Columbia/Sony record contract having concluded, he released James Taylor: A Christmas Album with distribution through Hallmark Cards; it continued the accompaniment trend.

He had a successful acting career, beginning with a brief role as Zac in the 1978 movie Battlestar Galactica. It featured a number of quiet but sophisticated instrumental accompaniments and passages, one of which won the corresponding Grammy. He then went solo in 1971 (see 1971 in music) but was unable to maintain much of a career in the 1970s. Flanked by two greatest hits releases, the new October Road appeared in 2002 to a receptive audience. Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, August 23, 1949) is an Australian pop singer whose career began as a singer in Rock House, followed by Zoot, one of the most popular Australian groups of the late Sixties. Taylor's two albums of original material from the 1990s were notably successful: his thirteenth album, New Moon Shine, went platinum in 1991, and he won the coveted Grammy for Best Pop Album in 1998 for Hourglass. His concerts feature songs from throughout his career; a particular strength is his section of backup singers, especially Arnold McCuller.

He toured regularly, and was especially popular on the American summer outdoor amphitheatre circuit. That's Why I'm Here started a series of studio recordings that, while spaced further apart than his previous records, showed a more consistent level of quality. He put his addiction problems behind him. Beginning in 1985 Taylor staged a career resurgence.

Taylor also performed at the No Nukes concert in Madison Square Garden, then appeared on the album and film from the concert. The album was a success, though there were no hit singles from it. After collaborating with Art Garfunkel and briefly working on Broadway, Taylor took a two-year break, reappearing in 1979 with Flag. Taylor signed to Columbia Records and released JT in 1977, winning another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for "Handy Man".

Simon was unhappy with Taylor's being out on the road traveling so much; he rejected an ultimatum from her that he spend more time with his children, and they eventually divorced in 1983. Taylor and Simon had two children, Benjamin ("Ben") and Sarah ("Sally"). It became a huge hit and remains Taylor's best-selling album. This was followed by In the Pocket in 1976, and then a Greatest Hits album that included some rerecordings of Apple Records-era material.

His next album, 1974's Walking Man, was a disappointment but the following one, Gorilla, was a success, partially because of a successful single, a cover version of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)". In 1972 (see 1972 in music) Taylor returned with One Man Dog and married Carly Simon, another singer-songwriter. He won a Grammy Award for his version of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend". 1971 saw the release of Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, another hit album.

Taylor worked with Dennis Wilson (of the Beach Boys) on a film, Two-Lane Blacktop, but this was unsuccessful at the time. The success of this single and the album, piqued interest in Taylor's first album, James Taylor, bringing it and the single "Carolina on My Mind" back onto the charts. His second album, Sweet Baby James, was a massive success, buoyed by the single "Fire and Rain", a song about his experience in an asylum and the suicide of a friend. Once recovered, Taylor signed to Warner Brothers Records and moved to California, keeping Peter Asher as his manager and record producer.

Shortly after that, he broke both hands in a motorcycle accident on Martha's Vineyard and was forced to stop playing for several months. On July 20, 1969, he performed at the Newport Folk Festival. By 1969, he was well enough to perform live and had a six-night stand at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles. Moving back to the United States, Taylor checked into Austin Riggs Hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts to try to kick the habit.

The album did not sell terribly well and Taylor's addiction worsened. In 1968, Taylor moved to London. He was signed to Apple Records after sending a demo tape to Peter Asher (of Peter & Gordon) and released his debut album, James Taylor. After a desperate phone call, his father drove to New York and "rescued" him. While living in New York, Taylor became addicted to heroin.

The band was signed to Rainy Day Records and released one single, "Brighten Your Night with My Day"/"Night Owl"; the song was not a success. He earned a high school diploma while in the asylum, then left and formed a band called the Flying Machine with Kortchmar and Joel O'Brien. He believes that this action on his behalf saved his life. After dropping out of school, James formed a band with his brother, Alex, then was committed to McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts due to depression.

While attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, Taylor met Danny Kortchmar at Martha's Vineyard and the two began playing folk music together. Taylor first learned the cello as a child, then switched to the guitar in 1960. (Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s and did not record another album until 2003.) Taylor's children with Carly Simon, Ben and Sally, have also embarked on musical careers. Taylor's four siblings, Alex, Livingston, Hugh and Kate have also been musicians with recorded albums.

His Greatest Hits album from 1976 was certified diamond and has sold more than 11 million copies. He was was part of a wave of soft singer-songwriters of the time that also included Carole King, John Denver, Jackson Browne and Carly Simon. Taylor's career began in the mid-1960s, but he found his audience in the early 1970s, singing sensitive and gentle acoustic songs. His family summered on Martha's Vineyard.

He grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father was the dean of the University of North Carolina Medical School. James Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, born in Boston, Massachusetts. ISBN 0711991936. Omnibus Press.

James Taylor: Long Ago and Far Away. White, Timothy (2002). Pull Over (2002) - Recording of a 2001 show in Chicago, Illinois. Live at the Beacon Theatre (1998) - Recording of a show in New York City.

Squibnocket (1993) - Tour rehearsals on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. James Taylor: In Concert (1988). James Taylor: In Concert (1982) - CBS/FOX laserdisc of a 1979 concert in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. James Taylor: A Christmas Album (2004).

The Best of James Taylor (2003). October Road (2002). Greatest Hits Volume 2 (2000). Hourglass (1997).

(Best LIVE) (1994). (LIVE) (1993). New Moon Shine (1991). Never Die Young (1988).

That's Why I'm Here (1985). Dad Loves His Work (1981). Flag (1979). JT (1977).

Greatest Hits (1976). In the Pocket (1976). Gorilla (1975). Walking Man (1974).

One Man Dog (1972). Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971). James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine (1971) - recorded 1966-1967. Sweet Baby James (1970).

James Taylor (1968). Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2000. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2000. Best Country Collaboration With Vocals, 2003, "How's the World Treating You", with Alison Krauss.

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), 2002, "Mean Old Man", arrangement by Dave Grusin. Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 2001, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". Best Pop Album, 1998, Hourglass. Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1977, "Handy Man".

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1971, "You've Got a Friend".