James "JT" Taylor
James "JT" Taylor (born August 12, 1953 in Laurens , South Carolina ) is an American R&B singer and former lead singer of the band Kool & The Gang .
biography
At the age of 13, he and his friends formed their own band. He joined Kool & The Gang in 1978 and became the band's lead singer in 1979, before that Taylor was a teacher and amateur night club singer.
Together they recorded the album Ladies' Night in 1979 . Taylor's lead vocals helped the singles Too Hot and Ladies' Night to gold and platinum respectively. The group's change of style to pop music was initiated by producer Eumir Deodato . Between 1979 and 1982, starting with Ladies' Night , he produced a series of four platinum and gold albums, which can be regarded as one of the greatest successes of her career. With the help of Deodato, the next album, Celebrate! another great success. In 1988, Taylor split from Kool & The Gang.
After signing with MCA, Taylor began his solo career and released his debut album Master of the Game in 1989 . All I Want Is Forever , a duet with soul singer Regina Belle , became a hit. Taylor released his second solo album Feel the Need in 1991, two songs from it, Long Hot Summer Night and Heart to Heart (duet with Stephanie Mills), were minor successes. He also released Baby I'm Back . Two more solo albums followed, the last in 2000 with the title A Brand New Me . At the end of 2008 the single Winner was released , a tribute to the then President-elect Barack Obama .
In the mid-1990s, Taylor made his actor debut in the films The Mambo Kings and Raisin . In 1995 he briefly returned to Kool & The Gang. James "JT" Taylor, Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell and George Brown went on stage together for the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards ceremony in June 2018.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 R&B
|
|||
| 1989 | Master of the Game |
R&B77 (8 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1991 | Feel the need |
R&B57 (9 weeks) R&B |
More albums
- 1993: Baby I'm Back
- 1995: State of Affairs (with Kool & The Gang)
- 1996: Salute (Kool & The Gang feat. JT Taylor)
- 1998: All-Time Greatest Hits (Kool & The Gang feat. JT Taylor)
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1989 | All I Want Is Forever Tap OST |
- |
R&B2 (20 weeks) R&B |
with Regina Belle
|
| Sister Rosa Master of the Game |
- |
R&B53 (8 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1990 | 8 Days a Week Master of the Game |
- |
R&B81 (5 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1991 | Long Hot Summer Night Feel The Need |
UK63 (2 weeks) UK |
R&B13 (14 weeks) R&B |
|
| Heart to Heart Feel The Need |
- |
R&B65 (10 weeks) R&B |
with Stephanie Mills
promo single |
|
| Feel the Need Feel the Need |
UK57 (1 week) UK |
- | ||
| 1992 | Baby I'm Back Feel The Need |
- |
R&B65 (10 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1993 | Follow Me Baby I'm Back |
UK59 (2 weeks) UK |
- | |
| 2000 | How A Brand New Me |
- |
R&B82 (8 weeks) R&B |
with Meli'sa Morgan
|
More singles
- 1990: Master of the Game
- 1992: Follow Me
- 1994: Prove My Love
- 1999: Sex on the Beach
Guest Posts
- 1996: Salute to the Ladies (Kool & The Gang feat. JT Taylor)
- 1996: In the Hood (Tonight ... It's Alright) (Kool & The Gang feat.JT Taylor)
- 1996: Ladies Night (7T feat.Kool & The Gang, JT and Takia)
swell
Web links
- James "JT" Taylor at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Taylor, James "JT" |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Taylor, James; JT |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American R&B singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 12, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Laurens , South Carolina |