There was a time in middle school when I almost always wore some form of Carolina Blue clothing. A Tar Heel born and bred. It was beyond fandom.
I got some teasing from classmates, but I took it in stride. Out of spite, I looked for ways to top it.
An assignment from our English teacher helped. Bring a cassette (remember those?) or CD (or these?) with your favorite song, and she’ll play it.
Immediately everyone wondered if I would find anything Carolina-related. Well, duh.
In my mind I was already gone to Carolina. And James Taylor brought it to life.
There was plenty of rock and rap that day. Stone Temple Pilots. Nirvana. Biggie. Tupac. But only one “Sweet Baby James.”
Beyond Taylor’s ode to his home state, there’s something about his music that connects to me. I like all kinds of music, but James Taylor has always been my favorite.
James Taylor plays ‘Carolina in My Mind’ at rally in Wilmington, NC
The Grammy winner and North Carolina native played several of his favorites during the campaign stop at Wilmington’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater.
I’m still floored to know Taylor has put Wilmington on his tour this year. Of course, I’ve got tickets. It’ll be my fourth JT concert.
Maybe it started with being frugal. At music stores, I first went to the bargain bin. Many of the titles had stickers on them saying “The Nice Price” or “Great Value.” I realized I could stretch any money I had on getting a few of those albums compared to maybe one new release. Often, the bargains featured James Taylor selections from the ’70s and ’80s.
By my early teens, I probably had all of his albums. Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. Walking Man. Flag. Gorilla. In The Pocket. Dad Loves His Work. That’s Why I’m Here. Never Die Young.
It wasn’t cool at my age to like James Taylor, but I preferred different over cool. Even today, saying “JT” to the younger generation probably brings up Justin Timberlake.
Unlike that JT’s showmanship, Taylor is unassuming. No frills. The singer-songwriter became big with “Fire and Rain,” “Your Smiling Face,” “Something in the Way She Moves,” “Country Road,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “Shower the People” and countless others. He taught me the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
Yes, I could go on and on with the deep cuts. His Chapel Hill upbringing in “Copperline,” “Knockin’ Round The Zoo” at a psychiatric facility where “they’re counting up the spoons” or “Hello Old Friend.”
There’s a quote that describes country music as three chords and the truth. Despite only dabbling in country, James Taylor hits those notes.
It all brings me back to my younger days.
Once “Carolina in My Mind” hit that middle school classroom, everyone either shook their heads or started laughing. And for good measure, the teacher let us play another song. I flipped the cassette to Taylor’s “Steamroller Blues,” and my teacher got in the groove.
However, it was a version of “Steamroller” from a live concert, and I forgot that Taylor let out a few obscenities. The groove ended.
Oh well. It was a nice price to pay.
Owen Hassell is the local news editor for the StarNews. You can reach him at [email protected].
