Courtesy of AudibleLast year, James Taylor announced that he’d be releasing, not an autobiography, but an “audio-biography,” via the online audiobook store Audible. Now we know when it’s coming out.
The Audible Original, titled Break Shot: My First 21 Years, will be released January 31 and is now available for pre-order at Audible.com/JamesTaylor. It’s a lot cheaper than the typical musical memoir: It only costs about eight bucks.
In Break Shot, Taylor combines spoken-word narration with musical interludes he recorded at his home studio. It’s the story of his life up to age 21, including his childhood, his dysfunctional family life, and his musical beginnings.
The Los Angeles Times has an audio clip of the book, in which Taylor details how he checked into a psychiatric hospital when he was in high school after struggling with depression. As a result, he got a deferment and didn’t have to fight in Vietnam.
If you think that sounds like the story ends before it get to the good stuff, keep in mind that by age 21, James had already written some of his most famous songs — including “Fire and Rain” and “Something in the Way She Moves” — and had released his first album on The Beatles‘ record label, Apple.
In other James Taylor news, he’ll tour Canada with Bonnie Raitt in April, and he’s announced two U.S. shows so far: June 21 at Fenway Park in Boston, where he’ll be joined by Shawn Colvin and Brandi Carlile, and July 4 at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Tickets for Fenway Park are on sale now; Tanglewood tickets go on sale February 3.
Later this year, James is expected to release an album of standards.
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