Confidence and swagger are sometimes the keys to any success, some things younger people have in abundance. In a new interview, singer-songwriter James Taylor recalls auditioning to join The Beatles‘ label, Apple Records in the late ‘60s. The six-time Grammy Award winner said he believes that apart from his musical talent, his youth gave him the confidence to sell himself.
Speaking to GuitarWorld, James claims to have had “some kind of competence and the arrogance of youth”, while auditioning in front of Paul McCartney and George Harrison. “Without which, nobody would ever do anything because you’d hedge your bets.
“There’s a stage in our development where you’re allowed to do impossible things, which is why the military looks to people about that age,” James claims. You can talk people into doing things that if you were asked when you were 35, you’d say, ‘No thanks, I’ll pass on that.’
“I also knew that it was somehow good. It worked for me, and I was a music connoisseur. I thought, ‘This stuff could go somewhere. I want somebody to hear this.’ I’ve had that feeling a few times, at different points in my life,” James added.
Explaining what it felt like to release his 1968 debut, self-titled album on The Beatles’ label, James said it “was just otherworldly”.
“I was a huge Beatles fan, and they were at the very height of their powers. They just kept going, kept growing. So, to be in London, the first person signed to their label in 1968, was really like catching the big wave. It was unbelievable,” James explains.
James Taylor is set to embark upon a UK tour next year, following the release of his 20th studio album, American Standard in February 2020. The album has gone on to win Best Tradition Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney is set to discuss how John Lennon was the chief instigator in the Beatles splitting up, denying his blame. Read more here.
