BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " JAMES J.T. TAYLOR " IS AN AMERICAN SINGER AND ACTOR WHO WAS THE LEAD SINGER WINGER WITH THE GROUP COOL AND THE GANG : GOES INTO THE " GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

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James "J.T." Taylor

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BLACK                 SOCIAL               HISTORY

James "J.T." Warren Taylor
Background information
Birth name	James Warren Taylor
Also known as	JT Taylor
Born	August 16, 1953 (age 61) Laurens, South Carolina
Origin	South Carolina
Genres	R&B, soul, funk, post-disco,electro
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, bass synthesizer
Years active	1978–present
Labels	MCA Records
Associated acts	Kool & the Gang

James "J.T." Taylor (born August 16, 1953, Laurens, South Carolina) is an American singer and actor best known as the formerlead singer of the R&B/funk band, Kool & the Gang. Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a schoolteacher and amateur night clubsinger having first joined a band at the age of 13. He joined Kool & the Gang in 1978 and became the band's lead singer in 1979.

Kool & the Gang

In 1979, Kool & the Gang released the platinum-selling album, Ladies' Night, which garnered the hit singles, "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night", solidifying Taylor's status as the group's frontman for years to come. Taylor and Kool & the Gang's next three albums were also successful including the 1980 album, Celebrate! which produced perhaps the group's most recognizable hit to date, "Celebration".

Solo career

In 1988, Taylor amicably left Kool & the Gang to pursue a solo career and has released four solo albums to date. In 1989, he released his first solo album entitled Master of the Game which produced several hits including the album's first single, "All I Want Is Forever", a duet with Regina Belle.

In 1991, Taylor released his second solo album, Feel The Need, which garnered the hits, "Long Hot Summer Night" and "Heart To Heart", a duet with Stephanie Mills.

1993 saw the release of the singer's third solo album, Baby I'm Back, followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 entitled A Brand New Me.

1996: Kool & the Gang reunion

During Taylor's solo career, he briefly reunited with Kool & the Gang, releasing the 1996 album, State of Affairs. Although the album was well received by critics, it was not commercially successful in comparison to Kool & the Gang's releases from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Acting career

During the 1990s, Taylor began his acting career in earnest appearing in the 1992 Hollywood film The Mambo Kings, and the long-running Broadway musical, Raisin.

Discography

Studio albums[edit]

Year	Album	Chart positions		Record label
		US	US R&B
1989	Master of the Game	-	77	MCA
1991	Feel The Need	-	-
1993	Baby I'm Back	-	-
2000	A Brand New Me	-	-	Interscope Records
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions		Album
		US R&B HipHop [1]	UK [2]
1989	"All I Want Is Forever" (duet with Regina Belle)	2	—	Tap OST
	"Sister Rosa"	53	—	Master Of The Game
1990	"Master Of The Game"	—	—
	"8 Days A Week" (US only)	81	—
1991	"Long Hot Summer Night"	13	63	Feel The Need
	"Heart To Heart" (duet with Stephanie Mills) (US promo)	65	—
	"Feel The Need" (UK only; US promo)	—	57
1992	"Follow Me" (UK only)	—	59
1993	"Baby I'm Back" (US promo)	65	—	Baby I'm Back
1994	"Prove My Love" (US promo)	—	—
1999	"Sex On The Beach" (US only)	—	—	A Brand New Me
2000	"How" (US only)	82	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.