BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY James "J.T." Taylor (born August 16, 1953, Laurens, South Carolina) is an American singer and actor best known as the former lead singer of the R&B/funk band, Kool & The Gang. Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a schoolteacher and amateur night club singer 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 front-man for years to come. Taylor and Kool & The Gang's next three albums were also successful including 1980's 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 (MCA Records) 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 (MCA Records), 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 (MCA Records), followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 entitled A Brand New Me (Interscope Records).
1996 Kool & The Gang reunion
During Taylor's solo career, he briefly reunited with Kool & The Gang, releasing the 1996 album, State Of Affairs (Curb Records). 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 movie, The Mambo Kings, and the long-running Broadway musical, Raisin.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||||
| 1989 | Master Of The Game | - | - | MCA | ||
| 1991 | Feel The Need | - | - | |||
| 1993 | Baby I'm Back | - | - | |||
| 2000 | A Brand New Me | - | - | Interscope Records | ||
"—" denotes the album failed to chart                                                                                                | ||||||
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