James Taylor Announces US Spring Tour With Jackson Browne

James Taylor has announced a 28-date US tour in support of his new album American Standard. The tour kicks off on 15 May at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and runs through early July.

Taylor will be joined by another influential singer-songwriter, Jackson Browne. The addition of US dates follows an announcement late last year of a Canadian run, which begins 14 April at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, BC. In Canada, Taylor will be joined by blues icon Bonnie Raitt, who has frequently shared the stage with the ‘Fire and Rain’ singer.

American Standard, released 28 February on Fantasy Records, finds Taylor putting his own special touch on works by the some of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. The tracklist includes such beloved songs as ‘You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught’, written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for Broadway’s South Pacific, Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington’s enthralling ‘The Nearness of You’, the Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer-penned ‘Moon River’, the cheerful ‘Pennies From Heaven’, by Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke and ‘God Bless The Child’, from Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr.

Many of the songs covered by Taylor resonated deeply with him as a child, including an unlikely inclusion – ‘As Easy As Rolling Off A Log’, written by MK Jerome-Jack Scholl, and featured in Katnip Kollege, a 1938 Merrie Melodies cartoon. Taylor, who admitted that he’d had the tune in his head for years, is the first artist to release a cover the song. “We expanded it – added to it a little bit and made it into a whole song,” he recalled in a trailer for the album. “It’s a hidden gem.”

In the trailer, Taylor also discussed the cultural significance of these songs – many of which comprise the Great American Songbook. “These are sort of pre-rock’n’roll…So many of my generation that got started in the 60s – these were their musical foundations. [The] Songbook is the pinnacle of American pop music.”

Visit the official artist site for ticket details and view the full confirmed tour itinerary below

American Standard can be bought here.

James Taylor 2020 Tour Dates

With Bonnie Raitt:
14 April – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre – Victoria, BC
15 April – Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
17 April – Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB
19 April – Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB
21 April – Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg, MB
24 April – Richcraft Live at the Canadian Tire Centre – Ottawa, ON
25 April – Budweiser Gardens – London, ON
27 April – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
29 April – Centre Bell – Montreal, QC
1 May – Scotiabank Centre – Halifax, NS
2 May – Avenir Centre – Moncton, NB
5 May – Mile One Centre – St. John’s, NL

With Jackson Browne (except *)
15 May – Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
16 May – Toyota Center – Houston, TX
18 May – Dickies Arena – Ft. Worth, TX
21 May – Maverik Center – Salt Lake City, UT
22 May – ExtraMile Arena – Boise, ID
24 May – Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, WA
25 May – Moda Center – Portland, OR
27 May – Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
28 May – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
29 May – Pechanga Arena – San Diego, CA
10 June – United Center – Chicago, IL
12 June – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
13 June – DTE Energy Center – Detroit, MI
15 June – Nutter Center – Dayton, OH
16 June – PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
18 June – Giant Center – Hershey, PA
19 June – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY
21 June – Fenway Park – Boston, MA* (with Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin)
23 June – Berglund Center Coliseum – Roanoke, VA
24 June – Charleston Coliseum – Charleston, WV
26 June – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
27 June – FedEx Forum – Memphis, TN
29 June – Infinite Energy Center – Atlanta, GA
30 June – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
4 July – Tanglewood – Lenox, MA*
7 July – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
8 July – Northwell Health @ Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
10 July – BB&T Center – Camden, NJ

Format: UK English