“When you go to see Livingston Taylor perform on stage, he transforms love, joy and spirituality into something so tangible, that you can carry it home with you when the concert is over.”- Jean Mudge, fan
Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of thirteen. Who knew that this would signal the beginning of a career that has spanned over forty years and that has encompassed performance, songwritingcand teaching. Born in Boston in 1950, Livingston grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina—the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate and Hugh. At sixteen, Livingston moved back to Boston where he finished high school and began performing in the Boston coffeehouse circuit. At eighteen, he met legendary producer Jon Landau, who later produced Livingston’s first recording for Atlantic Records when he was nineteen. That first record initiated a creative output that has filled multiple recordings since. Livingston has written most of his music repertoire, including Top Forty hits “I Will be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running” —and, recorded by his brother James, “I Can Dream of You,” “Going Round One More Time” and “Boatman” (all on the double Grammy-winning album Hourglass).
Since those early coffeehouse days, Livingston has never stopped performing, touring with major artists such as Linda Ronstadt; Jimmy Buffett; Fleetwood Mac; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; and Jethro Tull. He also maintains a busy concert schedule on his own, performing an average of 80 shows a year that mostly include his own music, with an occasional cover of folk, rock, a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway. The depth of Livingston’s musical knowledge is belied by his relaxed and comedic onstage presence. Livingston describes himself as a pop singer and tours solo, playing his guitar and the piano. Livingston is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989. He teaches young artists invaluable lessons learned over the course of an extensive career on the road. The course is one of the most popular at the College, spawning a sequel, Stage Performance II, this year.
Now Livingston is out with his latest album, Last Alaska Moon, which was recorded in Nashville. It features key members of the Alison Krauss band Union Station, as well as pop/country players Steve Gadd, Vince Gill, and Leland Sklar. For Taylor, the album takes a partial departure from the more contemplative ballads in the Taylor tradition. It bears the bluesy, devil-may-care attitude of Nashville and shows just how versatile Taylor can be. Last Alaska Moon is being released by Coconut Bay, a division of Chesky Records.
Tracklist :
Last Alaska Moon
Everybody's Just Like Me
Henry
I'm Letting the Whiskey Do My Talking
The Girl Is Mine
Kitty HawkNever Lose Hope
Christmas Is Almost Here
Answer My Prayer
I'm In a Pickle
Walk Until It's Heaven
Call Me Carolina
