James Taylor’s Audible Original Memoir Announced

Audible Inc., the world’s largest producer and provider of spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, today announced that legendary GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter James Taylor will create Break Shot, a deeply personal and authentic audio-only memoir, for Audible. This one-of-a-kind music and storytelling experience is the first-ever Audible Original performance by James Taylor. Break Shot will be released on Audible in early 2020.

Prompted by interviews conducted by music journalist Bill Flanagan, Taylor will take listeners through the triumphs and traumas of his childhood and difficult family life, emerging to become the first American artist to sign with the Beatles’ record label, and finally to the cusp of super-stardom. Woven throughout the audio memoir will be music, including songs from his beloved catalog.

James Taylor commented, “I’ve known Bill Flanagan and admired his writing forever. So I was happy and relieved that he had agreed to help me gather my thoughts and edit this autobiography of my beginnings, the on-ramp to the road I’ve traveled ever since. A pitcher needs a catcher and a funny and intelligent collaborator can make you seem likewise. To the best of my recollection, I never had much of a memory; but here’s how I remember it… Did I say that already?” 

“As one of millions of lifelong fans of the inimitable James Taylor, I’m not alone in my eagerness to hear the genesis story and learn more about the intellectual and artistic inspiration—to say nothing of the backstory to personal challenges—of this legend of American music, directly from the one-and-only James Taylor himself,” said Audible founder and CEO Don Katz. “I’m thrilled to be able to bring this latest example of elite music storytelling and a remarkable listening experience from a gifted culture-maker to our Audible members around the world.” 

Break Shot will illuminate how shattering Taylor’s family’s traditional expectations enabled the artist to create a new life; though unaware at the time that millions of other young people were navigating similar challenges, Taylor’s own experiences and the songs he wrote about them would come to speak for an entire generation. Taylor will also reflect on growing up in a musical family and falling in love with the exquisite melodies, impeccable phrasing and concise storytelling of the early era songwriting masters that would become essential to his work in popular music. This darkly funny, sometimes harrowing and always moving story of one young man’s journey away from the plans laid out for him and onto an unmarked path will be recorded at Taylor’s home studio, TheBarn, in Western Massachusetts.

Break Shot joins a robust slate of Audible Originals featuring exclusive audio entertainment created by celebrated storytellers from the worlds of entertainment, theater, journalism, comedy, literature and more. Audible Originals offer powerful performances created specifically for listeners by award-winning musicians, actors, writers and comedians, spanning every genre and length. Other critically acclaimed Audible Original performances include Tom Morello at the Minetta Lane, Patti Smith at the Minetta Lane and The Queen, all available for download at www.audible.com. 

Taylor is currently working on his new album which will be released by Fantasy Records in early 2020.