# JT (James Taylor album)
**JT** is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter [James Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-taylor), released in June 1977 as his first album for [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records) after leaving Warner Bros.[1](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/jt) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) Produced by his longtime collaborator [Peter Asher](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-asher), the album marked a commercial rebound after the mid-1970s, produced a Top Ten hit with the cover "Handy Man," and won Taylor a Grammy Award.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) • [3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | June 1977, Columbia Records (CBS); Taylor's first album for the label[1](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/jt) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) |
| Recorded | March 15 to April 24, 1977, at The Sound Factory, Los Angeles[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/30ceded3-a3d4-4d63-b707-cef652ad7e11/disc/1) |
| Length | 12 songs, about 38 minutes (37:55 per AllMusic)[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/jt/190448222) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) |
| Producer | Peter Asher, with the backup band Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, and Russell Kunkel[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) |
| Hit single | "Handy Man," a remake of the Jimmy Jones song, reached the Top Ten and won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) |
| Sales | Gold within a month of release; more than 3 million copies sold to date[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) |
| Sequel single | "Honey Don't Leave L.A." released January 1978[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) |
## Background and recording
Taylor had spent the 1970s on Warner Bros., closing that relationship with the 1976 compilation *[Greatest Hits](https://www.edgepedia.org/greatest-hits-james-taylor-album)*, which was certified Gold almost immediately, Platinum a year later in November 1977, and eventually sold more than 11 million copies.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) In December 1976 he left Warner Bros. for Columbia Records, and the new label relationship began in earnest with *JT*.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/)
The album was recorded and mixed at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles between March 15 and April 24, 1977.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/30ceded3-a3d4-4d63-b707-cef652ad7e11/disc/1) Peter Asher, who had signed Taylor to the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968 and produced his early records, returned as producer.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) • [3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) The core band was Taylor's long-time backup group: guitarist [Danny Kortchmar](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-kortchmar), bassist [Leland Sklar](https://www.edgepedia.org/leland-sklar), and drummer Russell Kunkel, with keyboards by Clarence McDonald and string arrangements by David Campbell.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/30ceded3-a3d4-4d63-b707-cef652ad7e11/disc/1) [Carly Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/carly-simon), Taylor's wife, contributed vocal harmony and co-wrote the closing-side song "Terra Nova"; Linda Ronstadt and David Sanborn also appear.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545)
## Songs and style
AllMusic's reviewer William Ruhlmann described *JT* as "something of a defense" of Taylor's conversion from the sensitive "rainy day man" of his early records into a mainstream crooner with a sunny outlook.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) The songs return to autobiography: "Your Smiling Face" and "There We Are" declare his love for Carly Simon and his surprise at domestic bliss, while "Another Grey Morning" acknowledges its temporary depressions.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) The key track, in Ruhlmann's view, was "Secret O' Life," which Taylor summarized as "enjoying the passage of time."[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545)
The album mixes Taylor's acoustic guitar-based folk sound with rock, blues, and country.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) "Bartender's Blues" is a country exercise with steel guitar and references to "honky tonk angels" that briefly reached the country charts; Taylor later re-recorded it with [George Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-jones).[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) "Honey, Don't Leave L.A." and "I Was Only Telling a Lie" carry more overt rock influences than Taylor had shown before, with upfront electric guitar, punchy bass, and more aggressive singing, while the short "Traffic Jam" plays as a goofball throwaway.[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/jt/190448222) The full track list runs: "Your Smiling Face," "There We Are," "Honey Don't Leave L.A.," "Another Grey Morning," "Bartender's Blues," "Secret O' Life," "Handy Man," "I Was Only Telling a Lie," "Looking for Love on Broadway," "Terra Nova," "Traffic Jam," and "If I Keep My Heart out of Sight."[1](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/jt)
The album's biggest hit was "Handy Man," written by Otis Blackwell, Jimmy Jones, and Charles Merenstein, a remake that replaced the grit of the 1959 original with Taylor's characteristic warmth.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545)
## Commercial performance and awards
Columbia released two singles around the album, "Handyman" / "Bartender's Blues" and "Your Smiling Face" / "If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight," and Taylor set out immediately on a 22-show U.S. tour in support of the record.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) A third single, "Honey Don't Leave L.A.," followed in January 1978.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) Sales were strong: *JT* went Gold within a month of release and has sold more than 3 million copies.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) Apple Music calls it his biggest commercial success since *Sweet Baby James*.[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/jt/190448222)
At the [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), "Handy Man" won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Taylor's second award in that category and his second for a song he did not write; the award came the following February.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) • [3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/) Producer Peter Asher picked up a Producer of the Year Grammy in the same period.[3](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/)
## Critical standing and reissues
AllMusic considered *JT* Taylor's finest record since *Mud Slide Slim & the Blue Horizon* (1971): it recognized the darkness in his previous output while accounting for the intentional lightness of his present outlook, and it stood as his most cohesive set in years.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) The audiophile review site TONEAudio went further, calling it Taylor's last great record from both creative and sales standpoints, noting that only *Sweet Baby James* equaled its 3x-platinum status among his studio records.[6](https://www.tonepublications.com/analog/james-taylor-jt/) (TONEAudio describes *JT* as his tenth album, while AllMusic's discography timeline places it eighth; the count depends on how compilations and live releases are treated.)[6](https://www.tonepublications.com/analog/james-taylor-jt/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545)
The album has been reissued many times, including CD editions from 1990 onward, a 2011 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab half-speed-mastered 180-gram LP and SACD praised for its quiet surfaces and low-level detail, and a 2023 Music On Vinyl pressing.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545) • [6](https://www.tonepublications.com/analog/james-taylor-jt/)
## References
1. [JT, discography page, jamestaylor.com](https://www.jamestaylor.com/discography/jt)
2. [JT review by William Ruhlmann, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/jt-mw0000097545)
3. [James Taylor Encyclopedia, James Taylor Online](https://www.james-taylor.com/articles/james-taylor-encyclopedia/)
4. [JT release, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/30ceded3-a3d4-4d63-b707-cef652ad7e11/disc/1)
5. [JT, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/jt/190448222)
6. [James Taylor – JT, TONEAudio (Jeff Dorgay)](https://www.tonepublications.com/analog/james-taylor-jt/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Country and folk albums › Folk and singer-songwriter albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license