James Taylor songs will take center stage in a new musical. Here’s what we know
A new musical inspired by the work of James Taylor, one of North Carolina’s most well-known adopted sons, is in development.
The production, “Fire and Rain,” is named after the 1970 hit song, which was featured on Taylor’s second studio album, “Sweet Baby James.”
Actor Tracy Letts will write the musical, according to the Associated Press. Letts, who also wrote “August: Osage County” and “Killer Joe,” has acted in many films including Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” (he was the publisher and editor Mr. Dashwood) and the 2019 film “Ford v Ferrari” (he was Henry Ford). Letts is also married to Carrie Coon, who plays Laurie in the third season of “The White Lotus.”
David Cromer will direct “Fire and Rain.” In 2018, he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for “The Band’s Visit.”
No timeline on when the musical will be staged has been revealed, according to the Associated Press.
This is not the first time a musician’s work has been turned into a stage production. To name a few, Neil Diamond’s work was spotlighted in “A Beautiful Noise,” “Dolly” is inspired by the life and career of Dolly Parton, and “Hell’s Kitchen,” which won a Grammy, is based on the life and career of Alicia Keys.
Taylor’s longtime friend and collaborator, Carole King, also has a musical: “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
Taylor is a six-time Grammy winner and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 2000, by Paul McCartney) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, presented by then-President Barack Obama.
James Taylor’s ties to North Carolina
Taylor, who turned 77 earlier in March, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but his family moved to North Carolina early in his life.
He grew up in the Chapel Hill area. His father, Ike, was a faculty member, and later dean, of the UNC School of Medicine.
The family had a house on Morgan Creek Road (name-dropped in his song “Copperline”) and hired Durham architect John Latimer to finish the work that George Matsumoto started, The News & Observer previously reported.
Over the years, Taylor has been engaged in politics. Last fall, he performed at a Kamala Harris-Tim Walz rally in North Carolina, and later endorsed the candidates.
But he has credited his engagement to his time growing up in the Triangle.
“All of us grew up with the idea that Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh — with UNC, Duke and N.C. State — were part of a commitment to the kind of progressive politics that were laying the future for the state,” Taylor told The Charlotte Observer in 2012.
His song “Carolina in My Mind,” which has become a kind of anthem for the state, was released in 1968 on Taylor’s debut album, “James Taylor.”
Though many decades have passed, Taylor still keeps his connection to the state strong.
Last year, he performed at Concert for Carolina at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. The event — which also featured Eric Church, Luke Combs, Billy Strings, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow and The Avett Brothers — raised $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 2:39 PM with the headline "James Taylor songs will take center stage in a new musical. Here’s what we know."
