Break Shot: My First 21 Years

Words + Music, Vol. 2

By: James Taylor

Narrated by: James Taylor

"I’m James Taylor and I’m a professional autobiographer", says the celebrated folk singer at the start of this tender audio memoir. Through decades of music by one of the best-selling musicians of all time, who created classics like "Fire and Rain" and "Carolina in My Mind", James Taylor has doled out his history in the poetry of his work. Taylor says his early life is, "the source of many of my songs", and Break Shot is a tour of his first 21 years in rich, new detail. Praised by Forbes magazine as going "beyond the spoken word", Break Shot combines storytelling, music and performance to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience. Longtime fans will savor a crop of musical gems, including an unreleased recording of the beloved hymn "Jerusalem", selections from his newest release American Standard, as well as new original scoring by Taylor specially recorded for Break Shot and more from the Grammy Award-winning artist.

Recorded in his home studio, The Barn in western Massachusetts, Taylor tells the deeply personal story of his youth, which is entwined with the story of his family. What started as an idyllic tight unit soon became a family sent to different emotional corners - like a break shot in the game of pool, he says, when you slam the cue ball into the fifteen other balls and they all go flying off. By the time Taylor released his breakout second album in 1970, Sweet Baby James, he had seen the disintegration of his parents’ marriage and his family crumble in the aftermath. He had committed himself twice to a psychiatric hospital, battled depression, a heroin addiction, suffered a relapse, and traveled far away from the wood smoke and moonshine of the North Carolina landscapes in which he came of age. Despite it all, he was also on the cusp of super-stardom and on his way to bringing light and joy to millions. He was 21.

Journey with James Taylor to a time before he became a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts - and a beloved voice to millions.

©2019 James Taylor (P)2020 AO Media LLC

Inspiring Autobiography

I am a psychiatrist who has worked with many seriously ill hospitalized patients. This is an inspiring story of a legend who recovered from severe depression and substance abuse and had a future of remarkable good. It is a remarkable story of recovery and an inspiration to all who have gone through episodes of mental illness.

loved it

thank you JT for sharing your story with us. I wish it had been longer.

Great Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Thank you James! So interesting for a baby boomer. Fun eye opening information

Deep, Rich Storytelling

As a disc jockey, I’d played James Taylor songs hundreds if not thousands of times. Only now am I truly realizing the greatness of this artist, this man. Thank you for sharing with us James.

Thank you James! Fantastic!

Unbelievably awesome. I love the musical addition to the story throughout the entire audiobook. Enjoyed every minute of it!