James Taylor - Never Die Young

While his aging contemporaries took a variety of tacks to keep up with changing fashions, from adopting more synthesized, percussive production styles to assembling an orchestra and singing standards, James Taylor just kept playing a summer concert tour each year, and periodically putting out another collection of similar-sounding songs. Never Die Young was unusual only in that there was no big oldies cover from the '50s or '60s -- every song was written or co-written by Taylor -- but otherwise it addressed the same audience in much the same terms as he always had. The title song and "Baby Boom Baby" (both Adult Contemporary hits) referred to the passage of time, and the rest floated on a sea of yuppie contentment. "I work hard to see that you remember my name," he sang, and that work seemed to consist of reminding his listeners why they had liked him in the first place. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Arnold McCuller Vocals Baby Boom Baby T-bone Bill Payne Synthesizer Bob Mann Guitar Carlos Vega Drums, Percussion Clifford Carter Synthesizer Programming Dan Dugmore Pedal Steel, Banjo, Guitar (Steel), Guitar David Lasley Vocals, Vocals (Background) Don Grolnick Producer, Keyboards Don Rodenbach Assistant, Assistant Engineer Edd Kolakowski Production Assistant Gary Borman Management Greg "Fingers" Taylor Harmonica Greg Calbi Mastering, Digital Remastering James "J.T." Taylor Guitar, Vocals James Farber Mixing, Remastering Consultant, Engineer James Taylor Guitar, Vocals James Taylor Move Guitar, Vocals Jay Leonhart Bass, Bass (Acoustic) Jeff Mironov Guitar Jim Brandenburg Photography Lani Groves Vocals, Vocals (Background) Laura Grover Product Manager, Remastering Leland Sklar Bass Mark O'Connor Violin Michael Brecker Sax (Tenor) Peter Stiglin Production Coordination Rhonda Schoen Editing, Digital Editing Robbie Kilgore Synthesizer Programming Rosemary Butler Vocals