James Taylor

I think that American music, for me, it's a synthesis of a lot of different things. But for me growing up in North Carolina, the stuff that I was listening to, the things that I was hearing, it was all about black music, about soul music.

I was a huge Beatles fan. We could talk about who I listened to growing up and what my sources were, but certainly the Beatles were a late, important resource for me, and I just took my guitar and a handful of songs, and I decided, well, I'll just go over and travel around Europe and see what comes of it.

It is the most delightful thing that ever happens to me, when I hear something coming out of my guitar and out of my mouth that wasn't there before.

One of my earliest memories was me singing 'Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' at the top of my voice when I was seven. I got totally carried away. My grandmother, Sarah, was in the next room. I didn't even realise she was there. I was terribly embarrassed.

I sometimes wonder how many of these lifetime achievement awards you can accept before you have to do the decent thing and die.

I don't get into heavy political numbers because I don't find them lyrical.

Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not.

Television news is now entertainment, and the stories are being written by the people that have a special interest in them.

It's a real wrenching thing to go from being a private person to being a public person, especially when you're being autobiographical. But it's what everyone wants - to get everyone's attention, to have your music make a living for you, to be validated in that way.

It's a real wrenching thing to go from being a private person to being a public person, especially when you're being autobiographical.

The best thing is when you hear somebody take your song and make something great of it.

I'm looking forward to being able to retire from being a public figure and being able to afford to be myself!