James "J.T." Taylor



'''James "J.T." Taylor''' (born August 16, 1953, Laurens, South Carolina) is an American singer and actor best known as the former lead singer of the R&B/funk band, Kool & the Gang. Before his rise to fame, Taylor was a schoolteacher and amateur night club singer having first joined a band at the age of 13. He joined Kool & the Gang in 1978 and became the band's lead singer in 1979.

Kool & the Gang
In 1979, Kool & the Gang released the platinum-selling album, Ladies' Night, which garnered the hit singles, "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night", solidifying Taylor's status as the group's frontman for years to come. Taylor and Kool & the Gang's next three albums were also successful including the 1980 album, Celebrate! which produced perhaps the group's most recognizable hit to date, "Celebration".

Solo career
In 1988, Taylor amicably left Kool & the Gang to pursue a solo career and has released four solo albums to date. In 1989, he released his first solo album entitled Master of the Game which produced several hits including the album's first single, "All I Want Is Forever", a duet with Regina Belle. Another single, "The Promised Land" was included on 1989's Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack.

In 1991, Taylor released his second solo album, Feel The Need, which garnered the hits, "Long Hot Summer Night" and "Heart To Heart", a duet with Stephanie Mills.

1993 saw the release of the singer's third solo album, Baby I'm Back, followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 entitled A Brand New Me.

1996: Kool & the Gang reunion
During Taylor's solo career, he briefly reunited with Kool & the Gang, releasing the 1996 album, State of Affairs. Although the album was well received by critics, it was not commercially successful in comparison to Kool & the Gang's releases from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Acting career
During the 1990s, Taylor began his acting career in earnest appearing in the 1992 Hollywood film The Mambo Kings, and the long-running Broadway musical, Raisin.