James Taylor and Jackson Browne in Concert at PPG Paints Arena (Tues., 8/3/21)

James Taylor—one of the best soft rock and folk artists in American music since the late ’60s—continues to enthrall live audiences with his comforting songs, accomplished acoustic, guitar work, and melodic voice. Taylor’s first big hit was “Fire and Rain,” which reached no. 3 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1970. Many other successful songs followed, including “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Handy Man.” The man is a six-time Grammy Award-winner and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He often collaborated with Carole King, and they teamed up for the last concert ever held at the Civic Arena, which was a sellout.

Taylor is a champion who’s overcome many obstacles and continues to create and perform at a very high level. He was married to fellow singer Carly Simon for a time, and they have two children from the marriage. James Taylor and his All-Star Band play a show with Jackson Browne at Pittsburgh’s newer event palace, PPG Paints Arena. His latest, and 20th studio LP is 2020’s American Standard.  Let’s hope the tradition of Taylor performing concerts in Pittsburgh continues for a long time.

Running on Empty —the 1978 Jackson Browne album—spawned several hot singles including “The Load-Out,” “Stay,” and the title track “Running on Empty.” The album reached no. 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and stayed on the chart for 65 weeks, achieving platinum status, and was nominated in 1979 for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year (losing to Saturday Night Fever). Browne was also nominated that year for Pop Male Vocalist (losing to Barry Manilow, who had “Copacabana (At The Copa)” out during the same period). Other highly popular songs from the Jackson Browne songbook include “Doctor My Eyes,” “The Pretender,” and “Lawyers in Love.” Whether a soft ballad or uptempo rocker, Browne’s vocals and music always retain a melodic balance.

Browne was born in Germany, where his dad was stationed with the U.S. Armed Forces, then was raised in Los Angeles. He was a member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for several years and even co-wrote the song “Take it Easy” with Eagles band member Glenn Frey. Both Browne and the Eagles released the song, with the latter achieving greater popularity. Browne has performed with top recording artists too numerous to list. At the 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony, he joined the remaining Eagles for a rendition of “Take It Easy” as a tribute to Glenn Frey, who had just passed away. His latest release is Downhill from Everywhere, released this year. Browne is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A concert with Taylor and Browne is a great opportunity to see two highly talented American singer-songwriters. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (R.H.)

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