Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide.
From top-40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” the last two recorded by his brother James, Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres – folk, pop, gospel, jazz – and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances.
Livingston has never stopped performing since those early coffeehouse days, sharing the stage with major artists such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, and Jethro Tull, and he maintains a busy concert schedule, touring internationally. He is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway.
Livingston became a professor at Berklee College of Music in 1989, where taught a Stage Performance. He continues teaching young artists invaluable lessons learned over the course of an extensive career on the road at colleges and institutions nationally and internationally, including at The Frost School at the University of Miami, Tulane in New Orleans, Endicott College in Massachusetts, and many more. Former students include Charlie Puth, Liz Longley, and Gavin DeGraw. His book, Stage Performance, released in 2011 offers those lessons to anyone who is interested in elevating their presentation standards to professional standards.
Livingston's 50th year of making music was celebrated by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, both declaring January 18, 2017 "Livingston Taylor Day". A documentary film entitled "Livingston Taylor: Life is Good" was released in 2018 at national and international film festivals. It has garnered many awards, nominations, and accolades, including The Van Gogh Award for the Feature Documentary category at the Amsterdam International Film Festival. The film is currently available to the public on Amazon. Click here to watch the trailer.
In February 2019, Livingston released "The Best of LIVe - 50 Years of Livingston Taylor Live". This album features 11 song selections from his upcoming "LIVe - Livingston Taylor Live" Box Set. Upon release, the album was ranked in the top 10 and his song "Good Friends" was #2 on the Folk DJ chart.
In March 2019, the American Public Television special "Livingston Taylor Live from Sellersville: Songs and Stories" began broadcasting on PBS stations across the country.
"LIVe - 50 Years of Livingston Taylor Live" was released in July of 2019. It features 87 never-been-released recordings from live shows from 1969 through 2016. It also includes the documentary film "Livingston Taylor - Life is Good" and a 54-page commemorative photo book with notes and stories from Livingston. A real treasure for life-long Livingston Taylor fans.
