James Taylor Finally Scores His First No. 1 Album Almost Half a Century After His Debut

Forty-five years, five Grammy Awards and over a dozen albums after his Billboard debut, James Taylor finally has a chart-topping compilation. The iconic singer-songwriter’s latest album, Before This World, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated July 4 after being released on June 16.

According to Billboard, the 67-year-old musician’s latest album sold 96,000 copies in its debut week — his best since his previous studio album, October Road, sold 154,000 copies in 2002 to reach No. 4 in the charts.

The almost half-century gap between Taylor’s latest album and his arrival on the list with Sweet Baby James in 1970 surpassed the 43-year wait endured by rock band Black Sabbath for the same milestone. Taylor’s ordeal is now second only to that of Tony Bennett, who got his first No. 1 album in 2011, 54 years after his debut.

[Billboard]

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com.