Peter King, Guitar Teacher/Musician

Hear a few notes from his guitar, and you know it’s James Taylor. Now 66, the writer of “Fire and Rain,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” and “Walking Man” will perform in Pittsburgh at the Consol Center on Nov. 29. Taylor has influenced pop, folk and country music with his unique sense of jazz-tinged chords and syncopated rhythms. Taylor’s music goes down easy, but it never lacks depth and sophistication – endearing him not only to fans but to peers including Yo-Yo Ma, Pat Metheny and Mark Knopfler. His socially conscious, sometimes tormented soul reveals itself in songs about drug addiction (“A Junkie’s Lament”) the First Gulf War ( “Slap Leather”) and Martin Luther King (“Shed a Little Light”). Other songs draw on his brother’s death (“Enough to Be on Your Way”), his difficult relationship with his father (“Walking Man”) and his family’s seafaring past (“The Frozen Man.”) On Sunday, Nov. 23 at the Cooper-Siegel Library, performer, guitar teacher and music journalist Peter King will explore what makes Taylor’s music so original. Through guided listening to Taylor’s recordings as well as to songs played live by the instructor on his guitar, the class will gain a deeper appreciation of the art of Sweet Baby James.