August 16: Today, James "J.T." Taylor - lead singer for Kool & The Gang - “Celebration,” “Too Hot,” “Ladies’ Night” - is 60-years-old today.

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James "J.T." Taylor was born August 16, 1953 in Laurens, South Carolina. Before his rise to fame as the lead singer of the R&B/funk band, Kool & The Gang, he 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. In 1979, Kool & The Gang released the platinum-selling album, Ladies' Night, which garnered the hit singles, "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night." 

Taylor and Kool & The Gang's next three albums were also successful including 1980's album, Celebrate! which produced perhaps the group's most recognizable hit to date, "Celebration."

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 on MCA Records, which produced several hits including the album's first single, "All I Want Is Forever", a duet with Regina Belle. In 1991, Taylor released his second solo album, Feel The Need, which contained the hits, "Long Hot Summer Night" and "Heart To Heart," a duet with Stephanie Mills.

In 1993 he released his third solo album, Baby I'm Back, followed by his fourth solo album in 2000 entitled A Brand New Me, this time on Interscope Records.

During Taylor's solo career, he briefly reunited with Kool & The Gang, releasing the 1996 album, State Of Affairs (Curb Records). 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.

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

During his career, JT Taylor has earned him ten number one hit singles, eighteen top ten R&B and pop hits, seven Platinum LPs, one Double Platinum LP, four Gold singles, one Platinum single, five American Music Awards, Grammy Nominations and worldwide record sales of over fifty million records. He recently released a single, titled “Show Down” from his upcoming album.

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For more about J.T., visit his Website at –

http://jamesjttaylor.com/

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