This is a reflective piece looking at the artists who shaped James Taylor's music, with particular focus on the influence of folk duo Simon and Garfunkel. It argues that Taylor, best known for songs such as 'Fire and Rain' and 'Sweet Baby James', drew heavily on their emotional honesty and songcraft, especially during his early struggles with fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The article recounts how Taylor first encountered Simon and Garfunkel's music as a child, when his brothers brought their records home, and quotes him describing the duo as having "brought something new to music" by bringing themselves to it. It credits albums such as those featuring 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'America' with laying the groundwork for Taylor's own songwriting, and frames all three musicians as enduring forces in American music and culture.