NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Alicia Keys, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond 鈥 step aside. The next musical icon to turn their songs into a stage musical will be James Taylor.
Taylor's songs will fuel 鈥淔ire & Rain,鈥 a musical announced Monday, in development with a story by playwright and actor and direction by Tony Award winner David Cromer.
鈥淔ire and Rain鈥 is one of Taylor鈥檚 most iconic songs, released in 1970 on his second album, 鈥淪weet Baby James.鈥 It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other hits include 鈥淵ou've Got a Friend鈥 and 鈥淗ow Sweet It Is.鈥
No timeline was revealed on when 鈥淔ire & Rain鈥 will be first staged.
Taylor has won six Grammys and is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame. He is the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades.
Letts won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for writing 鈥淎ugust: Osage County鈥 and his other plays include 鈥淏ug,鈥 鈥淜iller Joe,鈥 鈥淪uperior Donuts鈥 and 鈥淭he Minutes.鈥 Cromer has directed two of Letts' works 鈥 鈥淏ug鈥 and 鈥淢an from Nebraska.鈥
Taylor joins a growing list of musical artists who have turned to the stage.
new songs to go along with some of her past hits and co-writing a stage story inspired by her life for a stage musical that she hopes to land on Broadway in 2026. Diamond, Keys, Carole King and all got biographical musicals on Broadway.
Taylor will join such pop and rock luminaries as Elton John, The Go-Gos, Dave Stewart, Edie Brickell, Trey Anastasio, and with Broadway scores.
