Just found out from North Carolina Obama Momma Ruth Anne (my 78-year-old O. and Dem. volunteer mom-in-law) that James Taylor will give five free concerts for Obama this week in the following cities: Charlotte & Asheville on Sunday, Chapel Hill on Monday, Raleigh & Wilmington on Tuesday (JRDOG and Inchkachka, if you can cover one of these, I’ll vote for your coverage to go front page). Born in Chapel Hill, Taylor is a North Carolina native and life-long activist.

Taylor explains his motivation for the concerts, saying, “The change that's happening in North Carolina could lead America into a new spirit of engagement and responsibility and get people back into their government again and back into working as a team. North Carolina is in a position to own that change.” Taylor described this election "as perhaps the most important one in my lifetime. It's a great relief to see someone running who believes government can do good things for people. We've been dismantling government for years on the federal level. It's a cynical approach that government is bad and needs to be dismantled. That's not an option, really. I think we've had government by special interest for a long time," he said. "We've been in a climate of people looking to deregulate their businesses, looking for a quick profit. It's been at the expense of our economic stability. Those people should take it to Vegas." [Quotes from AP article]

I’ve been a James Taylor fan for 38 years, since I was 12 years old. It makes me proud that JT is once again willing to “stand and fight” for hope and change. My music obsessions include Heifetz violin concertos, Pink Floyd, Native American music, Glenn Miller swing, Enya, Preservation Hall jazz, contemporary alternative, Celtic music, Handel's Messiah, etc. But I tell my husband if I’m ever in a coma, I want him to loop James Taylor for me because his music resonates within me as though it were hard-wired into my system.

For additional information, see:

News Archive, James Taylor Official Site (links to 13 articles)

Update 11/01/2008

I'm so proud of the campaigning folksinger James Taylor is doing for NC! Two videos of his NC benefit concerts for Obama follow.

JT fan for 38 years,
Mary

Chapel Hill Obama rally

 (click bonus video #2)