NEW YORK (AP) — Alicia Keys, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond — step aside. The next musical icon to turn their songs into a stage musical will be James Taylor.
Taylor's songs will fuel “Fire & Rain,” a musical announced Monday, in development with a story by playwright and actor Tracy Letts and direction by Tony Award winner David Cromer.
“Fire and Rain” is one of Taylor’s most iconic songs, released in 1970 on his second album, “Sweet Baby James.” It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other hits include “You've Got a Friend” and “How Sweet It Is.”
No timeline was revealed on when “Fire & Rain” 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 “August: Osage County” and his other plays include “Bug,” “Killer Joe,” “Superior Donuts” and “The Minutes.” Cromer has directed two of Letts' works — “Bug” and “Man from Nebraska.”
Taylor joins a growing list of musical artists who have turned to the stage.
Parton is writing 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, Michael Jackson, Carole King and Gloria and Emilio Estefan all got biographical musicals on Broadway.
Taylor will join such pop and rock luminaries as Elton John, Cyndi Lauper, The Go-Gos, Sting,Alanis Morissette, Dave Stewart, Edie Brickell, Trey Anastasio, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and Bono and The Edge with Broadway scores.
FILE - James Taylor appears at the presentation of the Gershwin Prize, honoring Joni Mitchell, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington on March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)
FILE - Singer-songwriter James Taylor appears during a portrait session in New York on May 13, 2015. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP, File)
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 18, 2025--
The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) is hosting a special tour inviting top professionals from the global wine and bar industries to explore the depth and heritage of Japan’s sake, honkaku shochu, and awamori culture. This exclusive program offers first-hand experience of Japan’s traditional brewing and distilling techniques, which were recently recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250316698311/en/
The sake tour brings together leading sommeliers and restaurant beverage directors from around the world to visit select breweries across Japan. Participants dive deep into the production process, learning about rice polishing, fermentation, and aging techniques unique to sake. The itinerary extends beyond brewery visits to an educational institute, offering specialized sessions on yeast selection, aroma profiling, and scientific approaches to sake brewing. The tour also includes visits to koji mold producers and rice fields, providing a holistic understanding of sake production from grain to glass.
In the shochu tour, top bartenders and bar managers engage with Japan’s distinctive distilled spirit, honkaku shochu. Unlike other distilled spirits worldwide, shochu boasts a diverse range of base ingredients and unique distillation methods. Participants visit distilleries, interact with producers, and gain insights into its complex characteristics through tasting sessions. The tour also features field visits to sweet potato farms – one of shochu’s key ingredients – allowing participants to meet local farmers and experience regional drinking customs using traditional vessels. These activities give them a deeper appreciation of shochu from multiple perspectives.
Beyond technical knowledge, past tours have facilitated dynamic exchanges between participants and Japanese producers. Sommeliers have praised sake for its “balanced umami” and “low acidity, making it highly versatile for food pairing.” Similarly, bartenders have commended shochu’s “wide range of applications in cocktails” and its “natural, additive-free production,” making it a strong contender in modern mixology.
Following the tour, participants actively incorporate their newfound expertise into their respective industries. This includes introducing sake and shochu into restaurant and bar menus, conducting staff training, and integrating these Japanese alcoholic beverages into local sommelier associations’ educational programs and cocktail workshops worldwide.
This initiative is part of JSS’s ongoing efforts to elevate global awareness of Japan’s traditional alcoholic beverages. By fostering direct engagement with international industry leaders, the association aims to expand the market, ensuring their continued appreciation on the global stage.
Top Bartenders Exploring Sweet Potato Farm
Leading Sommeliers Visiting a Rice Polishing Facility
