James “J.T.” Taylor Net Worth

What Is James “J.T.” Taylor’s Net Worth?

James “J.T.” Taylor is an American singer and actor who has a net worth of $6 million. James “J.T.” Taylor is best known for being the former lead singer of the music group Kool & the Gang. He joined Kool & the Gang in 1979 and became their lead singer. Kool & the Gang perform jazz, soul, funk, disco, and R&B and formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 under the name Jazziacs. The band has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.

Their main members have been Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, Ronald Bell on tenor saxophone, James “J.T.” Taylor on lead vocals, George Brown on drums, Dennis Thomas on alto saxophone, Claydes Charles Smith on guitar, Larry Gittens on trumpet, Rick Westfield on keyboards, and Mark Blakey on triangle. With Kool & the Gang, Taylor has released the albums “Ladies’ Night” (1979), “Celebrate!” (1980), “Something Special” (1981), “As One” (1982), “In the Heart” (1983), “Emergency” (1984), “Forever” (1986), and “State of Affairs” (1996) and hit singles such as “Ladies’ Night,” “Too Hot,” “Celebration,” “Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It),” “Get Down on It,” “Joanna,” “Fresh,” “Cherish,” and “Victory.” After James left Kool & the Gang in 1988, he released the solo albums “Master of the Game” (1989), “Feel the Need” (1991), “Baby I’m Back” (1993), and “A Brand New Me” (2000). As an actor, Taylor has appeared in the 1992 film “The Mambo Kings” and the Broadway musical “Raisin.”

Early Life

James “J.T.” Taylor was born James Warren Taylor on August 16, 1953, in Laurens, South Carolina. He was raised in Hackensack, New Jersey, and he joined his first band when he was 13 years old. Before finding fame with Kool & the Gang, Taylor worked as a teacher as well as a nightclub singer. In 1978, he played in the band Full Force with Christopher Galfas, Milton Galfas, and Eleton Johns. James left the band after Christopher took him to the House of Music studio (which was owned by another Galfas brother, Stephan) to audition for Kool & the Gang.

Kool & the Gang

After Taylor joined Kool & the Gang in 1979, the band released the album “Ladies’ Night,” which reached #13 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Platinum album featured the singles “Ladies’ Night” and “Too Hot,” which were top 10 hits on the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (“Ladies’ Night reached #1 on this chart). In 1980, the band released another Platinum album, “Celebrate!,” which reached #10 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The single “Celebration” topped the charts in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand and was certified Platinum in the U.S. and Canada. Next, Kool & the Gang released the albums “Something Special” (1981) and “As One” (1982). “Something Special” went Platinum and reached #12 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and “As One” was certified Gold and peaked at #29 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)” and “Get Down on It” from “Something Special” reached #1 and #4, respectively, on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. “As One” featured two singles that were top 10 hits on that chart, “Big Fun” and “Let’s Go Dancin’ (Ooh La, La, La).”

The group’s next three albums, “In the Heart” (1983), “Emergency” (1984), and “Forever” (1986), reached the top 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Emergency” was certified 2× Platinum, while the other two albums went Gold. “Joanna” from “In the Heart” reached #2 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as did “Cherish” from “Emergency.” The single “Fresh,” also from “Emergency,” was also a #1 hit on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and three singles from “Forever” reached the top 10 on that chart. In 1984, Kool & the Gang took part in the recording of the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” which topped the charts in more than a dozen countries. Taylor left the group in 1988 to pursue a solo career, then he released the albums “Master of the Game” (1989), “Feel the Need” (1991), “Baby I’m Back” (1993), and “A Brand New Me” (2000). His single “All I Want Is Forever,” a duet with Regina Belle from the 1989 “Tap” soundtrack, reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. He later reunited with Kool & the Gang and recorded the 1996 album “State of Affairs” with the band.

Personal Life

James married Starleana Young on December 22, 1994. Young is a singer who has been a member of the bands Slave, Aurra, and Déjà. Aurra’s single “Make Up Your Mind” peaked at #6 on the “Billboard” Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and the Déjà single “You and Me Tonight” reached #2 on that chart.

Awards and Nominations

Kool & the Gang earned 11 American Music Award nominations, winning for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group in 1982, 1983, and 1986, Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist in 1987, and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for “Emergency” in 1986. At the “Soul Train” Awards, they received a nomination for Album of the Year – Group, Duo, or Band for “Forever” in 1987 and the Legend Award in 2014. The group was honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2003 MOBO Awards and a Golden Camera for Lifetime Achievement at the 2014 Golden Camera Awards. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007. They have been announced as 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. In 2018, Taylor was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with his bandmates Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, and George Brown. During his time in the band, they were also nominated for Best Inspirational Performance for “You Are the One” at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards.