<P> In 1977 Taylor signed with Columbia Records . Between March and April, he quickly recorded his first album for the label . JT, released that June, gave Taylor his best reviews since Sweet Baby James, earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in 1978 . Peter Herbst of Rolling Stone was particularly favorable to the album, of which he wrote in its August 11, 1977 issue, "JT is the least stiff and by far the most various album Taylor has done . That's not meant to criticize Taylor's earlier efforts...But it's nice to hear him sounding so healthy ." JT reached #4 on the Billboard charts and sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone . The album's Triple Platinum status ties it with Sweet Baby James as Taylor's all - time biggest selling studio album . It was propelled by the successful cover of Jimmy Jones's and Otis Blackwell's "Handy Man," which hit #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and reached #4 on the Hot 100, earning Taylor another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his cover version . The song also topped the Canadian charts . The success of the album propelled the release of two further singles; the up - tempo pop "Your Smiling Face," an enduring live favorite, reached the American Top 20; however, "Honey Don't Leave L.A.", which Danny Kortchmar wrote and composed for Taylor, did not enjoy much success, reaching only #61 . </P> <P> Back in the forefront of popular music, Taylor collaborated with Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in the recording of a cover of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World," which reached the Top 20 in the U.S. and topped the AC charts in early 1978 . After briefly working on Broadway, he took a one - year break, reappearing in the summer of 1979, with the cover - studded Platinum album titled Flag, featuring a Top 30 version of Gerry Goffin's and Carole King's "Up on the Roof ." (Two selections from Flag, "Millworker" and "Brother Trucker", were featured on the PBS production of the Broadway musical based on Studs Terkel's non-fiction book Working, which Terkel himself hosted, and Taylor himself appeared in that production as a trucker; he performed "Brother Trucker" in character .) Taylor also appeared on the No Nukes concert in Madison Square Garden, where he made a memorable live performance of "Mockingbird" with his wife Carly . The concert appeared on both the No Nukes album and film . </P> <P> On December 7, 1980, Taylor had an encounter with Mark David Chapman, who would assassinate John Lennon just one day later . Taylor told the BBC in 2010: "The guy had sort of pinned me to the wall and was glistening with maniacal sweat and talking some freak speak about what he was going to do and his stuff with how John was interested, and he was going to get in touch with John Lennon . And it was surreal to actually have contact with the guy 24 hours before he shot John ." The next night, Taylor, who lived in the next building from Lennon, heard the assassination occur . Taylor commented: "I heard him shoot--five, just as quick as you could pull the trigger, about five explosions ." </P> <P> In March 1981, Taylor released the album Dad Loves His Work whose themes concerned his relationship with his father, the course his ancestors had taken, and the effect that he and Simon had on each other . The album was another Platinum success, reaching #10 and providing Taylor's final real hit single in a duet with J.D. Souther, "Her Town Too," which reached #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 . </P>

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