Playing solo or with orchestra, Livingston Taylor has a vision for concerts

During a wide-ranging conversation with the AJC ahead of shows at Eddie’s Attic on Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, Taylor said he was excited about the chance to return to the Decatur club’s listening room environment.

“It’s the perfect size, concentration of people, room density and general enthusiasm,” he said. “Some places simply have that magic.”

Taylor added that he’s always happy to be returning to the South. “I think it’s in my blood,” he said.

Certainly, he has a compelling history in Georgia. He recorded his first three albums for Capricorn Records, the Macon label largely responsible for making Southern rock a genre by helping launch the careers of the Allman Brothers Band, Marshall Tucker Band and Wet Willie.

In 1970, Taylor hooked up with Capricorn through his friend Jon Landau, then a noted rock journalist who later went on to produce and manage Bruce Springsteen and is now a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Taylor accompanied Landau, who wanted to produce a record by the singer-songwriter, to Macon, where the writer was planning to work on an article about Otis Redding.

Capricorn co-founder Phil Walden soon signed Taylor to his diversifying artist roster. “He was an energetic fellow and quite the character,” Taylor said of the iconic label chief.

At the dawn of the ’70s, the Capricorn scene was buzzing with impressive musicians. Taylor settled in and went to work. What seemed like an improbable match on paper played out well for the singer-songwriter, paring him with ace studio musicians who added Southern soulfulness to his sound.

“It was an incredible time to be recording music. We’d be in there during the day, and the Allman Brothers would record at night — in the same studio. They’d be wandering out around 10 in the morning, and I’d just be wandering in. Walden assembled some really wonderful players for all his sessions. (Guitarist) Pete Carr, (drummer) Johnny Sandlin, (bassist) Robert Popwell — oh my goodness, there was so much talent in that place.”

That period was a good one for sensitive singer-songwriters such as Taylor, just as it was for his famous older brother, aka “Sweet Baby James.”

“There was a massive culture shift going on,” Livingston Taylor said. “I wrote a few songs of the times, but mainly mine were about self-examining, self-explaining, self-justifying. As is the case when you are young, you’re obsessed with yourself. Life was compelling, and I think the songs reflected it.”

Reflecting on how his songwriting at age 74 compares to the confessional compositions from his 20s and early 30s, he said, “I’m not sure if I’m a better songwriter now, but my technique is vastly better. I know how to build a bridge. When I’m getting into trouble, I know how to get out of it. So, with that kind of freedom, I can go in lots of different directions.”

On his new album, “Symphonic Steps,” he did exactly that, working with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Released by Big Round Records in January, the set is a lush treatment of personal favorites from Taylor’s repertoire.

His two-night stand at Eddie’s will be a pared-down presentation, however. “It’ll just be me alone on the stage — with a mental suitcase full of which songs I should play on those nights. I read the room, but I also read myself. In the moment, I decide which song needs to come next.”

When he’s not performing or writing, Taylor also wings it, literally, as a pilot. The decision to learn to fly came about in a rather uncharted manner.

Credit: Mim Adkins Photography 2017

Credit: Mim Adkins Photography 2017

“The year was 1989 and it was my 39th birthday,” he said, warming to the tale. “I had been drinking a lot of alcohol. I looked in the mirror on my birthday and I said, ‘I’m going to stop drinking when I’m 40.’ That thought lasted about 10 seconds. Then I said to myself, ‘No I’m not. That just means I’m not going to stop drinking.’ So I stopped that instant. Then I went to the airport and started flying. Now, I’ve flown for well over 30 years. It’s not for the faint of heart and it’s not for the unskilled.”

Nor is performing live, as Taylor knows better than most. He taught stage performance classes for three decades at Berklee and authored a comprehensive book on the subject, “Stage Performance: Stay Lean and Simple, Tell the Story.”

“You go on stage not to be seen, but to see,” he said. “You sing a song not to be heard, but to hear where people are in the presence of your creativity. If you can find those mutual places of comfort, it’s very pleasant. But the problem is, people ask their music to do too much.”

Instinctively slipping into professor mode, he continued. “Let’s say you’ve got a nice little song. You might say to this nice little song, ‘I want you to make me popular, rich, beautiful and the center of attention.’ But your little song goes, ‘I can’t do that, I’m just a little song.’

“So, you see the problem is never with creativity itself. The problem is with the expectation that accompanies it. Just show up on stage and speak your vision clearly. If the audience doesn’t accept it, you must forgive them and forgive yourself. Then get ready for the next show.”

CONCERT PREVIEW

Livingston Taylor

7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 6-7. $50.62 (general admission) to $61.75 (table seating). Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, eddiesattic.com.