Maps of Music

Walking Man (1974)

Where the lyrics of Walking Man take you, and where it was really made.

"Hello Old Friend" was used in the intro of ABC's 1989 World Series coverage, just before an earthquake interrupted the broadcast.

Key places

Recorded at The Hit Factory, New York (1974)

Recording site The Hit Factory — Sessions for Walking Man ran from January to April 1974 at The Hit Factory, a studio in New York. The album was also mixed there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Walking Man: fifth studio album by singer-songwriter James Taylor
• Released June 1974 on Warner Bros. Records
• Reached No. 13 on the Billboard Album Chart, selling 300,000 copies in the United States
• Produced by David Spinozza
• Ten tracks, five per side
• Taylor wrote all tracks except "Ain't No Song" and "The Promised Land" (Chuck Berry)

Background

• First Taylor studio album without Peter Asher as producer
• Sessions ran from January to April 1974 at The Hit Factory, a New York studio
• Most session musicians were new to Taylor's records
• Spinozza and Hugh McCracken had played guitar on Paul McCartney's 1971 album Ram

Recording

• Engineered and mixed by Harry Maslin, with assistant engineers Blaise Castellano and David Henson
• Paul and Linda McCartney, Carly Simon and Peter Asher sang backing vocals

Cover

• Photography by Richard Avedon
• Design by Rod Dyer

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early years

• Born March 12, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts; raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Learned guitar in 1960, influenced by hymns, carols and Woody Guthrie.
• Spent time in a psychiatric hospital and struggled with heroin addiction in his youth.

Career

• Formed the Flying Machine in New York in 1966; the group broke up after a single.
• Signed to Apple Records in 1968 as the first non-British act on the label.
• Breakthrough with Sweet Baby James (1970) and the hit "Fire and Rain", both reaching No. 3.
• First No. 1 hit with "You've Got a Friend" (1971), written by Carole King.
• Greatest Hits (1976) is one of the best-selling albums in US history, certified Diamond.
• Won six Grammy Awards; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
• Reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Before This World (2015) after a 45-year wait.
• Continues to tour actively as of 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Cash Box: said the album would draw fans who had waited for their idol's new LP, with the soft, relaxed quality associated with old Taylor present in abundance
• Record World: gave the album its "Hit of the Week" certificate and praised Spinozza's production and the backing vocals of Carly Simon and Paul and Linda McCartney
• Record World: called the title track a "tall, proud mansong" that could be Taylor's biggest hit since "Fire and Rain"

Records

• Billboard Album Chart: No. 13
• Walking Man was the first Taylor studio album not to enter the top 5 since James Taylor (1968)
• United States sales: 300,000 copies
• Until Covers (2008), the only Taylor studio album without a RIAA gold or platinum certification
• Title track: No. 26 on the Easy Listening chart, October 1974
• "Let It All Fall Down" did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Hello Old Friend" was used in the intro for ABC's Game 3 coverage of the 1989 World Series, just before the pre-game broadcast was interrupted by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake.
• Paul and Linda McCartney sang backing vocals on "Rock 'n' Roll Is Music Now" and "Let It All Fall Down".
• Spinozza and Hugh McCracken had played guitar on Paul McCartney's 1971 album Ram, which the Spanish article notes as significant.
• The album was mixed at The Hit Factory in New York.
• Carly Simon was married to Peter Asher at the time of the sessions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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