Packed houses greet James Taylor and his big band

James Taylor [ tickets ] and his 12-piece band have rolled out a summer shed tour that will take them across the US and Canada into August.Nearly all the dates on the 35-city trek have sold out, according to a press release, which also stated that two-night stands at Chicago's Ravinia and Lenox, MA's Tanglewood logged the fastest sellouts in both festivals' histories.The "James Taylor and his Band of Legends" tour kicked off last week and continues tonight (5/29) in Charlotte, NC. Since last check, shows have been tacked on in Phoenix and Salt Lake City, UT, as well as a two-night finale at the Denver area's Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The coast-to-coast outing, which is detailed below, includes Taylor's first Canadian run in more than five years. The tour reunites Taylor with a group of musicians who have worked with him throughout his celebrated career, and who appear on his forthcoming album, which features cover songs by artists including Chuck Berry, Big Mama Thornton and Junior Walker.Taylor hit the road last fall to support his most recent release, "James Taylor's One Man Band," which captures a couple of July '07 performances at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA. The CD/DVD collection features new versions of some of Taylor's biggest hits, including "Carolina In My Mind" and "Fire and Rain," interspersed with his anecdotes on the inspiration for the tunes. The DVD portion, directed by Don Mischer and executive produced by Sydney Pollack, tells the story of Taylor's songs through exclusive interviews and rare multi-media footage, including home movies and photographs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' personal archives. In a career that spans five decades, Taylor has earned five Grammys and logged sales of more than 40 million albums.