James Taylor's children, Sally, Ben, Henry, and Rufus Taylor, have largely followed creative paths similar to their famous parents. The American singer-songwriter has two children with his first wife, Carly Simon, and twin sons with his current wife, Caroline "Kim" Smedvig.
Key Takeaways
- James Taylor has four children: three sons, Ben, Henry, and Rufus; and one daughter, Sally.
- James' twin boys, Henry and Rufus, were born through surrogacy.
- Sally, Ben, and Henry have followed their father's footsteps, pursuing music careers.
Profile Summary
Full name: James Vernon Taylor
Nickname: Sweet Baby James
Gender: Male
Date of birth: 12 March 1948
Age: 78 years old (as of 2026)
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Place of birth: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Current residence: Lenox, Massachusetts, USA
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexuality: Straight
Height in feet: 6'3"
Height in centimetres: 191
Mother: Gertrude Woodard
Father: Dr Isaac M. Taylor
Marital status: Married
Partner: Caroline "Kim" Smedvig
Children: 4
Profession: Singer-songwriter, guitarist, philanthropist
Inside the Lives of James Taylor's Children
The folk-rock pioneer has four children, born across two different stages of his life. Below is a breakdown of James Taylor's children, from eldest to youngest.
Sally Taylor
Full name: Sarah Maria Taylor
Date of birth: 7 January 1974
Age: 52 years old (as of June 2026)
Place of birth: New York City, United States
Sarah "Sally" Taylor is James Taylor's firstborn child and only daughter, born to him and his first wife, Carly Simon. Sally's birth was highly anticipated, as her mother's 1974 album Hotcakes included the song "Think I'm Gonna Have a Baby." Her father, James Taylor, also wrote the song Sarah Maria on his 1975 album Gorilla for her.
Sally attended Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, before joining Brown University, where she studied medical anthropology. Sally also taught herself guitar there and performed as a solo artist. She later taught songwriting and performance at Berklee College of Music.
Sally has released several albums independently, including Tomboy Bride, Apt. #6S, and Shotgun. Some of her songs are featured in films including Anywhere But Here, Interview, Adventureland, and Me, Myself & Irene.
Sally has performed with her dad numerous times. The two performed in 2018 at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where Sally's exhibition was on display. Sally and James spoke to the Berkshire Eagle before their performance, saying: "It's been a while since Sally and I shared the stage and made music together. It is something I've always loved."
Apart from music, Sally is a renowned American philanthropist and educator. She founded Consenses, an innovative multidisciplinary artistic project designed to promote global peace and mutual understanding, in 2012. Sarah is married to Dean Bragonier, and the two have a son named Bodhi. The three have been diagnosed with dyslexia.
Ben Taylor
Full name: Benjamin Simon Taylor
Date of birth: 22 January 1977
Age: 49 years old (as of June 2026)
Place of birth: Massachusetts, United States
Ben Taylor is the second child, born three years after his sister Sally. He is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. With a visual and vocal resemblance to his famous father, Ben carved out his own path as a musician and actor.
Unlike his sister Sally, Ben was a late bloomer and didn't start singing until he was 20. Speaking to Parade in 2011, he said that his dad wanted him to be sure about the profession: "My dad let me know that it's a blue-collar job, that the glamour of it is largely created by the media. So I knew what I was getting into."
Ben has released six albums, including Famous Among the Barns and Another Run Around the Sun. He also collaborated with both his mother and sister on stage. He remains a prominent figure in the folk music community, keeping the family's iconic acoustic traditions alive.
Rufus Taylor
Full name: Rufus Taylor
Gender: Male
Date of birth: 5 April 2001
Age: 25 years old (as of June 2026)
Following his marriage to Kim Smedvig in early 2001, the couple welcomed twin boys via a surrogate mother. Rufus Taylor is one half of those historic twins. James told Parade in 2022 that he was happy being an older parent to his twin sons: "There's a point where you're ready. You're settled down enough; you're not constantly trying to find your place."
Rufus graduated from Amherst College in 2024. Unlike his older half-siblings, he has preferred to keep his life largely out of the intense media spotlight. Rufus accompanies his parents to red-carpet galas but leads a private life away from the entertainment industry.
Henry Taylor
Full name: Henry Taylor
Date of birth: 5 April 2001
Age: 25 years old (as of June 2026)
Place of birth: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Henry Taylor is the twin brother of Rufus, born via gestational surrogacy. He has fully embraced the family trade, showing an incredible aptitude for music. Henry has stepped directly into the spotlight by touring alongside his father as a backup vocalist. His smooth vocal harmonies have become a staple of James Taylor's modern live touring band. In 2023, his father announced that Henry would go on tour with him as a backing vocalist.
Meet the Mothers of James Taylor's Children
The American songwriter's family journey involves two distinct periods of motherhood. Here is a closer look at the women who co-parented his children.
Carly Simon
Full name: Carly Simon
Date of birth: 25 June 1943
Age: 83 years old (as of June 2026)
Place of birth: New York City, New York, United States
Carly Simon is a celebrated singer, songwriter, and children's author of her generation. She is famous for hits such as You're So Vain, You Belong to Me, and Coming Around Again. Carly married James Taylor in 1972 during the peak of their respective careers, forming a 1970s folk-rock superpower couple. The duo had two children together before their highly publicised divorce in 1983. In her memoir Boys in the Trees, the American author writes about their tumultuous relationship. She confirmed that Jim does not speak to her, but she still cares for him: "I still want to heal him; I still want to make him all right. And I love him so much."
Simon later married Jim Hart, a poet, in 1987, but he was gay. However, she stated that they remained great friends after their divorce in 2007. She has dated Martha's Vineyard surgeon Richard Koehler since 2008.
Caroline "Kim" Smedvig
Full name: Caroline "Kim" Smedvig
Date of birth: 31 May 1953
Age: 73 years old (as of June 2026)
Place of birth: Albany, New York, United States
Caroline "Kim" Smedvig was also a musician, though not as famous as James. She was the director of marketing and public relations for the Boston Symphony Orchestra when she first met Taylor. The couple began dating in the mid-1990s and married on 18 February 2001. Caroline inspired James to write some of his hit love songs, including Caroline I See You. Seeking to build a family together, they welcomed their twin sons, Rufus and Henry, with the help of a family friend who volunteered to be a surrogate mother. Kim and James have remained happily married for over two decades, raising their boys in the tranquil hills of western Massachusetts.
FAQs
Who is James Taylor? He is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from the United States.
How many biological children does James Taylor have? The American singer has four biological children: Sally, Ben, and his twin sons, Rufus and Henry.
Did James Taylor and Carly Simon have children together? The iconic musical duo had two children together during their eleven-year marriage: Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor.
What is Ben Taylor and James Taylor's relationship? The relationship between Ben Taylor and James Taylor is built on a shared, deep-rooted love for songwriting.
What does Sally Taylor do? Sally is a singer-songwriter and artist.
Who are Rufus and Henry Taylor? Rufus and Henry Taylor are James Taylor's twin sons, born on 5 April 2001 via a surrogate mother.
What does Henry Taylor do? Henry Taylor is a talented musician who regularly sings backing vocals on tour with his father's band.
James Taylor's children have remained a central part of the rock legend's life, with his musical legacy safely passed down to the next generation. From the whirlwind 1970s pop-stardom with Carly Simon to a grounded, enduring marriage with Kim Smedvig, the singer has four children.
