James Taylor, a six-time Grammy winner and inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is best known for timeless songs such as “Fire and Rain” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” Behind the fame, he battled drug addiction for about 20 years, a struggle that took a toll on his personal life and helped lead to the end of his first two marriages. He has said his second wife played a key role in helping him get clean.
Things changed for the better when Taylor met his current wife, Caroline Smedvig (also known as Caroline “Kim” Smedvig, born Caroline Elisabeth Hessberg).
Their relationship with his third wife, Caroline, became an important chapter in his life and appears throughout his later work.
They first crossed paths in 1993 at a Boston Pops show where Taylor was performing, but they didn’t start dating until 1995 because James wasn’t in a position to pursue a relationship immediately after that initial meeting.
Their official first date took place on June 3, 1995 — a moment he later reimagined in the song “On the 4th of July,” which adds a lyrical flourish to how their romance began.
On his album October Road, Taylor included intimate songs such as “Caroline I See You,” a direct tribute to Smedvig in which he lays bare his affection and regrets about not acting sooner.
The couple welcomed twins via a surrogate after Smedvig was unable to have children. Taylor initially had no plans to expand his family, but his wife’s wish for children persuaded him to rethink that choice; he calls becoming a father deeply rewarding. He told the Chicago Tribune:
It’s undeniably primal. It’s been a delight. It’s all the things that having a family are, from ecstatic to anxiety-provoking and exhausting. It’s just a big rich slice of life.
Below is more on James Taylor’s wife Caroline, including where she is now and the charitable causes she supports.
Their Ongoing Commitment to Charity Work
Outside of their private life, Caroline Smedvig and her husband James have been active supporters of several charitable initiatives.
They maintain a close relationship with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, which has led them to make notable gifts. In March 2020, the couple gave $1 million to the hospital’s Emergency Preparedness Fund. The Greatest Hits singer told The Berkshire Eagle,
This is especially true today with the threat coming from a new and insidious virus. Kim and I want to be part of this fight.
Caroline has also served on the board of Mass General Hospital for Children for more than eight years.
In 2016 the pair helped lead a fundraising effort for the MGH Cancer Center that raised $2.6 million.
Kim Taylor has pursued a varied career across journalism, music and public relations. Early on she wrote for the Knickerbocker News while in college and later worked at the Springfield Daily News.
She has also represented and advised other institutions, including work as a publicist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and as an advisor for Volpe.
How Music and Marriage Have Defined the Taylors’ Life Together
Caroline and James have built a life where family and music go hand in hand since their wedding on February 18, 2001. Their ceremony took place in the intimate Lindsey Chapel at Boston’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church and was attended by about fifty close friends and family.
They frequently perform together, blending their personal and musical lives — notably, in August 2023 the couple delighted audiences at the Newport Folk Festival with a rendition of “Carolina in My Mind.”
Their teamwork on stage was also on display at the White House event for the Inflation Reduction Act celebration on September 13, 2022.
Fantastic performance! As an older fan, I deeply admire those who keep contributing each day—while physical energy may wane, the spirit only grows. Thank you, James Taylor, and thank you to Kim Taylor for the music and the uplifting spirit.
Since their February 18, 2001 wedding, the Taylors have marked many anniversaries; on their 15th, James posted touching reflections on his official website.
Being a bit superstitious, I hesitate to call anything a triumph—life is best taken one day at a time. Still, fifteen years of happiness together feels meaningful. Meeting Caroline began my adult life; our partnership is everything to me. It’s where we live and where we raise our boys—I don’t see myself apart from us, and I remain amazed by my good fortune.
Caroline and James: Where They Live Now
They live in Lenox, a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, sharing a home with their children and other relatives.
Additionally, the pair keep a year-round residence on Martha’s Vineyard. While on the island, James is a co-owner of Midnight Farm in Vineyard Haven, a shop that focuses on natural products.
James was just 22 when he used the money from his first record deal to buy 175 acres of woodland; that land has since been developed into an expansive home with an unusual layout.
They Have Two Children — One Chose a Musical Path Like His Father
In April 2001, Caroline and Taylor welcomed twin sons, Rufus and Henry Taylor. The boys were born via surrogacy after a family friend underwent in vitro fertilization in 2000, as reported by the Boston Herald.
Their son Henry has followed in his father’s footsteps as a backing vocalist and even joined his dad on tour in 2021.
Smedvig’s Earlier Marriage
Earlier in her life, she was married to Rolf Thorstein Smedvig, who served as the principal trumpeter for a well-known orchestra. The two were wed in Albany in December 1980. Their marriage lasted only a few years before they divorced.
Rolf Thorstein Smedvig died of a heart attack on April 27, 2015, at the age of 62.
Who was James Taylor’s first spouse?
His first marriage was to singer Carly Simon in November 1972. They held a small ceremony on November 3, 1972, in Simon’s New York apartment. Taylor was 26 at the time and Simon was 30.
The couple had two children: a daughter, Sarah — often called “Sally” — born in 1974, and a son, Ben, born three years later. Both went on to become singer-songwriters.
At the height of their careers the pair were frequently described as a musical power couple and appeared together on a number of duets.
Behind the public success, however, their relationship was often fraught with conflict. “Our love became bipolar, switching from love to hate, lust to loathing, and back again, sometimes within a day,” Simon once described their turbulent relationship with Honey.
They divorced in 1983.
Kathryn Walker, His Second Wife, Helped Him Beat Heroin
Taylor’s teenage years were turbulent: he left boarding school and spent a period in a mental institution. After his release he focused on developing his music career, all while fighting a heroin addiction that persisted for two decades.
He called that era “crazy and dangerous” in an interview with Parade. Reflecting on how close he came to losing everything, he added, “I’m really lucky to have survived it. I would tear out what’s left of my hair if I saw my kids doing the same s–t I did.”
Taylor has also struggled with depression throughout his life, and physical exercise became central to his recovery. As he has said, “For years, I had to have three hours of exercise every day, no matter what. It was the only way I could stand to be in my own skin.”
At the height of his addiction he married actress Kathryn Walker in December 1985; the couple divorced in 1996. Walker was instrumental in helping him through his battle with heroin.
Where do Caroline and Taylor stand financially?
Their combined wealth is estimated at $80 million as of 2024. Most of Taylor’s earnings stem from his career in music, especially from highly profitable tours and strong album sales. For example, his album “October Road” alone brought in about $1.5 million.
Family Background and the Loss of Her Parents
Caroline Smedvig was born on May 31, 1953, and grew up in Albany, New York. She is the daughter of Albert Hessberg, a Yale alumnus who became a well-known Albany attorney and served as a senior partner at Hiscock & Barclay as well as president of the Albany County Bar Association.
Tragically, Caroline’s father died of cancer at age 78 in January 1995. Her mother, Elisabeth Fitzsimons Goold, passed away in 1991.
Smedvig is American and of Caucasian ethnicity. She has two brothers, Albert and Philip.
For her schooling, Kim Taylor attended Albany Academy for Girls, graduating in 1971, and later continued her education at Smith College and University.
