Caroline Smedvig might not be as well-known as her Grammy-winning husband, James Taylor, but she also likes music. Elisabeth Goold and Albert Hessberg II were her parents, but they both passed away in 1991 and 1995.
Smedvig and her two brothers, Albert Hessberg III and Philip, were the only ones who were still alive when Goold and Hessberg II died. Hessberg III became a lawyer like his dad, but in June 2019, the Third Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division disbarred him.
Smedvig’s brother pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, and filing a false tax return. He admitted that he stole more than $2 million from his firm and clients to pay for school, pay taxes, and pay for his wedding.
Taylor’s wife chose to work in a different field. In 1975, she got a job as a newspaper reporter after she graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Smedvig joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in 1980. She eventually became the BSO’s director of public relations and marketing, a job she left when she married Taylor in 2004.
CAROLINE SMEDVIG AND JAMES TAYLOR’S MARRIAGE
Taylor played a concert with the BSO in 1993, where he met Smedvig. But they didn’t try love for two years because he was already married to his second wife, the actress Kathryn Walker. We’ll talk more about Taylor’s past wives later.
Taylor and Smedvig went on their first date on July 3, 1995, which inspired his hit love song “On the 4th of July.” They got married at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston on February 18, 2001.
He is Smedvig’s second husband and a well-known musician. She married Rolf T. Smedvig, who used to be the BSO’s main trumpet player, in December 1980.
When we talk about ex-spouses, Carly Simon, a famous singer, was Taylor’s first wife. They got married in 1972 and had a daughter, Sally, and a son, Ben, who are both musicians.
When they split up in 1983, they stopped talking to each other. Taylor got married to Kathryn Walker two years later. She helped him get clean and stop using drugs. They were together for 11 years, until 1996, when they broke up.
CAROLINE SMEDVIG AND JAMES TAYLOR’S CHILDREN
Taylor didn’t want more kids when he married Smedvig. But when he saw how much he loved his wife, he changed his mind.
Smedvig also wanted children, but people found out she couldn’t have any. Instead of giving up, they turned to surrogacy and in April 2001 had twin boys, Rufus and Henry.
Taylor had children at different times in her life, and she said that having kids later in life was better. He said that after a while, you’ll feel ready and settled enough to start a new family.
The “Fire and Rain” singer also said that men should get married later in life because they don’t make good partners until they are at least 35 years old and have stopped experimenting and hoping for someone “different or better.”
James Taylor and Caroline Smedvig moved to Lenox, Massachusetts, and they are still involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. What a sweet pair!
