Hourglass is performed by an Australian singer-songwriter.
James Vernon Taylor -LRB- born March 12 , 1948 -RRB- is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist .. singer-songwriter. singer-songwriter. guitarist. guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 .. Grammy Award. Grammy Award. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time , having sold more than 100 million records worldwide .. best-selling music artists of all time. List of best-selling music artists. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single `` Fire and Rain '' and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with `` You 've Got a Friend '' , a recording of Carole King 's classic song .. Carole King. Carole King. Fire and Rain. Fire and Rain ( song ). His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies .. Greatest Hits. Greatest Hits ( James Taylor album ). Diamond. RIAA certification#RIAA Diamond certifications. Billboard 200. Following his 1977 album , JT , he has retained a large audience over the decades .. JT ( album ). Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over a million copies .. His chart performance had a resurgence during the late 1990s and 2000s , when he recorded some of his most-awarded work -LRB- including Hourglass , October Road , and Covers -RRB- .. Hourglass. Hourglass ( James Taylor album ). October Road. October Road ( album ). Covers. Covers ( James Taylor album ). He achieved his first number one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World .. Billboard 200. Before This World. Before This World. He is notable for his popular covers of other peoples ' songs , such as `` How Sweet It Is -LRB- To Be Loved By You -RRB- '' and the aforementioned `` You 've Got A Friend '' , as well as originals such as `` Fire and Rain '' .. Fire and Rain. Fire and Rain ( song )