James Taylor graduated from Chapel Hill High School.

James Taylor spent much of his youth in Chapel Hill

You can’t actually call James Taylor a native son of Chapel Hill. He was born in Boston in 1948 and came to Chapel Hill when he was three years old with his family. He attended boarding school in New England before eventually graduating from Chapel Hill High School. The rest is rock and roll history.
In 1971 he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and has been widely credited with starting the singer/songwriter movement. He has earned 40 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards for his songs and albums. He's a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and has received Billboard magazine's Century Award for distinguished creative achievement.
Some of his most well-known songs include Fire and Rain, Country Road, Something In The Way She Moves, Mexico, Shower the People, Walking Man, Sweet Baby James, "Never Die Young, Copperline, and of course, Carolina In My Mind.
Isaac Taylor, James' late father, was for a time Dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill medical school. The town recently dedicated the James Taylor Bridge that spans Morgan Creek, just a stone’s throw from the house on Morgan Creek Road in Chapel Hill where James grew up. Morgan Creek inspired the hit song "Copperline," which Taylor wrote with Duke University professor and author Reynolds Price.
Before co-writing the song, Taylor visited his old home and found "spec houses," houses built on speculation of a booming real estate market, lining the hills that overlook the creek.
The lyrics from the song Copperline capture his nostalia for the carefree days of his youth. "I tried to go back, as if I could, All spec houses and plywood, Tore up and tore up good, Down on Copperline."

Visit the Chapel Hill Museum for comprehensive exhibition of the life and works of James Taylor, one of Chapel Hill's greatest favorite sons. The exhibit includes the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Trophy, his grammy for the "Hourglass" album, photographs, and documents from his early life in Chapel Hill. It also includes a video documentary in the new James Taylor Theatre.