Rhino Factoids: James and Carly get married

44 years ago today, two of the most successful solo artists of the ‘70s tied the knot, and even though it didn’t end up going the distance, they’re still often spoken about in the same breath even now.

It’s difficult to discuss the James Taylor / Carly Simon relationship without enjoying the irony that they first met at one of Simon’s concerts while she was in the midst of supporting her self-titled debut album, which featured an anti-marriage anthem called “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be.” At the time, Simon was rightfully being touted as the Next Big Thing, while Taylor was riding pretty high himself, having been the cover boy for Time only a month earlier.

After dating for about a year, Taylor and Simon were married in a small ceremony at Simon’s Manhattan apartment, and when Taylor performed at Radio City Music Hall not long after, the show turned into a de facto wedding party. While the couple had a pair of professional successes together (the duets “Mockingbird” and “Devoted to You”) and a pair of personal successes as well (they had two kids together: Sally and Ben), their marriage was not destined to be one for the ages: they announced their separation in September 1981, and their divorce was finalized in 1983. But for those few shining years in the ‘70s, they were one of the greatest pop music couples of all time, and that’s a time that will never be forgotten.