CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) _ James Taylor didn't have a guitar or even a microphone when he sang during the weekend, and he was backed up by Gov. Mike Easley and the Chapel Hill High School band. <br><br>The
Monday, April 28th 2003, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) _ James Taylor didn't have a guitar or even a microphone when he sang during the weekend, and he was backed up by Gov. Mike Easley and the Chapel Hill High School band.
The song was ``The Star-Spangled Banner,'' and the occasion was a ceremony to unveil a sign naming a bridge in his honor.
The ``James Taylor Bridge'' sign will soon be posted where U.S. 15-501 South crosses Morgan Creek. The award-winning singer and songwriter spent much of his childhood in Chapel Hill in a home near the creek, and the memories inspired his hit song ``Copperline.''
Taylor told the crowd of hundreds he felt strongly connected to the area, and he remembered waiting for the school bus and seeing a group of inmates chained together as they worked on the highway, while a truckload of chickens passed by.
``It was a different time,'' he said Saturday. ``Things have gotten a lot better in many ways. Things have gotten more complicated, too.''
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