James Taylor to give festival earnings to symphony

Singer James Taylor plans to donate his $500,000 in earnings from a 5-day music festival at Tanglewood next week to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Taylor's association with the orchestra dates back more than 15 years. His wife, Kim, is a former public relations director and current trustee for the Orchestra.

Taylor tells The Boston Globe that he decided to donate his earnings because he and his wife are concerned about diminishing support for classical music. The newspaper reports that the couple also donated more than $700,000 between 2005 and 2008 to the orchestra, which makes its summer home at Tanglewood in western Massachusetts during the summer.

The 61-year-old Taylor's hits include "Sweet Baby James," "Shower the People," and "Fire and Rain."