1977 Soft Rock Song, Which Was a Hit Three Times, Became a Feel-Good Anthem

"Handy Man" was a soft rock hit that climbed the charts multiple times, since it was performed by so many different artists over the years. It was originally recorded by The Sparks of Rhythm in 1959. It was also recorded by Jimmy Jones that year and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It rose to No. 22 on the charts again when Del Shannon released it in 1964. However, the most successful version of the song was released by James Taylor in 1977.

Taylor's version of the song earned him a Grammy for his vocals. The hit also reached No. 2 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

"Handy Man" was far from the only cover that Taylor recorded over the course of his career. He is also known for his version of "How Sweet It Is," originally performed by Marvin Gaye.

In 2008, Taylor released an entire album that was dedicated to covers, aptly called Covers, which included songs by The Temptations, The Drifters, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly. The album received two Grammy Award nominations.

When speaking about performing covers in a 2025 interview with Duncan Haskell, Taylor said, "If you're going to cover a song, you have to bring something new to it. It's no good trying to copy and recreate somebody else's version of it. I also think that a lot of people make standards albums, they pick a song, they pick a key, they give it to an arranger to put it together, and then they come and stick their voice on it. Sometimes that can be great, but there's nothing new about it."

Related: 1964 Classic Rock Hit Was Recorded in 5 Minutes

Of course, Taylor has written and recorded his own original music as well. He told the American Songwriter, "I've written maybe 150 songs. But really, what I've done is written 25 songs ten times. That's what I do. I write different versions of the same thing. There are themes I will write about."

Taylor was officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is now 78.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 9:58 AM.