Caroline Smedvig: All About The Third Wife of James Taylor

Caroline Smedvig is an American celebrity famous for her marriage to American singer-songwriter and guitarist James Vernon Taylor. She has had an active and reputed career in public relations and corporate management.

Although she is in a conjugal relationship with one of the legendary rock-and-roll stars of all time, we do not see much information about her on the web. The fans of Taylor are always eager to know about his lovely wife Smedvig. And we have sought to fill in the gaps about the life of Caroline.

In this article, we will dig deep into the life of James Taylor’s wife, Caroline Smedvig. We will learn about her early life, her relationship with James Taylor, her previous relationships, and what she is up to these days. So, without any further ado, let’s start.

Who is Caroline Smedvig?

Caroline Smedvig, born Caroline Elisabeth Hessberg, is a former writer of newspapers. She was born on 31st May 1953 in Albany, the capital city of New York State. She is 68 years old as of now.

Caroline, nicknamed Kim, grew up in a well-educated family in Albany. Her great great great grandfathers attended the same school she went to. They graduated in the year 1874. She also has two brothers named Albert III and Philip G. Her mother is Elisabeth F. Goold. And her grandfather was named Rufus R. H.

Her father was a famous lawyer

Kim’s father, Al Hessberg, was a famous lawyer in New York. Al was the first Jewish member of a secret society, ”Skulls and Bones”, at Yale University. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1941 and became a senior partner at Hiscock & Barclay and president of the Albany County Bar Association. He died of cancer on January 24, 1995.

Education of Caroline Smedvig

Caroline Smedvig went to Albany Academy for Girls as a high schooler, which is one of the oldest high schools. The school completed its 200th anniversary in 2014. She graduated from high school in 1971. For her further education, she went to college in North Hampton. Kim is an alumnus of Smith College and University.

Visiting her high school in May 2014 for the Albany Academies Bicentennial Concert, Caroline opened up about her experience; “For me, it’s very emotional, coming back. It is part of my DNA. Very much part of my DNA”.

Caroline Smedvig worked as a writer for various newspapers

From very early on in her life, Caroline to work in newspapers. She started by writing articles for local Knickerbocker News during her college days. In an interview, she once recalled how her first obit took five hours to finish and she was laboring on it like it was a sonnet.

Caroline also interned for the New York Times. And the job in The Associated Press was her target in those early days. After a while, she got the job as a writer on an old afternoon paper, the Springfield Daily News. In 1980, while she was waiting for a job from the Boston Globe, Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) contacted her, as they were looking for a decent writer.

Her career in Boston Symphony Orchestra

In Boston Symphony Orchestra, Carline started her career in arts management and orchestra business. Along with the BSO maestro Seiji Ozawa and Pops conductor John Williams, she traveled around the globe. In 1998, Kim collaborated with photographer Lincoln Russell in a book called “Seiji” and also wrote a history of the symphony hall.

Caroline worked as a director of public relations and marketing in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for nearly 25 years. She officially left BSO in 2004, but she still remains a trustee and advisor to Volpe.

Kim had a fat old crush on Taylor in her teenage high school days

Before even meeting the renowned pop singer, Kim already had a big crush on the singer. She owned the copy of Taylor’s album “Sweet Baby James” and played it over and over again, all the while nurturing a crush on the singer who made it, James Taylor.

In an interview with Times Union, Smedvig recalled, “I would stare at the picture (in album cover). I remember looking at that picture and saying, I wonder what he’s really like?”

Well, we hope now she knows, given that he is her husband.

Relationship between James Taylor and Caroline Smedvig

Caroline and James met each other at Tanglewood in 1993 at a John Williams conducted Pops Concert. Recalling the incident, Kim later gushed out how both of them were nervous- I was mortified because I did not want to bother him before the show. The pair went on their first date to Martha’s Vineyard.

After a few years of dating, Taylor and Smedvig married each other on February 18, 2001. It was a beautiful ceremony in Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston.

James has used his relationship with Kim as an inspiration for his album October Road. The songs, “On the 4th of July” and “Caroline I see you” are dedicated to lovely Caroline Smedvig.

Caroline Smedvig and James Taylor have Twins together

After six years of their marriage, the couple became parents to twins Rufus and Henry in April 2001. A surrogate mother delivered the twins, who is said to be a close friend of James Taylor.

Following the footsteps of their father, the 20 years old twins went to Milton Academy and both are interested in music. Rufus is a fan of musical theatre and Henry is the head of the school’s male Acappella group and plays jazz guitar.

The Grammy award-winning musician, James Taylor has two children from his previous marriage to singer Carly Simon, Sally, and Ben, who are both working as musicians.

Caroline’s past relationship

Before her relationship with James Taylor, Caroline was married to a virtuoso classical trumpeter Rolf Smedvig. The couple met each other while they both worked in Boston Symphony Orchestra. She took his surname Smedvig after marriage. The couple divorced each other in the early 90s.

Rolf moved on and married Kelly Holub, a musician in 1992, with whom he had four children. On the other hand, Caroline got into a relationship with James Taylor after the divorce.

The couple lives in Berkshire, raising their twin sons

Kim and Taylor bought a 100-acre property in Lenox in 1999 and renovated the house four years later. The house is on top of a hill, with a lavish pool and a guesthouse. They moved into the house in 2006 to raise their sons there.

James Taylor and Caroline paid $1.7 million in restitution owed by brother in law

According to NewsBreak, Caroline and Taylor paid $1.7 million of restitution owed by victims of his brother-in-law, Albert Hessberg III. Albert got disbarred by New York Supreme Court in June 2019 as he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, and filing a fake tax return.