James Taylor: Guardian angel of the BSO

When the Boston Pops tunes up for its Esplanade performance on July 4, another legendary act will be taking the stage across the state at Tanglewood. James Taylor will be doing the fifth of his now-annual benefit weekends for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at its summer home in Lenox. And while hundreds of thousands of celebrants will cram the banks of the Charles for the free Pops concert in Boston, about 60,000 will pay between $21 and $115 for one of Taylor’s four weekend gigs - adding millions of dollars to the BSO’s coffers.

Serving as patron saint to a classical-music enterprise may be an unexpected role for a self-described troubadour. But Taylor, now 63, makes his home in the Berkshires, and understands that the BSO is the anchor for a regionwide community of artistic enterprises. Plus, his wife, Kim, is a former BSO official, current trustee, and lover of classical music. Together, they have given an additional $2 million to the orchestra.