Officials Sing ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ to James Taylor, at Drug Court for Backup Singer’s Graduation

James Taylor didn't sing. But he attended a drug court graduation in Pinellas County, Fla., yesterday to support a longtime backup singer he'd helped get through rehab.

And officials attending the event essentially sang to him, covering his signature tune "You've Got a Friend," the St. Petersburg Times reports.

"I'm very, very proud to be a part of this," the backup singer, 58-year-old Valerie Carter, told a reporter. "Obviously, I'm a cat with nine lives."

She also thanked Taylor, who paid for her three-month rehab in a Texas facility. He stood beside Judge Dee Anna Farnell at one point, telling the graduates: "Congratulations. I'm in the same boat as you."

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