BOSTON (AP) — In the four decades since James Taylor and Carole King helped launch each other's storied careers, the notion of someday recapturing that magic never completely faded.

"Every time we would run into each other at a benefit or at an event ... we'd say we have to get the band back together, get that band back together and do some touring before the chance slips away," Taylor said in a recent interview.

On Monday, Taylor and King announced dates for the US leg of their much-anticipated "Troubadour Reunion" tour. The tour, marking the 40th anniversary of the pair's breakthrough shows, will launch May 7 in Portland, Ore.

As previously announced, the tour will begin overseas in Melbourne, Australia, on March 26.

"In a sense we started our solo careers sharing a band, sharing a stage, we did a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles that really sort of broke both of us out of the box and established our careers," Taylor said.

King played on Taylor's 1970 "Sweet Baby James" album and Taylor on King's 1971 "Tapestry" album.

"We started performing, originally she was in my band, and then I increasingly encouraged her to sing her own songs," said Taylor. "She was used to being a writer, and to having other people do her tunes."

King, in fact, had already written 22 Top 40 hits, including Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman."

"Tapestry," released in 1971, sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and made King the first woman to win four Grammys in a single year.

Taylor, 61, has won five Grammys during his career. Both Taylor and King, 67, are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.