When 17-year-old Livingston Taylor performed what he said was his first show as a professional in 1968 at a coffeehouse in Worcester, he was no exception.

“I think there’s no question I could have learned a great deal had I had me to teach me,” Taylor reflected, only half-jokingly.

“That said, there was a lot of information out there in those days, and I did learn.” Coming from a musical family probably didn’t hurt, with older brother James Taylor just on the cusp of fame two years before the release of “Sweet Baby James” in 1970.

But Livingston Taylor established himself as a singer-songwriter in his own right, with hits such as “Carolina Day,” “I Will Be in Love with You,” “I’ll Come Running” and “I Can Dream of You.” His latest album, “Last Alaskan Moon,” came out last year, and he maintains a busy performance schedule that will include a performance at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley.