The amazing singer Kate Taylor sister of James Taylor, and Livingston Taylor was kind enough to answer some questions for me. I really hope you enjoy my first interview. I hope to conduct more in the future with more amazing people. I hope you like it as much as I do.
1. What's it like being a part of such an incredible musical family? Do you have time to see each other and perform together?
I am asked this question a lot. My quick answer is easy; it is wonderful and amazing to be a part of this family. To elaborate further, it is also difficult to answer because I don't have any other family circumstance to compare it to. My brothers and our parents were/are bright, curious, and active, funny, charming, creative. It is a trip being the only girl. I am very proud of them and of all that they have accomplished. We are all very independent and it has been interesting to watch the evolution of everyone's music, stage performances and careers. There are interesting things about each one of them that don't have anything to do with music.
2. What is currently on your ipod or Mp3 player or what have you?
Materials on my iPod at the moment include songs by Fontella Bass, The Staple Singers, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Wilson, The Young Rascals, Dion, Sir Harry Lauder.
3. Who is your favorite musician and why?
I find it impossible to name one musician as my favorite. There are so many that I have loved, enjoyed and been inspired by. The best live performance I ever witnessed was Otis Redding in 1968. I love my brothers' music, I love Iris Dement, Aretha Franklin, Ike and Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Al Green, The Dixie Hummingbirds, ... ... ...
....See, now aren't you sorry you got me started on this?
4. If you could perform with any musician that you have yet to perform with who would it be and why?
I have sung a lot with this person, but would always love more: James Taylor.
5. Do you have any advice for aspiring singers out there? I know there are some talented young musicians who would love to take advice from a musician such as yourself.
My advice would be to keep singing and singing! The music "business" is very different from what it was when we were all coming up. People are carving out the new "music world order", and it's like the wild west right now, a totally new frontier. We have to be creative not only with our songs, but also about how we find our audience and let them know about our music. We have a tendency to think that a career in music is going to be like what we are used to seeing, and that may be the case for a rare few, but for most of us, it's back to the days of yore where you'd strap your guitar on your back and head out on the road.
So I would tell singers to find songs they love and bring them to the people.
6. Any advice for people who are shy about singing?
I am very shy when it comes to singing I was in choir throughout most of my education but to this day I'm too nervous to sing in front of a crowd.
It is very nerve wracking to sing in front of a crowd. Or in front of one other person! If you do it enough you get less nervous. I think a lot of that fear is fear of the unknown.
Also, a little bit of adrenalin is a good thing for singing to an audience. It is a different state of consciousness. By that I mean it is not the same as say, sitting in the audience. You need adrenalin. It can be tough if you have too much of it coursing through your veins. But with practice and experience, you can get a grip on it.
If you want to sing, gather some friends around who you can try some songs out on. Tell them you will be nervous and that you know that they will love you anyway, but that you need the exercise so to speak.
Let me know how it goes!
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