Ben Taylor resisted becoming a musician for a lot of reasons, beginning with the pressure of his lineage. Taylor is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Still he gave in. Ben realized none of his passions matched that of making music. Read the full description.
To hear the full audio, sign up for a free PRX account or log in.
Also in the A Musician's Life series
A Musician's Life: Marcia Ball
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
Austin based musician Marcia Ball is best known for her infectious brand of Louisiana Swamp rock and two-fisted piano playing. And even though she comes from a musical ...
A Musician's Life: Graham Parker
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
Veteran songwriter Graham Parker joins Tracey Tanenbaum on this edition of "A Musician's Life". Early in his career, critics in his native Britain tagged Parker "an angry ...
A Musician's Life: Exene Cervenka
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
As one of the leaders of the seminal LA band X, Exene Cervenka is punk rock royalty. On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Exene takes us through her life. She also reveals ...
A Musician's Life: Wendell Holmes (of the Holmes Brothers)
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
The Holmes Brothers have been entertaining audiences with their uplifting blend of gospel, blues and R&B for three decades. Their latest album "Feed my Soul" was inspired by ...
A Musician's Life: Shelby Lynne
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Shelby Lynne. In 2001 she won a Grammy for best new artist. At the time, Lynne had about a half dozen ...
A Musician's Life: Gordon Gano (of Violent Femmes fame)
(00:05:01)
From: WXPN
The son of a minister, Gordon Gano hardly seemed like an obvious candidate to front the 1980's post-punk band, The Violent Femmes. But his smart lyrics and manic energy spoke ...
A Musician's Life: The Swell Season
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
On this edition of "A Musician's Life" Tracey Tanenbaum speaks with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season. Most people will remember the pair from the 2007 ...
A Musician's Life: Mike Gordon of Phish
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
When Phish formed in the early '80's they played to audiences in their college town of Burlington, Vermont. By the mid 1990's, they were performing in amphitheaters to sold ...
A Musician's Life: Josh Ritter
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
In 2006 Paste magazine named Josh Ritter one of the top 100 living songwriters. But shortly after completing his 2008 album, "Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter", the ...
A Musician's Life: Jace Everett
(00:05:00)
From: WXPN
You may not know his name but if you're a fan of HBO's "True Blood" you know Jace Everett's baritone. Each week Jace's song "Bad Things" accompanies the program's opening ...
Piece Description
Ben Taylor grew up in the music business. His parents are Carly Simon and James Taylor. When he decided to follow in their path he had no illusions about the profession. Even though Ben has a lot in common with his parents--his voice sounds eerily like his dad--he's also a product of his generation. Ben Taylor's latest album is called "The Legend of Kung-Folk, Part 1: The Killing Bite". Tracey Tanenbaum hosts this five-minute feature rich in Ben Taylor's sound.
Broadcast History
This will air on WXPN in Philadelphia in Mid-late November. It is available as a podcast through NPR.
Timing and Cues
beings with :02 theme music followed by "This is AML. I'm Tracey Tanenbaum with Ben Taylor". Ends with "For AML, I"m TT" (music fades out by 5:00)




