Quick Q and A with Kate Taylor, September 2011
 by Kathy S-B  ·  17 September 2011

Kate Taylor is a gem. Her clear sweet voice. Her lovely cheerful smile. Her sparking mischievous eyes. Her witty rapport with her bandmates. Yup. A Kate Taylor show is definitely a cool place to be.

How many of you saw Kate as the special guest at the Evening for Dick Pleasants that took place at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge last January? She walked on the stage full of folk luminaries like Tom Rush, Jonatha Brooke, Buskin & Batteau, Lori McKenna, Ellis Paul, and more . . . and the stage lit up and the audience went wild when the group ended the evening with brother James’ “Shower the People.”

Acquaint yourself with Kate on her website. Scroll down the News page and read all about her travels to Sudan earlier this year. Inspiring, to say the least.

Here’s a clip from the documentary about Kate, her famous family, and life on the Vineyard.

Since the last time you visited the me&thee, you’ve released the DVD Tunes from the Tipi and Other Songs from Home. What was the reaction to this video?

Everywhere that we have screened the film we have had folks tell us how moved they were by this film, so beautifully put together by a daughter for her mother, and how much they love seeing the footage of my brothers and me when we were kids growing up in Chapel Hill. It covers decades! People also love visiting in the tipi, with a fire going and music being made. I especially like the footage of a show I did in Central Park in 1971.

Your CD, Fair Time, includes all tunes written or co-written by you. What strikes me about these songs is that they are all so very different! Some are pretty soulful and some are jazzy and some are downright rockers! So here’s a typical question from a non-musician to a musician. What comes first — the lyrics or the music?

I think that it is different for all players and writers. As you noted, some of the songs on Fair Time I wrote by myself, and others were collaborations. This time, the lyrics generally came first. I brought the lyrics, and the other players, most notably Billy Derby on this record, put them to music. It is wonderful to collaborate, I appreciate what others bring to the table.

The song “Sun Did Shine” is autobiographical — about your musical family. Did you come up with the term “the Chapel-Hillbillies” or is that a standard term of endearment for Chapel Hill folks? I loved it and thought it was so appropriate given the topic of that song.

When the term “Chapel Hillbillies” occurred to me, it was the first time I had heard it. I don’t know how it could have happened that it was never used before, but there you have it!

Do you listen to much “new” music these days? If so, have you discovered any new music that you think everyone should tune into?

There is a lot of great music being made today. I would appreciate the names of any favorites that your readers could recommend to me. I can be reached at kate(at)katetaylor.com!

I was fascinated by your trip to southern Sudan earlier this year. [Kate traveled to Africa with a friend and helped Sudanese women learn some beadwork for the purpose of providing much-needed income.] Would you consider it a life-changing experience?

Yes, this trip to South Sudan was a life changing experience. It was way out of my normal travel range! Landing there was like stepping back in time 2000 years. The people are beautiful and strong and joyous, despite the difficulties and heart breaking events they endure. They certainly gave me much more than I gave them.

I hope to get to go back sometime soon. Africa calls.

Have you always been interested in jewelry making? Tell us about wampum work!

I don’t know if it was a reaction to growing up with a house full of brothers or whether I would have been drawn to adornment anyway, but I have had a fascination with jewels and shells for as long as I can remember. And, I was drawn to Native American art and culture. These affections brought me and a couple of like minded friends to the discovery of wampum bead collections among the Native American artifacts in the Peabody Museum at Harvard University and the Heye Foundation in NYC. The desire to have some of these beads led us to the study of their traditional uses as a means of documentation and communication, and to our revival of the craft of wampum bead making. You can see some of what I do with the shell by visiting my wampum facebook page.