Kate Taylor

Like her renowned sibling James, folksinger Kate Taylor has nurtured a passion for music for as long as she can recall. Appalachian traditions form the core of her style, yet she also draws on deep roots in rockabilly and pop. At 15 she assembled her first band, and four years afterward secured a solo contract with Atlantic. Sister Kate arrived as her debut in 1971. Four years later came the self-titled follow-up, whose production credits included her brother James alongside Barry Beckett, whose résumé already featured Alabama, J.J. Cale, and Bob Dylan. Though widely praised, the album’s 1979 successor, It’s in There, met with far less enthusiasm. Taylor then stepped away from recording altogether. After a 23-year absence she returned in 2003 with Beautiful Road. The project carried special weight: her husband and longtime manager, Charlie Witham, fell ill while the sessions were underway and passed away only months before the album’s April release. She dedicated Beautiful Road to his memory.