THE OFFSPRING of musicians often have a hard time in establishing their own musical identity if they choose to follow in their parents footsteps. One exception is Ben Taylor.
Singer-songwriter Ben Taylor is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, and despite the towering presence of his parents in popular music, Ben has quietly ploughed his own path, building a dedicated fanbase along the way through his albums Green Dragon, Name A Fox, Famous Among The Barns, Another Run Around The Sun (which was produced by actor Kevin Bacon ), Alive In The World, and The Legend Of Kung Folk Pt 1.
After taking some time out to travel the world, Ben initially thought of becoming a gardener or a farmer. However his cover of The Beatles’ ‘I Will’ landed on the soundtrack to the comedy Bye Bye, Love, and opened his mind to the idea of becoming a musician.
A trip to the Caribbean gave Taylor the push he needed. He moved to Los Angeles, formed a band, and saw the man himself, according to Allmusic.com, go “from a shy, reserved teenager into a brave, confident young man and artist”.
Ben Taylor and his band will play the Róisín Dubh on Monday at 9pm as part of the Galway Sessions 2009. Ben’s band will feature former Fugee John Forte who has just been released from prison after being pardoned by former US president George W Bush. The support act David Saw will release his debut album in July.
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and Zhivago.
