Taylor, Ben

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Ben Taylor

Singer, songwriter

As the son of singer-songwriters Carly Simon and James Taylor, singer Ben Taylor seemed destined for a musical career. His parents divorced when he was three, and his mother raised him. Taylor suffered from a kidney condition at birth, and when he was three he underwent surgery to correct it. He was unable to fit in at a series of public and private schools, so he was eventually homeschooled by tutors. Simon told Steve Dougherty and Anne Driscoll in People, "It was the kind of education that, in part, made Ben who he is, which is tripped out." Taylor commented on the Iris Records website that his education was "phenomenal in the most absurd ways. Instead of going to high school, I got independent credit for doing correspondence work. So I was always on a trip, working on the Colorado River or in the Grand Canyon or on a farm in New Mexico, and writing essays about what I'd learned. It was a pretty cool way to get an education." As a teenager, Taylor trekked through Asian and American wilderness areas, activities he had enjoyed with his father. Simon commented, "James did all sorts of outdoor activity with him, which I wasn't keen on. I get cold feet. I mean literally. I have poor circulation."

Taylor's education was also musical, as he toured with his father, watching him perform or noting how, after his father spent a great deal of time alone, he reappeared with new songs. He also watched and listened to his mother, who wrote songs more openly, playing her rough drafts and asking for his opinion. He also had musical uncles and aunts, who frequently came to the house to play music.

Wasting His Time

Despite his family background and the fact that he was, as Simon told Dougherty, "absurdly musical," Taylor did not want to pursue a career in music. He was intimidated by his parents' success and worried that he would either be seen as following in their wake, or as not measuring up to their heritage. He wanted to break away and have his own identity separate from that of his parents, so that he would not be perceived simply as copying their careers. He considered becoming an organic farmer, and worked as a wilderness guide and fitness instructor. However, in 1996, a family friend, Mike Nichols, told him he was wasting his life if he didn't make use of his musical gifts. In 1997, inspired by Nichols's pep talk, Taylor spent ten days in the Caribbean working on songs, enough time to realize that he did have talent he could work with. However, he was not satisfied with his work. As he noted on the Iris Records website, "I was trying to make something totally different from anything a Taylor had recorded before. Ultimately, that meant I was not putting my best foot forward, and we lost the focus we should have kept on the songs themselves. Certainly, I don't blame anyone but myself for that."

He continued to work, however, and Taylor first came to the attention of listeners in 1995 when his version of the Beatles' "I Will" appeared on the sound track of Bye, Bye Love. Although Taylor said he was not interested in pursuing a musical career, the song debuted at No. 39.

In 2000 Taylor joined his mother to sing in a commercial for a new perfume by designer Ralph Lauren. They sang a version of the Rodgers and Hart classic tune "My Romance."

"I Couldn't Be Happier"

In 2003 Taylor released a debut CD, Famous Among the Barns. Critics noted that his vocal style was very similar to that of his father, and Taylor told Dougherty and Driscoll, "I couldn't be happier with the comparison. I learned to play guitar by learning my dad's songs. I don't think anybody is going to say I sound like Stevie Wonder." His mother commented, "He's not a copycat. James has been a very strong and wonderful influence on his life. He's inherited a great many of the wonderful aspects of his father."

Taylor followed Famous Among the Barns with Another Run Around the Sun in 2005. On this album, he was more comfortable with his musical and vocal resemblance to his father. On the Iris Records website he wrote, "This album is a natural progression of who I am and what I've been through. I wanted to make a record that I could tour by myself if I had to—something I could live with night after night." He added that the album is "honest." "There wasn't a whole lot of me in some of my earlier recordings, but this one is entirely me. It's the most self-accepting thing I've ever done." Taylor performed in support of the album and appeared on a variety of television and radio venues, including The Today Show, The Tonight Show, The CBS Morning Show, Last Call With Carson Daly, and Howard Stern. He also appeared at the Christmas at Rockefeller Center show, the Fox network's Teen Choice Awards and the Bravo network's Songwriters Hall of Fame awards. He also branched out into acting, with a recurring role as Cal, a struggling singer/songwriter, on the NBC show American Dreams.

Taylor, who is vegan, believes in promoting a healthy lifestyle and makes sure he balances his recording and performing schedule with regular exercise. He told the People reviewers, "When my body is limber and strong, I feel more confident about everything. Kung fu, kick-boxing, bicycling, running up mountains—whatever I can find. I love endorphins!"

For the Record …

Bson of Carly Simon (a singer-songwriter) and James Taylor (a singer-songwriter).

Addresses: Record company—Iris Records, 5419 Evergreen Heights Dr., Evergreen, CO 80439.

Selected discography

Famous Among the Barns, Iris Records, 2003.
(With the Ben Taylor Band) "Day After Day" (single), 2004.
(With the Ben Taylor Band) The Ben Taylor Band (EP), 2004.
Nothing I Can Do (EP), 2005.
Another Run Around the Sun, Independente, 2006.