Crystal Taliefero | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Bourne, Massachusetts, US | January 5, 1963
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1974–present |
Website |
crystaltaliefero |
Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero, born 5 January 1963) [1] [2] is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew up with a musical family, performing rhythm and blues with her brother in the Chicago metropolitan area. During her college years she was discovered by John Mellencamp, who helped guide her to a career as a professional musician. Taliefero performed with several artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1989 she was hired as a studio musician for the Billy Joel Band, and she has been touring and recording with them ever since.
Born in Bourne, Massachusetts, [3] Taliefero spent most of her childhood in Hammond, Indiana. [4] By the age of 11 she had begun performing rhythm and blues around Hammond [5] and nearby Gary, Indiana, where her family moved two years later. [4] She joined her brother Charles in the singing group Black Mist (later renamed Magic Mist), [6] who performed in the Chicago area. [7]
Taliefero attended William A. Wirt High School [8] where she was a top athlete and graduated in 1981. [7] She studied music at Indiana University, eventually making the dean's list. [9] [10] There, Taliefero was part of the Indiana University Soul Revue, Dr. James Mumford tutoring her. [11] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. [7]
In college Taliefero performed in a band called Kilo, which included future Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton, former Tonight Show bassist Robert Hurst, and trumpeter Chris Botti. [12] John Mellencamp's drummer Kenny Aronoff often sat in on drums, and in 1986 after hearing the first song of a live performance, Mellencamp invited Taliefero to join his touring band. [4] [12] In a Spring 2011 interview, Taliefero credited her experience with Mellencamp as the fundamental training that "changed the whole course of [her] life". [4] In 1989, Mellencamp took time off as a musician to focus on painting. When asked, he lent Taliefero $3000, and with that she headed to New York City to pursue more musical opportunities. [4]
Two and a half months into living in New York, Taliefero received a phone call from a Mellencamp associate, asking her to play drums and sing for 1989's Storm Front, the upcoming album from Billy Joel. [4] After a successful audition, she was invited to join the Billy Joel Band, who she has been with ever since. [13] With time, Taliefero claimed the role as background vocal arranger, which she is credited with on 1993's River of Dreams. [4]
In 1991 Taliefero accompanied Bee Gees in their tour. A show in Europe needed an opening act, and they asked if she could perform some of her own material. She then formed a one-off band called Bonzai for the opening show which featured Pat Peterson, a Mellencamp backup singer, backed by the Bee Gees band. [4]
1992 saw Taliefero taking a lead role in Bruce Springsteen's extensive 107-date world tour, ending in June 1993. [14] The tour landed Taliefero a number of press hits. The New York Times music critic Jon Pareles described Taliefero as a "sassy female foil", [15] while Edna Gundersen of USA Today praised her performance alongside Springsteen. Taliefero's collaboration with Springsteen also includes a 1992 MTV Unplugged documentary performance. [4] However, Gary Graff, writing in the Detroit Free Press, lamented that Taliefero only played saxophone on " Born to Run" and missed longtime E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who was not invited on the tour. [16]
Taliefero has performed with a wide range of other artists, including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, Tina Arena, Bob Seger, Brooks & Dunn, Richie Sambora, Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Natalie Merchant, Meat Loaf, and Michael McDonald. [17]
Taliefero's credits as a musician are chiefly as a vocalist and percussionist. [18] Instruments in her percussion kit include bongos, cabasa, mark tree, congas, cowbell, güiro, hand percussion, jam block, shaker, tambourine, timbales, triangle, Djembe, and wood block. [17] In addition, Taliefero is also quite accomplished on the guitar, keyboards, harmonica and saxophone, among other wind instruments. [18] She is known for her energetic stage performances. [12]
In its 2008 article "The 125-Plus People, Places and Things Ruling the Rock & Roll Universe", Rolling Stone magazine declared Taliefero the "Best Secret Weapon". [19]
In 1986, Taliefero suffered a ruptured appendix while touring with Bob Seger. She was hospitalized for several weeks. [20]
Taliefero's goal is to establish the Taliefero Music Foundation that will inspire and shape young upcoming lives in the world of live entertainment. [7] As part of her purpose to inspire young musicians, she visited Central High School in East Chicago, Indiana (her home state), in 2009. [21]
Taliefero was awarded the Indiana University African-American Arts Institute's Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award on April 19, 2011. [22] In a congratulatory statement, Billy Joel noted that some of his songs would not have been written without her inspiration. [5]
Taliefero has contributed narration, compositions and/or music to a range of child-oriented videos and audiobooks though the Weston Woods Studios division of Scholastic Corporation: [17]
Crystal Taliefero | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Bourne, Massachusetts, US | January 5, 1963
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1974–present |
Website |
crystaltaliefero |
Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero, born 5 January 1963) [1] [2] is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew up with a musical family, performing rhythm and blues with her brother in the Chicago metropolitan area. During her college years she was discovered by John Mellencamp, who helped guide her to a career as a professional musician. Taliefero performed with several artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1989 she was hired as a studio musician for the Billy Joel Band, and she has been touring and recording with them ever since.
Born in Bourne, Massachusetts, [3] Taliefero spent most of her childhood in Hammond, Indiana. [4] By the age of 11 she had begun performing rhythm and blues around Hammond [5] and nearby Gary, Indiana, where her family moved two years later. [4] She joined her brother Charles in the singing group Black Mist (later renamed Magic Mist), [6] who performed in the Chicago area. [7]
Taliefero attended William A. Wirt High School [8] where she was a top athlete and graduated in 1981. [7] She studied music at Indiana University, eventually making the dean's list. [9] [10] There, Taliefero was part of the Indiana University Soul Revue, Dr. James Mumford tutoring her. [11] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. [7]
In college Taliefero performed in a band called Kilo, which included future Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton, former Tonight Show bassist Robert Hurst, and trumpeter Chris Botti. [12] John Mellencamp's drummer Kenny Aronoff often sat in on drums, and in 1986 after hearing the first song of a live performance, Mellencamp invited Taliefero to join his touring band. [4] [12] In a Spring 2011 interview, Taliefero credited her experience with Mellencamp as the fundamental training that "changed the whole course of [her] life". [4] In 1989, Mellencamp took time off as a musician to focus on painting. When asked, he lent Taliefero $3000, and with that she headed to New York City to pursue more musical opportunities. [4]
Two and a half months into living in New York, Taliefero received a phone call from a Mellencamp associate, asking her to play drums and sing for 1989's Storm Front, the upcoming album from Billy Joel. [4] After a successful audition, she was invited to join the Billy Joel Band, who she has been with ever since. [13] With time, Taliefero claimed the role as background vocal arranger, which she is credited with on 1993's River of Dreams. [4]
In 1991 Taliefero accompanied Bee Gees in their tour. A show in Europe needed an opening act, and they asked if she could perform some of her own material. She then formed a one-off band called Bonzai for the opening show which featured Pat Peterson, a Mellencamp backup singer, backed by the Bee Gees band. [4]
1992 saw Taliefero taking a lead role in Bruce Springsteen's extensive 107-date world tour, ending in June 1993. [14] The tour landed Taliefero a number of press hits. The New York Times music critic Jon Pareles described Taliefero as a "sassy female foil", [15] while Edna Gundersen of USA Today praised her performance alongside Springsteen. Taliefero's collaboration with Springsteen also includes a 1992 MTV Unplugged documentary performance. [4] However, Gary Graff, writing in the Detroit Free Press, lamented that Taliefero only played saxophone on " Born to Run" and missed longtime E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who was not invited on the tour. [16]
Taliefero has performed with a wide range of other artists, including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, Tina Arena, Bob Seger, Brooks & Dunn, Richie Sambora, Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Natalie Merchant, Meat Loaf, and Michael McDonald. [17]
Taliefero's credits as a musician are chiefly as a vocalist and percussionist. [18] Instruments in her percussion kit include bongos, cabasa, mark tree, congas, cowbell, güiro, hand percussion, jam block, shaker, tambourine, timbales, triangle, Djembe, and wood block. [17] In addition, Taliefero is also quite accomplished on the guitar, keyboards, harmonica and saxophone, among other wind instruments. [18] She is known for her energetic stage performances. [12]
In its 2008 article "The 125-Plus People, Places and Things Ruling the Rock & Roll Universe", Rolling Stone magazine declared Taliefero the "Best Secret Weapon". [19]
In 1986, Taliefero suffered a ruptured appendix while touring with Bob Seger. She was hospitalized for several weeks. [20]
Taliefero's goal is to establish the Taliefero Music Foundation that will inspire and shape young upcoming lives in the world of live entertainment. [7] As part of her purpose to inspire young musicians, she visited Central High School in East Chicago, Indiana (her home state), in 2009. [21]
Taliefero was awarded the Indiana University African-American Arts Institute's Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award on April 19, 2011. [22] In a congratulatory statement, Billy Joel noted that some of his songs would not have been written without her inspiration. [5]
Taliefero has contributed narration, compositions and/or music to a range of child-oriented videos and audiobooks though the Weston Woods Studios division of Scholastic Corporation: [17]