April seems to belong to the Ladies  on the Frankie and Johnny Show and I can't think of a better musician and role model  to start off the month then one who has been writing and playing music for over 45 years, than  the incredible talent of Kate Taylor.

At 60, Kate has just released her latest album entitled Fair Time , a CD that  contains all new origial songs that are mostly an autobiographical journey. Coinciding with the release of the album is a DVD biography of Kate entitled Kate Taylor: Tunes from the Tipi and Other Songs From Home that is beautifully filmed, produced, and directed by her daughter Liz Witham. Included in the film is some great color footage of UNC and downtown Chapel Hill from the early sixties. There is also an array of photos and film clips of the entire Taylor family growing up.

The only daughter of Isaac and Trudy Taylor, Kate grew up  amidst her 4 brothers in Chapel Hill  living in an incredible home designed by two of the most acclaimed architects of 1950s modern houses, George Matsumoto and John D. Latimer and freely roaming their 28 acre property . All the siblings were blessed with musical talent and  eventualy made their way to Martha's Vineyard , the centre of art, music and bohemia to pursue music.

Many of the song  on Fair Time are an autobiographical record of Kate's  life beginning with her growing up in Chapel with her four brothers and you can hear this on  the tracks, Sun Did Shine (On Carolina), but mabye even more so on the tune called Chapel Hill-Billies.

You may remember Kate's debut album was released in 1970,called Sister Kate, which  her famous brother James Taylor helped her to record as it was produced by his friend  friend and manager Peter Asher.
 The album is a masterpiece and tour de force of great songs, with back up musicians including Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, her brother James, J.D. Souther, and Bernie Leado. In 1976 brother James produced her excellent second album, Kate Taylor.  This album features a duet with James of It's In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song), originally a 1962 hit for Betty Everett. This is the only top-forty single Kate has had in her career.  In 1978 Kate went to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record her third album, It's In There and It's Got to Come Out, produced by Barry Beckett and using the famed Muscle Shoals Sound rhythm section.  In 1999 her husband Charlie brought her and James together again to record a beautiful rendition of the Robert Burns 1788 poem, Auld Lang Syne, which was long ago made into song. It was subsequently issued on Kate's 2002 album, Beautiful Road.