http://blog.cmt.com
by Craig Shelburne
Benjamin Taylor’s dad is James Taylor. His mom is Carly Simon. And although Benjamin considers himself a “kung-folk” singer-songwriter, he says that Alison Krauss is “my No. 1 favorite singer” and remains a big fan of Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.
“Willie Nelson — I was always a fan of his character as much as his music. About five or six years ago I got to open up for him at the House of Blues. That was a real experience. First, he was gracious. Not everybody you open for is that gracious. He had me on the bus and smoked me out. And then the next thing I knew, he got on stage and played this show that was stopless. He just came out and started going. It was like, ‘Now that is performance and that is a performer.’ I think he’s my favorite. He’s one of those guys who’s effortlessly soulful. He couldn’t do something that wasn’t soulful, because it’s not in him.”