Yes, it’s that Kate Taylor, sister of James and Livingston. Resuming her career in 2003 after a long hiatus to raise a family, she has released two well-received albums. Tonight’s show celebrates the release of Kate’s brand new CD, Fair Time. Michael Troy opens the show. He writes with honesty, compassion and love — songs of family, friends, loyalties and beliefs, and of the hurt and hope of life’s experience. His distinctive granite-edged voice, strong with a Massachusetts brogue, lends credence to the stories he sings.

Born in New England and raised in North Carolina, Kate Taylor’s dual musical heritage is one she shared with brothers James, Livingston, Hugh, and her late brother Alex. Kate’s roots run deep in the soul, gospel and rockabilly sounds of her southern upbringing and in the literate folk, pop and Appalachian stylings that comprise the balance of her family’s musical legacy. Taylor formed her first band at age 15 and had her first record deal with Atlantic Records four years later — her debut album, Sister Kate, was released in 1971. Her second album, the 1978 self-titled Kate Taylor, was produced by her brother James and Lew Hahn. It was fairly well received, and produced another charting hit, “It’s in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song),” done as a duet with James. It peaked at 49 on the Billboard charts. The following year Taylor released It’s in There, produced by Barry Beckett.

After this release Taylor took a break from the music industry for the next two decades to raise her daughters Elizabeth and Aretha. She continued to perform and contribute to various projects, including an appearance on the Mark Heard tribute album, Orphans of God, and as a back-up singer for various other artists. She released another album in 2003, Beautiful Road, a particularly personal album, dedicated to her manager and husband, Charlie Witham, who fell ill while she was recording the album and died shortly before its release.

In 2003, Taylor resumed her touring career and now plays regularly in New York City, New England and the South. In 2005, Taylor released her first live album, Kate Taylor Live at the Cutting Room, a recording of a live concert made the previous year. Fans are looking forward to hearing her newest CD, Fair Time, and checking out the feature length music documentary, Kate Taylor: Tunes from the Tipi and Other Songs from Home. The documentary was produced and directed by Taylor’s daughter and son-in-law, award-winning filmmakers Liz Witham and Ken Wentworth. And, as a matter of fact, tonight's concert marks its official release!

Though her musical roots are rich and diverse she blends them seamlessly and effortlessly. Whether performing in a coffeehouse or an amphitheater, Kate has a warmth and joy that creates a connectedness between artist and audience that is enduring.

Photo of Kate Taylor by Peter Simon

Michael Troy was born and raised in the rough-and-tumble mill town of Fall River, Massachusetts. In many ways, his life reflects the lives of the hard-working common folk who populate this part of New England. Having spent parts of his own life as a mill worker, fisherman, laborer and carpenter, and most of his adult years as a husband and father, Michael has traveled many paths, and the experience and wisdom he’s gleaned along the way echoes through his music.

A magical storyteller with a gift for melody, a deep rich voice, excellent finger-pickin’ skills and the ability to compose outstanding stanzas of substance, Michael’s plaintive ballads speak of the hills and mills of Fall River and of childhood dreams not quite forgotten in the adult quest to make an honest living. But Michael is honest when he says he’s playing for himself, for the sheer joy of creating music to call his own. “I have no plan,” he says. “I’m not trying to write in any style or sound like someone else. I write from gut feeling. I let the emotion drive the music, not the music drive the emotions.”

Michael’s new CD, Mill Town Boy, relates much about this life and his affinity for the southern part of the state. Michael has won many awards for his music, including most recently the Boston Folk Festival Songwriter’s Contest and the Founders Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival Songwriter’s Contest in 2004, the South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter’s Contest in 2005, and Michael was the winner of the 2006 Wildflower Folk Festival Songwriter’s Contest.

Among the musical Taylor siblings, Kate (like her late brother Alex) has had a much lower profile than James and Livingston. Beautiful Road, her first album since 1979, is worth the wait.

Beautiful Road’s 10 songs travel from contemporary folk to white soul to rock with Levon Helm’s mandolin, Mavis Staples’ gospel/soul vocals and brother James’s counterpoint harmonies for help. The unheard presence is Kate’s husband/partner of 27 years, Charles Witham, whose six compositions reveal — like the late Kate Wolf’s repertoire — an ultimate acceptance of life’s storms and a closeness to the nature around us (here the Taylor family’s island refuge, Martha’s Vineyard off the New England coast, across the continent from Wolf’s northern California).

Listeners must be strong to stand near the CD’s flame. Heartbreaking and then uplifting, the opener, “I Will Fly,” was born with the painful news that the disc’s guitarist Arlen Roth’s wife and daughter had died suddenly. The song evolved through Witham’s realization that his own time was short, closing in peace at laying his earthly burden down. . . . As for levity, “Blue Tin Suitcase (For Alex Taylor)” reflects Witham’s whimsical side and Alex’s R&B leanings. Kate’s sole composition on her disc, love-happy “He’s Waiting” — rocks like her stage show.

Songs, singer and sidemen seem as one on this tight album, which in part is Witham’s monument. Closing with Robert Burns’ “Auld Lang Syne,” it understands that life’s dark highway is ultimately a beautiful road, even when (to paraphrase Witham) God whispers things you cannot bear. Bruce Sylvester

. . .

Michael Troy’s songs tell the stories of people we recognize instantly. Mined from wisdom and experience hard-won, his language and poetry reveal true meaning sifted from raw fact, and, like our best songwriters, he leads us to revelations about ourselves. This is a songwriter who bears repeated listening. Geoff Bartley

Just tell Michael to keep writing and singing. He’s a real treasure. Pete & Maura Kennedy