By
Ian Caruth
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Sally Taylor finds her own voice
Sometimes in life, people find it easier to ride the coattails of their famous parents than to make their own reputations. But occasionally, there are more independent-minded offspring, determined to find their own place without coasting on their lineage.
One such person is singer/songwriter Sally Taylor.
"I'm interested in creating myself, my own art, the way it feels to me - to create what's in my heart," Taylor said.
Taylor - the daughter of 70s iconographic singers/songwriters James Taylor and Carly Simon - has been careful to separate her career path from those of her parents'. Pursuing an almost defiantly independent route, she has rejected numerous offers from major labels in favor of self-released records and self-organized tours.
"My end goal is not really fame, which is what the majors promise you - their idea of success," she said. "But if you jump into it too soon, there's no promise of longevity at all. I realized early on that wasn't my idea of success."
Though her parents are both known for their confessional songs, the former anthropology student admitted that her educational background informs her songwriting.
"I sort of write from an armchair anthropology position," she said. "I take a situation, look at it and interpret it from my point of view. Life is an interpretation - you can only interpret it through your eyes."
Everything Taylor does is seen through her own eyes, as she writes songs, books her own tours, manages herself and sells all her own CDs.
Even saddled with all that responsibility - Taylor's first release, Tomboy Bride, sold 7,000 copies even though it was sold only at gigs and through her Website (www.sallytaylor.com). Taylor said she is satisfied with her career direction.
"I just feel extremely lucky that I can create a life out of what I love," she said. "It doesn't feel like a mistake. It feels like this is something that I'm up to. I don't feel like it's smart to delegate responsibility to people who don't represent my best interests."
Taylor's indie-minded attitudes have root in her strong opinions about major record labels, which are often denounced by artists as stilting and limiting to creativity.
"(Record labels) are a service provider - they provide a service," she said. "I see myself staying independent and trying to create more of a paved road toward being independent for other artists. I want to create a learning environment, sort of a school, for artists to learn what goes into creating an independent career."
The technologically-minded Taylor even created an Internet forum that works to sidestep major record label influence.
"I've actually created a Website myself (www.bandsforbands.com) that I'm working on getting up. It's a site where bands endorse other bands by... sharing links, so basically they're sharing their fanbase, or my fanbase, or any other artist," she said.
Taylor is following a road less traveled in her career, different from her parents and pretty much anyone else in music - however, maybe this individuality is something learned from her family after all.
"They taught me that I have to find my own success," Taylor said.
