Crystal Taliefero
| Crystal Taliefero | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1963 (age 53–54) Bourne, Massachusetts |
| Origin | Bourne, Massachusetts, US |
| Genres | Rock music, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Percussion, saxophone, harmonica, guitar, drums, backing vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Associated acts | Billy Joel, Billy Joel Band, John Mellencamp |
| Website | crystaltaliefero |
Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero, born 1963 in Bourne, Massachusetts) is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew 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 80s and 90s. 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.
Though born 1963 in Bourne, Massachusetts, Taliefero spent most of her childhood in Hammond, Indiana. By age 11 she had begun performing rhythm and blues around Hammond and nearby Gary, Indiana, where her family moved two years later. She joined her brother Charles in the singing group Black Mist (later renamed Magic Mist), who performed in the Chicago area.
Taliefero attended William A. Wirt High School where she was a top athlete and graduated in 1981. She studied music at Indiana University, eventually making the dean's list. Taliefero was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
In college Taliefero performed in a band called Kilo, which included other now-notable artists such as Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton, former Tonight Show bassist Robert Hurst, and trumpeter Chris Botti.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. In a Spring 2011 interview, Taliefero credited her experience with Mellencamp as the fundamental training that "changed the whole course of [her] life". 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.
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