Singer-songwriter Bee Taylor talks with Tom Martin on WEKU's Eastern Standard. They discuss her recently released album, “Twenty Seven,” recorded in the Lexington studio of Grammy-nominated producer and mixer Duane Lundy, her approach to songwriting and performance, and how befriending Lexington chef Ouita Michel has resulted in a major project. The Q&A text has been edited for flow and clarity.

Tom:  It says something pretty special about you when your bio is written by none other than the poet laureate of Kentucky. “Bee Taylor,” writes Silas House, “is a once-in-a-generation talent whose live shows have become legendary for those who've attended them.” That includes many here in central Kentucky. Taylor was just recently at The Burl in Lexington. She counts among her good friends, Lexington restaurateur and super chef Ouita Michel. And she recorded her latest album, “Twenty Seven,” in Lexington with the Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Duane Lundy. We're glad to have her here on Eastern Standard. Welcome, Bee.

Bee:  Hi, Tom. Thanks for having me. 

Tom:  So let's start with background. I understand that you grew up on a cattle farm in east Texas. 

Bee:  Yes, yes, I did. Yeah. In the pines, and the pines where the sun never shines, as Lead Belly would say.

Tom:  And as I understand it, at about 12 or 13, you were actually out on the road? 

Bee:  Yes, very much so. My mother and I. So I would go to school during the week, and then on the weekends, she and I would just travel all over Texas, mostly playing the Opry circuit there. And that's really how I cut my teeth being on stage. 

Tom:  Do you recall whether or not at that age you already had made up your mind that ‘this is what I wanna do’?

Bee:  Yeah, absolutely. When I was 13, that's when things like really started to pick up with live gigs, and I just remember taking a moment with myself, which is, looking back, kind of an interesting perspective for a 13-year-old to take, but I really meditated on this and going, you know, “Is this worth, like, giving my life for? Is this something that I would really like to explore?” And the answer just kind of came all at once and it was like "Yes, this is my purpose. This is what I'm meant for on this earth." And I've never questioned it since that time, and it's kind of just been always a part of me since then. 

Tom:  I understand that you taught yourself to play piano and your muse was Dr. John. His voice is instantly recognizable. You know it when you hear Dr. John, but what is it about his piano work that really grabbed you? 

Bee:  The first time I heard Dr. John, it was just so passionate and raw. And to me, it was like hearing his spirit play through his fingers. And sometimes I feel like when you listen to music, a lot can get in between you and the listening experience, meaning there's a lot of production or there's a lot of different — And not that these things are bad, but just kind of things that are in the way. And when I heard Dr. John play, it was literally as if his spirit was directly connected to his fingers and how he played. And in my mind at that time was like, “I don't know if I will ever be able to be at his skill level, but that's all I want.” I just want my spirit to come through what I play, no matter what technique or skill set that may be, as long as it's purely authentic to myself. That's the goal. And I think that's what inspired me so much about his playing. 

Tom:  Yeah, he kind of channels that Louisiana Professor Longhair thing.

Bee:  Oh, I know, I know. Yes. 

Tom:  We're talking about the album, “Twenty Seven.” Tell us about the title. 

Bee:  I was born on 3/27, March 27. And all my life, I've just heard of the “twenty-seven club,” right? Of all of these very historical musicians that sort of in lore met their end at that age and that kind of led them to this historical value, if you will. And I guess I just always thought, even though a lot of my goal set is to make music that will last long past my timeline, I just never thought I had to die at 27 to be a real 27. And in my mind, when writing that song, it was kind of like a personal mantra to myself of anytime I would get discouraged, it would just be like, "No, girl, you're the real 27. You were born on the 27. You are a real 27." And that kind of just got me through just discouragement or if there was any doubt of a decision. And it's like, "No, you have to trust yourself and your intuition and your gut to move forward with things." And so, yeah, it just kind of became a personal mantra of encouragement for me. 

Click on image to listen to “Twenty Seven” (Photo by Cody Brooks)

Tom:  Well, people who know you here in Lexington tell me that they're always really impressed by your work ethic and your discipline. And you practice daily, for instance, I believe. What drives all that? How do you fight off procrastination? 

Bee:  I must. Like, I must do these things. Now, don't get me wrong. I think there's a lot of intent of being like, "Hey, I know I have these shows coming up" and I always want to give my best foot forward to the audience. And I feel like the audience gives so much to us. They're the ones who travel to be at that gig. They're the ones that buy the tickets in their hotel rooms and are involved in the bar itself. And the fans put so much into being at a concert that it does not seem fair to me to procrastinate on any front of making a show or practicing my being in a space of vocals, or piano or things like that. And then also, too, it's just a great way to start my morning. I just get in with some French press coffee, sit down at the piano and I don't think about emails or work or any sort of, like, business. I just think about being in the moment of the morning and whatever my soul wants to express or my voice wants to express in that moment. So I think it's in a way like a self meditation, but the other half of that is very intentional of just wanting to provide people with the best of my ability. 

Tom:  I also hear that you really do capture the energy of a live show in the studio. What's the secret to doing that? 

Bee:  Well, I think that was one thing that Duane and I, when we went in, that was one thing that we really brought up together, was making sure that the vivaciousness of a live show can be put into a studio album without it having to be completely recorded live. I owe so much of that to my bandmates. We've got Chase Graham on bass, Jason Threm on sax, Lucas Aldridge on drums and then a lot of other incredible musicians, like Lexington's Lee Carroll that came in and just added such magic. All I wanted was for them to be themselves. And I think a lot of that shows through on the stage and bringing them into the studio of just going, "Hey, just be you in this moment and play this like you would play this" without a lot of pre-planning, without a lot of instruction, just going off of their hearts and their emotions. And I think that really translated, or at least that's what I hear from people. So it makes you feel good when you know that that comes across.

Tom:  In the bio that he wrote for you, Silas House says that feminine expression is really important to you, that it reverberates throughout the album “Twenty Seven.” Is that by design or is that just natural? 

Bee:  I think both. I can't help but just be who I am, which I am just an innate romantic, and I love so much of the feminine aspects of myself and wanting to pull from that and just keeping the sort of strength through vulnerability, which is a new lesson I'm learning in life, 'cause I think when you grow up in sort of a Texas state of mind, we're like rootin' and tootin' real tough about it all, which comes in handy as a skill set. But I'm learning in my life that it's okay to be vulnerable and that in that vulnerability you can actually find strength and not toughness. 'Cause I don't wanna be tough, but I do like the idea of being strong through learning through mistakes and things of that nature. So yeah, I just wanted to be brave enough in myself to put and keep those things in this album. And I am just very happy at how it all kind of came together in that way. 

Tom:  I mentioned Ouita Michel. And Ouita tells me that you are providing the music for an 8-episode docuseries called “You Belong Here.” Tell us about that project.

Bee:  So firstly, I love Ouita. She is just a force of a spirit and a being. She's so inspiring to me. And yeah, I was called in to be a part of the show with my music through avenues of my management company, Black Mountain Management, and their work, and just immediately met the director and the production company.  And we just all fell in love with one another. It was just so instant. It felt like we had been friends for ages and, yeah, just very fortunate to be having the soundtrack of these eight episodes be exclusively my music. So, very, very excited about that.

Tom:  Now, I know that in one episode you and Ouita explore the way that music and cooking and food all come together in our culture. I think peach pie and homemade ice cream might have been involved.

Bee:  Very much. Very much so. 

Tom:  Can you share a little bit about that experience?

Bee:  Yeah. So we were filming the episode. Even though Ouita and I have become friends, at this point, it's still like cooking next to Chef Ouita Michel. That is just so beautifully intense. And I was very intimidated, if I'm being quite honest, 'cause she's just such a master at what she does. And she was being very kind and patient with me as we stood side by side and rolled out pie crust together to make pie supper for the entire party of people that was around us, and then just getting to discuss life, and music, and art and cooking and how they all kind of meld together. And then, yeah, it was in the summer. We all went outside to make some homemade ice cream, my grandmother's recipe actually. And we all took turns. I mean, this was no, like, electric crank. We all like took turns cranking the ice cream. Talk about memories that I will never forget as long as I live. And I think that's what this life is about, is making friendships like that that are over things like food and music and just being together. So one of the coolest moments of my summer last year was being able to do that with her. 

Tom:  Ouita says that she loves your song, “Peaches.” And I think you even went out and picked a bushel with her. 

Bee:  Yes, we did. Yes. We went out in the orchard and got to just — I love the smell of an orchard and fresh peaches. There's nothing quite like it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the taste of 'em as well, but yeah.

Making a peach pie with Ouita Michel  (Photo by Jenny Gomez) Click on image to listen to “Peaches”

Tom:  Fair to say that that's not just about fruit?

Bee:  Indeed, sir. Indeed.

Tom:  Ouita also told me that you recently wrote a song about her restaurant. It was her original restaurant, Holly Hill Inn in Midway. And we have a clip of that that you've shared. I think this was recorded on a phone app, right? 

Bee:  Yes. I was in the upstairs of Holly Hill when I wrote the song. And this recording is what I recorded immediately after finishing. So I was actually in the restaurant when I recorded this song.

Tom:  Let's listen. 

Bee:  This year has a lot of exciting avenues in the film, TV show and commercial world. It's going to be a lot of releasing of projects that were filmed last year. And I'm just very excited to be able to step further into the film world. I've always wanted to, and it's always been kind of a dream of mine because I love the concept of how visual and music can be so beautifully put together and really create a mood, really create an atmosphere. So very excited about that. And then a lot of momentum is coming through with the album, “Twenty Seven,” in just sort of a press way and getting some touring together. So, it's a very exciting a year ahead.

Tom:  I don't want to put you on the spot here, but you mentioned to me that you also are having your music scored for the possible hybrid performance with Philharmonics. 

Bee:  Yes, absolutely. I'm in the process of kind of learning 'cause I'm a self-taught musician, so I don't read music. I just feel it out. So learning this new skill set of being able to work with people, to be able to have my music classically charted out so that an orchestra could play this is just a very exciting adventure for me. And I love to learn new skill sets and this is really kind of pushing my boundary, very much getting out of the comfort zone. But I love that. I love the sensation of that. And so, yes, very humbly, I am stepping into a world that I don't know a lot about, but I'm excited to learn more about it.

Tom:  Well, good luck with that. That's singer, songwriter, recording artist, peach pie and homemade ice cream maker Bee Taylor. And we thank you so much for taking time for us, Bee.

Bee:  Oh Tom, thank you so much. This has been a joy.