Crystal Taliefero

Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero, born January 5, 1963) is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew up 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 1980s and 1990s. 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.

Early life Born in Bourne, Massachusetts, Taliefero spent most of her childhood in Hammond, Indiana. By the age of 11 she had begun performing rhythm and blues around Hammond and nearby Gary, Indiana, where her family moved two years later. who performed in the Chicago area.

Taliefero attended William A. Wirt High School where she was a top athlete and graduated in 1981. There, Taliefero was part of the Indiana University Soul Revue, Dr. James Mumford tutoring her. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. 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. With time, Taliefero claimed the role as background vocal arranger, which she is credited with on 1993's River of Dreams. The tour landed Taliefero a number of press hits. New York Times music critic Jon Pareles described Taliefero as a "sassy female foil", while Edna Gundersen of USA Today praised her performance alongside Springsteen. Taliefero's collaboration with Springsteen also includes a 1992 MTV Unplugged documentary performance.

Taliefero has performed with a wide range of other artists, including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, Tina Arena, Bob Seger, Brooks & Dunn, Richie Sambora, Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Natalie Merchant, Meat Loaf, and Michael McDonald. Northern Pikes

Musicianship Taliefero's credits as a musician are chiefly as a vocalist and percussionist. Instruments in her percussion kit include bongos, cabasa, mark tree, congas, cowbell, güiro, hand percussion, jam block, shaker, tambourine, timbales, triangle, Djembe, and wood block.

Personal life In 1986, Taliefero suffered a ruptured appendix while touring with Bob Seger. She was hospitalized for several weeks.

Taliefero's goal is to establish the Taliefero Music Foundation that will inspire and shape young upcoming lives in the world of live entertainment.

Taliefero was awarded the Indiana University African-American Arts Institute's Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award on April 19, 2011. In a congratulatory statement, Billy Joel noted that some of his songs would not have been written without her inspiration.

Film and book collaborations Taliefero has contributed narration, compositions and/or music to a range of child-oriented videos and audiobooks though the Weston Woods Studios division of Scholastic Corporation: