Biography

Yorkshire’s Becky Taylor is one of the most respected female Uilleann pipers of her generation, as well as being an accomplished Northumbrian Smallpiper and Multi-Instrumentalist. In demand as both a solo performer, session musician and teacher, her unique sound, broad repertoire and all-round musical versatility ensured she is renowned both on the folk scene and beyond!

Becky Taylor

Becky released her debut CD in 2002 to critical acclaim, described as “..an absolute delight..” (Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2) and “..a joy to listen to..” (Colin Ross, Chairman of the Northumbrian Pipers Society).

“.. Becky’s musicianship emerges fresh every time ..”
“.. Sparky, much alive and of constant interest ..” (fROOTS )

Northumbrian SmallpipesThis was followed by the publication of her tunebook in December 2003 which showcased a selection of compositions from her unique repertoire, and the follow-up album ‘Ireland Bridge‘ (2008) which was described as “…Sparky, much alive and of constant interest …” by foremost world roots music magazine fROOTS.

2020 sees the release of her 5 track CD Tune Chaser, “a new EP absolutely drenched with brilliant music” (The Mike Harding Folkshow).

14An internationally acclaimed performer for over 30 years, Becky has appeared on stage alongside many notable contemporary artistes such as Fairport ConventionMichael McGoldrickKathryn TickellShooglenifty, Niamh Parsons, Damien Dempsey,  Dervish, and Paddy Keenan, as well as ‘dottily eclectic’ Suns of Arqa who (amongst other things) combined Uilleann pipes with Sitars, and dub reggae rhythms and recorded a radio 1 session with them at Maida Vale. Way back in the 80s she performed with Lindisfarne and with The Chieftains on their album ‘A Chieftains Celebration‘ after a series of performances with them in Dublin as part of the City’s Millennium celebrations. A finalist in the ‘BBC Young Tradition‘ awards for several years, her early career saw her play with the wonderfully titled Krampouez Lipous Orchestra from Brittany and with many bands in and around the North of England most notably an early incarnation of The Rub, the ground-breaking Reed RiotGan Ainm, and The Infamous Daw Green Stompers to name but a few.

In May 2008 Becky performed with Russian musical legend Boris Grebenshikov and his Aquarium International’ project to a capacity audience at the Royal Albert Hall. The concerts with Aquarium International have been instrumental in widening her musical perspectives and included performances at some of Europes most prestigious venues including the Dublin Olympia Theatre, Kiev Opera House, the Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan, and at the Creation of Peace festival in Kazan where they performed to a crowd in excess of 170,000 people. 0_82e15_87083cbc_XXLShe also recorded and guested with BG as part of his legendary rock group ‘Aquarium‘ (whose current line-up includes whistle genius Brian Finnegan) across the Russian Federation and Europe, culminating in prominent festival performances at Invasion, DC Jubilee, and Europe’s largest Rock Festival ‘Rock over Volga‘ to a crowd of over 200,000 in the summer of 2012.

jez_lowe02

She was also a member of the traditional duo Didikai featuring Amy-Rose Atkinson, as well as being an occasional guest member of Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies,
(Photo of Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies by Roger Liptrot)

Becky currently performs solo, or as a duo with Sam Lawrence, and as a teacher and session musician and member of acoustic band ATLAS BRIDGE.