Musical Memoirs of N.Y.: Singer-Songwriter Chip Taylor Looks Back in 'Yonkers, NY'

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CHIP TAYLOR GREW UP in Yonkers, New York, listening to early rock 'n' roll on the radio and sparring with his brothers. More than 50 years later, the famed singer-songwriter, who is best known for writing "Angel of the Morning," has written a musical autobiography on "Yonkers, NY," which recounts stories about his father, a golf pro who convinced his sons he was a G-man, and his brothers, actor Jon Voight and volcanologist Barry Voight.

» EXPRESS: Where did you get the idea to do an autobiographical CD?
» TAYLOR: I wasn't trying to do a retrospective work. When I wake up in the morning, I always have my guitar next to me, and I would just pick it up and write. I think the first song that came was "Charcoal Sky," and once I found myself there, that's where I stayed for a couple of days.

» EXPRESS: Did you write from memory?
» TAYLOR: These are all beautiful memories for me, so I didn't need to check with anybody else. "Barry Go On" has always been a funny story, when Barry got me to run away from home with him when I was 6. I have vivid memories of that day. And "Charcoal Sky" is about being at the train station with Dad on his day off. I have a very vivid memory of that, but my brothers don't remember it all. He used to talk to the conductors, and I remember the train would be pulling out and the conductor would have to run about 50 yards to catch the caboose. It's almost a slow-motion memory for me.

» EXPRESS: With all its gamblers and mob guys, Yonkers seems to be a character as real as your father or your brothers.
» TAYLOR: There's a dark side to it, but I liked the dark side, almost like Damon Runyon stuff. When you're around it, you don't think these guys are bad folks. There were a lot of nice people, like the mafia guy singing opera in my backyard on "Without Horses." He was a nice guy, whatever else he did.

» EXPRESS: Do you get back to Yonkers very often? Has it changed?
» TAYLOR: I go there often. Yonkers made it Chip Taylor Day when my album was released, and it was wonderful going back there and talking to the mayor and all those folks. It has changed, and they've tried to upscale it a bit, but the heart of Yonkers is Yonkers, you know. I think it still has the same heart, no matter how you change the facade.

» Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; with Jon Voight, Kendel Carson; Sun., Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.; $35; 703-549-7500, Birchmere.com.

Written by Express contributer Stephen M. Deusner
Photo courtesy Mona Roos