Ep. 271 - TAJ MAHAL ("She Caught the Katy")

18-time Grammy nominee and American musical legend Taj Mahal goes deep on his influences and his approach to the craft. PART ONE Paul and Scott kick off the new year with a discussion about the nominees for the upcoming Grammy Awards. And more! PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Taj Mahal ABOUT TAJ MAHAL Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has mastered the blues form and has further built upon it by incorporating world music influences and expanding the boundaries of the genre. Growing up in Massachusetts, he made his way to Southern California in the mid-1960s where he formed the Group Rising Sons with Ry Cooder, Jessie Lee Kincaid, and Kevin Kelley. They signed with Columbia Records but, upon disbanding, Taj joined forces with guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and remained on the label as a solo artist. After a dozen albums with Columbia, he moved to Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1970s. Following a period spent living in Hawaii and largely out of the limelight in the 1980s, he ultimately reemerged for a new era of commercial success. Taj has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards, winning five, including Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1997, 2000, 2008, and 2018, and best Traditional Blues Album in 2022 and 2025. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Americana Music Association and the Recording Academy. His most recent album, a duet project with Keb’ Mo’ called Room on the Porch , is nominated for the Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy at the upcoming Awards on February 1st. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You can listen to Ep. 271 - TAJ MAHAL ("She Caught the Katy") online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep. 271 - TAJ MAHAL ("She Caught the Katy") is an episode from Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters by Paul Duncan and Scott B. Bomar.

This episode is 01:18:16 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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