All About Carly Simon’s Two Kids, Sally and Ben Taylor, Who Are Both Musicians
All About Carly Simon’s Two Kids, Sally and Ben Taylor, Who Are Both Musicians
Bailey BujnosekWed, August 5, 2026 at 4:25 PM UTC
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Carly Simon poses with her daughter Sally Taylor and her son Ben Taylor on May 16, 2000.Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty ImagesThe Gist -
Carly Simon has two children with ex-husband James Taylor.
The former couple welcomed their first child, daughter Sally Taylor, in 1974. Their son, Ben Taylor, arrived in 1977.
Both children are also musicians like their parents, releasing several albums and occasionally collaborating with their mother.
For Carly Simon’s two children, creativity runs in the family. The “You’re So Vain” hitmaker and her ex-husband, James Taylor, share daughter Sally Taylor and son Ben Taylor. Both have followed in their parents’ footsteps as artists and musicians. Beyond their career similarities, Sally and Ben also share a deep bond with their mother.
“We call ourselves CBS—Carly, Ben, Sally,” Simon said of her kids in a 2021 NextTribe interview. “There’s no one who can reach my soul like Sally and Ben can.”
Carly Simon with daughter Sally (L) and son Ben (R) in July 1987 in Martha’s Vineyard.Credit: Joe McNally/Getty Images
When she announced her diagnoses with Parkinson’s disease and basal cell carcinoma in a July 27 statement obtained by People, the 83-year-old thanked her family for their support on her health journey. “I am deeply grateful to my children, my family, my friends, my caregivers, and the medical professionals who have helped me through this,” she wrote in the statement, adding, “Their love and patience have carried me through days when my own reserves were not enough.”
Simon also draws strength from being a grandmother. Her daughter Sally welcomed a son, Bodhi Taylor Bragonier, in 2007. His musical grandparents have both shared snapshots of him on their Instagram accounts in the years since.
Ahead, learn more about Carly Simon’s two children, Sally and Ben Taylor.
Sarah Maria ‘Sally’ Taylor
Sally Taylor performs during the 2008 Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit Concert on May 8, 2008.Credit: Kevin Kane/WireImage
Simon and James’s first child, daughter Sarah Maria ‘Sally’ Taylor, arrived on January 7, 1974. According to her professional bio, she was born and raised in New York City.
Given who her parents are, it’s no surprise that Sally was drawn to music from a young age, even teaching herself how to play guitar. But it wasn’t until surviving a plane accident in Peru that a then-20-year-old Sally decided to release a debut album. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, she wrote on her website, “Two things were clear in my head: 1. I knew that I wanted to have a child someday and 2. I wanted my dream-salvaged songs organized on a CD.”
Sally Taylor and her husband Dean Bragonier in their Cambridge home in September 2017.Credit: Lane Turner/Globe Staff/Getty Images
After founding a record company and honing her skills as a music producer, she began touring original songs with a 5-piece band from 1998 to 2003. Simon was an inspiration to her firstborn, not only because of her career, but because of how she nurtured her children. “The way she surrounds me but without claustrophobically holding on to me is really beautiful,” Sally said in the NextTribe profile. “She has always been my example for good mothering.”
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Sally left touring behind in 2004 to settle down in Boston with her husband, Dean Bragonier. They became parents in 2007 with the arrival of son Bodhi. The same year, Sally and her brother Ben did a choral trio with Simon as they covered one of their father’s songs, “You Can Close Your Eyes,” for the album Into White.
“We’re good at taking each other’s suggestions and criticisms–well, the criticisms are a bit more challenging, but we get through it!” Simon recalled of the collaboration in a 2007 Family Circle feature.
When she’s not making music, Sally has worked as an educator at Berklee College of Music. She founded the arts-and-communication nonprofit Consenses in 2012, inspired by her experience living with dyslexia.
Benjamin ‘Ben’ Simon Taylor
Ben Taylor performing during a solo concert on December 19, 2013.Credit: John Atashian/Getty Images
Simon and James then welcomed their second child and only son, Benjamin ‘Ben’ Simon Taylor, on January 22, 1977.
Like Sally, Ben followed his parents into folk music, even touring with his father in 2011. He told Parade at the time that his father hadn’t painted a rosy picture of life as a working musician. “My dad let me know that it’s a blue-collar job, that the glamour of it is largely created by the media,” Ben said. “So I knew what I was getting into.” He added in the same interview that “[a]nything else would have been easier” than joining his parents in the industry.
Ben Taylor (R) and Carly Simon at the ‘You’re So Vain’ afterparty during the 2010 Tribeca Festival.Credit: Getty Images
His most recent album, Clouds in the Dirt, came out in 2024. “I think that I am hyper-vigilantly self-critical when it comes to my—almost everything, but especially when it comes to music because, you know, my folks have set such incredible examples of success, obviously,” he told NPR in a 2012 appearance on Tell Me More.
In 2015, he duetted with mom Simon on the poignant track “I Can’t Thank You Enough.” A few years later, Simon expressed the same gratitude in her interview with NextTribe, shouting out both of her children. “My closeness to Sally—and to Ben—means so much to me. I can’t imagine that ever changing—it’s written into the genes,” she shared.
Carly Simon (R) performing with both of her children on ‘Good Morning America’ in May 2000.Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Ben and Sally similarly have a strong sibling bond. Ben has posted on social media praising Sally’s artwork and, in 2025, performed with Sally and Simon at the LadyFest music festival. The trio sang one of his original songs, according to theVineyard Gazette.
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