All In The Family: Meagan Taylor Anderson

The great niece of Chet Atkins who’s keeping his music and legacy alive (with the help of her three kids and Floyd Cramer’s grandson).

Did you know Chet Atkins wasn’t the only musically gifted member in his family? His grandfather was a champion fiddle player (and fiddle maker), Chet’s dad played the fiddle and taught piano, his mother played the piano and sang, his brother, Lowell, played the guitar, his older brother, Jim, was an accomplished guitarist and vocalist who formed a trio with Les Paul, and his sister, Billie Rose, was a highly regarded singer who played both the piano and guitar and even recorded with her brother Chet in 1950.

Meagan Taylor Anderson. Photo by Ron Wade.

And fortunately for us, Billie Rose’s deep love of music rubbed off on her granddaughter, Meagan Taylor, who happens to be Chet’s great niece. “I grew up listening to all kinds of music and just loving it, says Meagan (who comes across as being genuine and down-to-earth like her famous “Uncle Chester” as she calls him). “And my grandmom was a huge influence on me. We spent a lot of time together listening and singing along to country music on the radio and playing Uncle Chester’s albums at her house. She also showed me how to play the piano and would take me to see him perform around Nashville from time-to-time.”

Fiddling Around with Uncle Chester

When Meagan was ten, she decided to play the fiddle. Grandmother Billie Rose called her brother to share the good news, and Chet had them come over to the house. “Uncle Chester gave me a fiddle, which was ginormous considering how small I was, and gave me my first fiddle lesson right there in his living room,” Meagan shares. “He even recorded it on that little cassette recorder he always had with him. And my Aunt Onie (her nickname for Chet’s wife, Leona) was there taking photos with her Polaroid. It’s funny to go back and listen to it and see the photos.”

Meagan played fiddle for a few years (and had taken piano lessons briefly as a five year old as well) before sports became a huge part of her life. “My love for music never left, but I was really into basketball, softball, and cross country as a teenager and had dreams of playing sports in college,” says Meagan. “But, in my senior year, I sort of burned out and it was apparent that sports weren’t the Lord’s plan for me. Fortunately, my grandmom invited me to go with her to the CAAS (the annual Chet Atkins Appreciation Society convention in Nashville) the July after I graduated high school and I said, ‘Yes.’ And I’m so glad I did.”

The Light Bulb Goes Off at Her First CAAS Convention

Attending her first CAAS convention had a life-altering effect on Meagan. “My birthday is in July, and I had just turned 18,” says Meagan. “And I’m there at my first CAAS watching Uncle Chester, Tommy Emmanuel, Paul Yandell, and all the others performing onstage and having fun, and a light bulb just went off that night and I thought, ‘I need to play guitar.’ So, I dove headfirst into my Uncle Chester’s music that summer. I listened to his box set and every album I could get my hands on. I was like a big sponge.”

Chet was delighted to hear of Meagan’s decision and gave her one of his Gibson SST electric acoustic guitars as a gift. Despite Chet’s health challenges at the time, he taught his great niece the basics of thumbpicking. Meagan vividly remembers Chet and his friend, Ted Walters, teaching her how to play “Wildwood Flower” and the introduction to Chet’s song, “Maybelle.”

Meagan was also fortunate to have the support of Chet’s wide circle of friends and musicians. “Uncle Chester showed me as much as he could,” Meagan shared. “But Tommy (Emmanuel), Paul (Yandell), John Knowles, Richard Smith, Mark Thornton, Richard Hood, my father-in-law Robert Anderson, and others all wanted to help me too. They were super supportive and so glad that I was playing and keeping the family tradition alive. And with their help, I picked up the thumbpicking style pretty quickly.”

Meagan’s Connection to Her Gretsch Tennessee Rose Guitar

In 2007, the Chet Atkins name returned to his classic lineup of Gretsch electric guitars. Soon thereafter, Meagan’s husband, Chris, bought her a Tennessee Rose model. “I don’t have a ton of guitars, I’ve spent my money elsewhere, especially on my children,” shares Meagan. “They are expensive, don’t you know. My main electric is a Tennessee Rose and I just love it. It’s a very versatile guitar with a great tone. Plus, I’m petite, so it’s smaller and lighter than a Gretsch Country Gentleman, which I like. And, I also have a connection to the guitar’s name since my middle names are Leona Rose, named after Uncle Chester’s wife, Leona, and my grandmother, Billie Rose.”

Crossing Paths with Floyd Cramer’s Grandson, Jason Coleman

After graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Meagan was introduced to another talented musician, Jason Coleman, the grandson of piano legend Floyd Cramer. Chet Atkins, as an RCA record producer and guitar player, along with Floyd Cramer’s signature “slip-note” piano style, were instrumental in creating the successful, pop-oriented “Nashville Sound” in the 1950s and 1960s. Both men also hold the rare dual honor of being inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

A promotional ad for Meagan Taylor and Jason Coleman’s Nashville Legacy Show.

“Jason and I hit it off right away and so did our families,” says Meagan. “We have so much in common that it’s almost eerie. It’s also hard to believe that we’ve been performing and recording together for more than twenty years. Our styles just mesh together and complement each other’s. It’s always been a natural fit and I’ve enjoyed playing with Jason from the get-go.”

Meagan and Jason’s “Nashville Legacy” show is a tribute to the music of their legendary family members and the groundbreaking Nashville Sound they created. It’s a casual, fun, family-oriented show where Meagan and Jason perform the music of Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer and share personal stories, photos, and films of their time together growing up with “Grandpa Floyd and Uncle Chester.” Jackie Cherry of the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts in Suffolk, Virginia, describes Meagan and Jason’s tribute show as “like listening to Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins with a facelift of today’s generation.” Meagan and Jason’s performances are also special because it’s given Jason’s young son, Avery, and Meagan’s three children (Whitney: 16, Ben: soon to turn 14, and Natalie: 11) the opportunity to share the stage and sing and play along with their parents.

“Jason’s a great piano player and can match his grandad, Floyd Cramer, note-for-note. He’s just amazing,” shares Meagan. “I’ll never come close to being the guitarist my Uncle Chester was. No one can replicate what he did, but I always say I sure hope I sing a little better! I feel that I play enough of my uncle’s smooth thumbpicking style so that people can recognize it for what it is.”

When asked why it’s important to her to keep her great uncle’s music alive, Meagan says, “I do it because it’s keeping history alive and, let’s face it, it’s such good music. It’s so different than anything being created today and the quality of it, the creativity of it, is unprecedented. Uncle Chester contributed to the world of guitar so much. He influenced–and continues to influence–so many people, even young players. When some of these kids hear his music, something inside of them comes alive. So, it’s important to keep sharing it with younger generations, because I’ve seen it inspire a new generation of people.”

Performing and Recording with her Three Children is Meagan’s Top Priority

The musical gene was definitely passed down to Meagan’s three children. “Whitney, Ben, and Natalie all genuinely love music and it’s a huge part of their lives,” says Meagan. “They listen to a wide range of music and influences, from instrumentals and classic and prime country, to Bon Jovi, Flee

Meagan, Natalie, Ben, and Whitney performing recently on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky.

twood Mac, Journey, and Uncle Chester’s stuff.”

Meagan continues by saying, “Whitney was in the womb hearing Jason play Floyd Cramer piano and came out of the womb singing–she could carry a tune from early on. She’s performed with Jason and me from the time she could stand on a stool and sing with us. She plays piano, guitar, and is the primary harmony singer. Her voice is like syrup that covers everything and really ties our blend together. She’s also using her musical skills to lead music at our church’s worship services. That girl just lives and breathes music.”

Meagan shares that her son, Ben, and youngest daughter, Natalie, both have very good voices of their own and are learning harmony, which results in an ear-pleasing blend of three-part family harmony singing. Ben’s turned into a fine drummer (Meagan’s also trying to get him interested in the guitar) and Natalie is very creative, writing songs, recording on GarageBand, and playing the drums, guitar, and ukulele. Meagan and “the Kiddos” as she calls them, have performed at CAAS the past several years and are always a crowd favorite.

Best of the Back Porch Vol 2 Album is Being Recorded

When Covid hit in 2020 and cancelled Meagan and Jason’s tribute shows, Jason started a live show in his living room and Meagan followed suit by starting a Facebook Live show with her and her kids performing on their home’s back porch. “I picked out songs that I liked and ones we were already singing in the car, so the kids just sang along,” says Meagan. “I’d describe it as genuine and real and we had a lot of fun doing them. I think some people tuned in just to see what kind of crazy was going on at our house though, because you never knew what was going to happen to our family circus act. Our cat might be

The cover of Meagan and the Kiddos’ 2021 Best of the Back Porch Vol 1 album.

chasing a bunny rabbit down the driveway, or my husband could be in the garage using an impact drill while Whitney is singing a touching love song.”

In 2021, Meagan and her kids even booked studio time and, with help from their friends, recorded an album titled, Best of the Back Porch Vol. 1. The 14-track album included some of their favorite songs to perform including “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Jolene,” “What A Wonderful World,” and an “I’ll Fly Away Medley.”

Meagan is excited to share that five years later, a follow-up album, Best of the Back Porch Vol. 2, is currently being recorded. “This project means more to me than anything, because it’s a time capsule for my kids who are growing up way too fast,” Meagan shares. “We just had a day in the studio with some of our friends, Jason (Coleman), Ben Hall, Stuie French, and members of the 45 RPM band. That was a really fun day.”

Meagan laughs and says, “We’re trying hard to get the album finished before Ben’s voice drops because he’ll turn fourteen in May. But seriously, I know I’ll be super proud of this album because we have good people working on it (Katelyn Prieboy, an outstanding thumbpicking guitarist and Young Thumbs alum, is engineering and mixing the album), we have great musicians playing on it, and the kids are sounding good. We definitely have a family sound.”

What’s Next for Meagan’s Musical Journey?

When asked about future plans and where she’d like her musical journey to take her next, Meagan reflects and says, “For now, I just want to enjoy making music with my kids. To me, it’s a good way for us to bond and travel and go places we’ve never been. I really want to see my kids, if they want to do music, develop to their full potential. And I also plan to continue learning from my Uncle Chester, especially through his recorded music. His creativity and coming up with all those great arrangements are just unbelievable. It was unprecedented and will never be matched again. I still have so much to learn.

Meagan, family, and friends at a recent tracking session for Best of the Back Porch Vol. 2 at Ocean Way Nashville Studios. Back row L to R: Mark Johnson, Mike Johnson, Stuie French, Ben Hall, Brent Rader, Jason Coleman. Front row L to R: Whitney Anderson, Ben Anderson, Katelyn Prieboy, Natalie Anderson, Meagan Taylor Anderson.

Meagan and son, Ben, performing at the 2025 Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention.
Photo by WadeGraphics.

L to R: Whitney, Ben, and Natalie pose by a photo of their great-great uncle, Chet Atkins, at Ocean Way Nashville Studios.

Enjoy these videos!

Jason Coleman and Meagan perform a beautiful version of Mark Knopfler’s “Why Worry.”

Count Your Blessings.

Clover.

Best of Back Porch.

Pancho and Lefty.