[4] By the age of 11 she had begun performing rhythm and blues around Hammond[5] and nearby Gary, Indiana, where her family moved two years later.

[7] In college Taliefero performed in a band called Kilo, which included future Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton, former Tonight Show bassist Robert Hurst, and trumpeter Chris Botti.

[4] Two and a half months into living in New York, Taliefero received a phone call from a Mellencamp associate, asking her to play drums and sing for 1989's Storm Front, the upcoming album from Billy Joel.

The New York Times music critic Jon Pareles described Taliefero as a "sassy female foil",[15] while Edna Gundersen of USA Today praised her performance alongside Springsteen.

[4] However, Gary Graff, writing in the Detroit Free Press, lamented that Taliefero only played saxophone on "Born to Run" and missed longtime E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who was not invited on the tour.

[16] Taliefero has performed with a wide range of other artists, including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Joe Cocker, Tina Arena, Bob Seger, Brooks & Dunn, Richie Sambora, Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Natalie Merchant, Meat Loaf, and Michael McDonald.

[7] As part of her purpose to inspire young musicians, she visited Central High School in East Chicago, Indiana (her home state), in 2009.

[5] Taliefero has contributed narration, compositions and/or music to a range of child-oriented videos and audiobooks though the Weston Woods Studios division of Scholastic Corporation:[17]