[1][2] Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma,[3] Talley is an artist whose vision of the American experience, as author David McGee has said, is "startlingly original.
"[citation needed] As a youth, Talley's family moved from their home in Mehan, Oklahoma, near Stillwater, to Washington state, where his father worked as a chemical operator in the Hanford plutonium factory.
[2] After college, encouraged by Pete Seeger while on a trip to New Mexico, Talley began to write songs that drew upon the culture of the Southwest.
[2] His album Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love was released during an era when outlaw country was gaining ground in Nashville.
[2] Talley then moved to Capitol Records where he released four albums during the mid-1970s: Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love (1975); Tryin’ Like The Devil (1976); Blackjack Choir (1977) and Ain't It Somethin’ (1977).
In February 2006, Talley's debut album, Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love was reissued in a special 30th anniversary edition.