BIO
Melvin Taylor is a star in Europe, but it may take some time for U.
S. audiences to catch on to just how phenomenally talented a
bluesman he is. Part of the problem for Taylor may be his own
natural eclecticism. He's equally adept playing jazz or blues, but in
the last few years, he's forged a name for himself as a blues
guitarist with a slew of releases for Evidence Music. Taylor may
well be the most talented new guitarist to come along since Stevie
Ray Vaughan.
Taylor was born in Mississippi but raised in Chicago after the
family moved there in 1962. He learned guitar from his mother's
brother, Uncle Floyd Vaughan, who jammed to tunes by Muddy
Waters, Jimmy Reed and Howlin' Wolf with his buddies. By the
time Taylor was 12, he was sitting in with his uncle and other
grown-ups at those sessions. Almost entirely self-taught, the
young Taylor learned slide playing, finger-picking and flat-picking
styles from his favorite recordings by B.B. King, Albert King and
Jimi Hendrix.
In his teens, Taylor joined the Transistors, a group managed by
his future father- in-law, and they made their mark playing
popular music of the 1970s at talent shows and night clubs. After
the Transistors broke up in the early 1980s, Taylor again devoted
his full attention to playing blues in the Windy City's West Side
clubs. Shortly after, pianist Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins came
looking for a guitarist for a string of European dates. Taylor
joined the Legendary Blues Band for a year and made such an
impact in Europe that several club and festival bookers wanted
him back with his own group. Since the late 1980s, he's been
making regular tours of Europe, often backed by former members
of the Transistors, where they opened for the likes of B.B. King,
Buddy Guy, Santana, George Benson and Canned Heat.
Aside from taking his musical inspiration from guitar heroes like
Albert King, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taylor also
became enamored with the jazz stylings of George Benson and
Wes Montgomery, incorporating their styles into his playing.
Taylor's recordings include two he first recorded for a French
label that have seen been reissued on the Pennsylvania-based
Evidence Music: “Blues on the Run”, originally recorded in 1982,
and 1984's “Melvin Taylor Plays the Blues for You”. Back in the U.
S., Taylor continued to build a buzz around the strength of his
marathon live shows at Rosa's Lounge and other venues in
Chicago. Several small labels tried to sign Taylor, but they
weren't successful. In 1995, Taylor was signed to Evidence Music
and entered the studio with blues impresario John Snyder to
record his debut for the label, “Melvin Taylor and the Slack
Band”, which showcased his original songwriting. He returned in
late 1996 to record his second U.S. album, “Dirty Pool”. Taylor's
debut remains the Evidence label's best-selling release ever.
Both records showcase Taylor's awe-inspiring guitar playing and
original renderings of classic Chicago blues tunes. “Bang the
Bell” followed in 2000, featuring racy cover art and a somewhat
funk-influenced sound, but it was his teaming with Lucky Peterson
and Mato Nanji on 2002's “Rendezvous with the Blues” that
cemented his reputation as a mainstay in the American blues and
roots rock scene. Richard Skelly - All Music Guide
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