Melvin Taylor (born March 13, 1959) is an American electric blues guitarist, based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Career

Taylor was born in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. He moved to Chicago with his parents in 1962. He joined the Transistors, a

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

group. He switched his focus to blues music when the group disbanded in the early 1980s. He found work playing in clubs on the

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

of Chicago, often at Rosa's Lounge. During the 1980s he joined Pinetop Perkins and the Legendary Blues Band in a year-long European tour. He has returned to Europe several times with his own group, which has opened for

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

, Buddy Guy, and

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

. Taylor's recordings include two albums for Isabel Records, a French record label, ''Blues on the Run'' (1982) and ''Plays the Blues for You'' (1984). Recordings in the United States include ''Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band'', with John Snyder, released by

Evidence Music Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk. The label's first releases were reissues of Sun Ra albums from the ca ...

, and ''

Dirty Pool Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

'' (1997). Taylor's ''Beyond the Burning Guitar'' was recorded in Misty Creek Studios, in Fairfax, Virginia. He also recorded a cover of the

Skylar Grey Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...

–

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

song " Love the Way You Lie", with the rapper, Matt Christian, at Misty Creek Studios.

Discography

*''Blues on the Run'' (1982) *''Plays the Blues for You'' (1984) *''Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band'' (1995) *''

'' (1997) *'' Bang That Bell'' (2000) *''Rendezvous with the Blues'' (2002) *''Beyond the Burning Guitar'' (2010) *''Sweet Taste of Guitar'' (2012) * ''Taylor Made'' (2013)

References

External links

Melvin Taylor's official website

Biography

Rosa's Lounge

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Melvin 1959 births Living people Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi American blues guitarists American male guitarists Chicago blues musicians Electric blues musicians Contemporary blues musicians Guitarists from Chicago Guitarists from Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians

Career

Discography

See also

References

External links