Otis Taylor (born July 30, 1948,

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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose talents include the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

, and vocals. In 2001, he was awarded a fellowship to the Sundance Film Composers Laboratory.

Career

Music

Taylor was born in Chicago and moved at a young age to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, where he grew up. He originally grew up playing the banjo, but his father wanted him to be a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician. Upon hearing that the banjo was originally an African instrument turned almost exclusively into a white bluegrass instrument in part through the derogatory black-face

minstrel shows The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

of the 19th century, Taylor dropped the banjo and began to focus solely on the guitar and harmonica. He played music professionally both in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the United States in a variety of blues-oriented bands, including

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fiction Fiction media * ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...

, until 1977, when he left the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

for other pursuits, including becoming an

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

dealer. Taylor returned to music in 1995, and as of 2015, has released fourteen blues albums. His music tends to focus on the hard realities of life, especially relating to the black community. Some common themes in his music are murder, racism, poverty and the need for redemption. To date, Taylor has twelve

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

s nominations while ''

White African White Africans of European ancestry refers to people in Africa who can trace full or partial ancestry to Europe. In 1989, there were an estimated 4.6 million white people with European ancestry on the African continent. Most are of Dutch, Portugu ...

'' was named 'Best Artist Debut'. ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine critics' Poll named Taylor's ''Truth is Not Fiction'' as Blues CD of the Year for 2002. Otis Taylor at Liri Blues 2010

Living Blues ''Living Blues: The Magazine of the African American Blues Tradition'' is a bi-monthly magazine focused on blues music, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van Sin ...

'' readers' poll awarded Taylor (along with

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

) the "Best Blues Entertainer" title in 2004. ''Down Beat'' named Taylor's ''Double V'' as Blues CD of the Year for 2005. ''Down Beat'' named ''Definition of a Circle'' as Blues CD of the Year for 2007. They also then named ''Recapturing the Banjo'' as "Blues CD of the Year, 2008." His 2008 effort, ''Recapturing the Banjo'', was an attempt to reconnect himself and the world with the true African origins of the banjo. "There may not be," claimed ''Down Beat'' in a review, "a better roots album released this year or decade than ''Recapturing the Banjo''." Taylor was the support act on

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...

's 2007/8/9 European tours and played on his last album. In May 2009, Taylor won a Blues Music Award for his banjo playing. He held the first Trance Blues Festival in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, in November 2010. Taylor's 2015 release ''Hey Joe Opus Red Meat'' was editor's choice for album of the year in ''Blues Music Magazine'' and ''Premier Guitar Magazine''. It was named "Album of the Year" by ''Blues411'' and #2 by ''Twangville'', and one of the top 30 albums of the year by ''The Blues'' magazine (UK). ''Down Beat'' gave it 4 and half stars and listed it as one of their top 100 albums of the year. Otis Taylor 2012

Film

* Several songs used in ''

The Badge ''The Badge'' is a 2002 mystery-thriller film directed by Robby Henson and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Patricia Arquette and William Devane. Release The Badge was originally intended to be distributed by Propaganda Films, but the production com ...

'', a 2002 film with

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

* In 2005, ''Purvis of Overtown'' featured a score by Otis Taylor * The song "Nasty Letter" from Taylor's 2003 album, ''Truth Is Not Fiction'', was featured on the soundtrack for the 2007 film ''

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...

''. *

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...

's 2009 film '' Public Enemies'' featured two of Taylor's songs, "Ten Million Slaves" and "Nasty Letter". The former was also featured in the film's trailer. * Otis' songs were in '' The Least Among You'', a 2009 film with

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...

Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series '' NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on ''Motive' ...

, and

William Devane William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera '' Knots Landing'' (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas '' 24'' (2001–2010) and '' ...

. * The 1986 Ralph Macchio film "Crossroads" credits Taylor as "Jookhouse Musician - Lead Guitar."

Television

* The song "Ten Million Slaves" was used as the closing song to the episode titled "Blowback" of the FX show, '' Justified''. * ''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...

'' featured Otis' song "Rosa Rosa" * Songs in the science fiction series ''

Surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...

''. * An Otis Taylor song was played on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' as part of the 2008 "Idol Gives Back" show. * The song "Ten Million Slaves" was also played in the commercial for the 2011 season of ''

Sons of Guns ''Sons of Guns'' is a reality television series that aired on the Discovery Channel between 2011 and 2014. The series centers on Red Jacket Firearms LLC, a Louisiana-based business that manufactures and sells custom firearms to law enforcement, se ...

''. * "Nasty Letter" was used during the final episode of HBO series . ''

Luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

''.

Signature Instruments

*In 2008 the

Santa Cruz Guitar Company The Santa Cruz Guitar Company is an American manufacturer of acoustic guitars, located in Santa Cruz, California. The company was started in 1976 by luthier Richard B. Hoover, who is reputed to have "trained some of the most accomplished contempor ...

released an Otis Taylor model acoustic guitar. *In 2007, Ome released the Otis Taylor model banjo *In 2003, Blue Star released the Otis Taylor Banjoblaster (electric banjo)

Family

Taylor married Carol Ellen Bjork in 1985. They have two daughters,

Cassie Taylor Cassie Taylor (born 1986 in Boulder, Colorado) is an American singer-songwriter and blues musician. She started her career in the early 2000s touring as a bassist for her father Otis Taylor, a trance blues musician. She released a positivel ...

and Jae Taylor. Taylor's eldest daughter, Cassie, is featured on many of his releases. She also plays several instruments including bass and vocals.

Discography

Albums

* ''Blue-Eyed Monster'' (1996) * ''When Negroes Walked the Earth'' (1997/Re-released 2000, Shoelace Music) * ''

'' (2001,

NorthernBlues Music NorthernBlues Music is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in blues music. The label was established in 2001, and a number of its artists and albums have since been nominated for and won Blues Music Awards. President Fred Litwi ...

) * ''Respect the Dead'' (2002, Northern Blues Music) * ''Truth Is Not Fiction'' (June 24, 2003,

Telarc International Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long assoc ...

) * ''Double V'' (April 27, 2004, Telarc International) * ''Below the Fold'' (August 23, 2005, Telarc International) * ''Definition of a Circle'' (February 27, 2007, Telarc International) * ''Recapturing the Banjo'' (February 5, 2008, Telarc International) * ''Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs'' (June 23, 2009, Telarc International) * ''Clovis People, Vol. 3'' (May 11, 2010, Telarc International) * ''Contraband'' (February 13, 2012, Telarc International) * ''My World Is Gone'' (February 12, 2013, Telarc International) * ''Hey Joe Opus Red Meat'' (February 13, 2015, Trance Blues Festival Records (and inakustik for Europe)) * ''Fantasizing About Being Black'' (February 17, 2017, Trance Blues Festival Records)

Soundtracks

* ''

- Music from the Motion Picture'' (2007) - "Nasty Letter" * '' Public Enemies'' soundtrack (2009) (the tracks "Ten Million Slaves" from ''Recapturing the Banjo'' and "Nasty Letter" from ''Truth is Not Fiction'')

Compilation albums

* ''Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues'',

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

, 2000 * ''Get the Blues'',

NARM NARM was the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, now renamed as the Music Business Association. NARM may also refer to: *North American Reciprocal Museums *North American Registry of Midwives, a certifying organization for Midwifery#Ce ...

, 2001 * ''The Future of the Blues'', Northern Blues, 2002 * ''The Blues Foundation Presents Blues Greats'', The Blues Foundation, 2002 * ''Beyond Mississippi'', Manteca, 2002 * ''Harley Davidson Roadhouse Blues'',

The Right Stuff Records The Right Stuff Records is an American reissue record label that was part of EMI, which is now owned by Universal Music Group and is based out of Santa Monica, California. The label primarily released classic rock and R&B repertoire which includ ...

, 2002 * ''Roadhouse Blues'',

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, 2003 * ''Exile on Blues Street'', Telarc International, 2003 * ''Blues Music Awards'', The Blues Foundation, 2007 * ''Collection'', Telarc International, 2014

Guest artist appearances

: '' Bad For You Baby'',

Eagle Records Eagle Records is a British record label, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In the United Kingdom, the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the Un ...

, 2008

References

External links

OtisTaylor.com
- Official website
"Who is the King of Acoustic Blues?"
(profile of Otis Taylor), by Ted Gioia
Otis Taylor Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Otis 1948 births Living people American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues mandolinists American blues harmonica players Blues musicians from Illinois Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians