Mel Taylor (September 24, 1933 – August 11, 1996) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the Ventures from 1962 to 1996. He was born in

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsie ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and was the older brother of Canned Heat bassist

Larry Taylor Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee L ...

Musical career

After drumming with

Boris Pickett Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007), known also by the name Bobby "Boris" Pickett, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and comedian known for co-writing and performing the 1962 hit novelty song "Monster Mash". ...

and

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, Taylor joined the Ventures in 1962 to fill in for Howie Johnson, who had been severely injured in an automobile accident. Johnson played with a neck brace for a period, but didn't want to be away from his family (in Washington state) for long periods, so he opted to be replaced. Taylor's distinct, harder-edged rock style so impressed the members of the band that they asked him to become a permanent member of the group. Taylor released a solo album in 1965 ("Mel Taylor & The Magics In Action"). In 1972, he decided to leave the Ventures to pursue a solo career, forming the band ''Mel Taylor & the Dynamics''. During this time, they released four albums: "007 James Bond", "Sand, Sea and Love", "Mel Taylor in Japan", and "Roll over Beethoven". Taylor rejoined the Ventures in 1979, and remained their drummer until his death in 1996. After Mel died, his son Leon Taylor replaced him, and has been the Ventures' drummer ever since.

Drumming style

Taylor used the traditional grip as opposed to the matched grip. He originally started out with The Ventures on a 4-piece drum kit with just hi-hats and a single cymbal. Towards the end of the 1960s, he expanded his kit to include multiple tom-toms and double bass drums; he eventually added numerous crash cymbals to his set as well. Taylor used many drum kits over the years including Rogers, Ludwig, Gretsch, and Canopus. Taylor preferred Zildjian cymbals, Pro-Mark drumsticks, and Remo drumheads.

Influences

Taylor mentioned in many interviews that

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, and

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

were some of his biggest influences while he was growing up, and that he got the

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

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Personal life

In July 1996, Taylor developed pneumonia while on tour with the Ventures in Japan. Doctors there found a malignant tumor in his lungs, but he continued to play with the band until a replacement drummer could be found for the remainder of their tour. On August 2, Mel Taylor returned to Los Angeles, California, for more tests and treatment, but the cancer had advanced so quickly that in less than 10 days he died very suddenly on August 11, 1996, at the age of 62 at his home in Tarzana, California.

Discography

* ''In Action! - Mel Taylor & The Magics'' (1966) Warner Brothers WB1624. USA. * ''Drums A-Go-Go'' Mel Taylor and the Magics - In Action. (1966). BP 7461. Japan. * ''007'' (1972) Dan Records VC-7501. Japan. * ''Sand, Sea and Love'' (1972) Dan Records VC-7503. Japan. * ''In Japan'' (1973) Dan Records VC-7506. Japan. * ''Live in Japan'' (1973) Bad New Records BNCY-29 (CD released in 1997). Japan. * ''Roll Over Beethoven'' (1973) Dan Records VC-7510. Japan. * ''The Very Best Of Mel Taylor'' (2002) M and I Records. MYCV 30141. Japan.

References

## "Portraits - Mel Taylor". Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved 2022-08-18. ## "Obituaries: Mel Taylor". The Independent. 1996-08-14. Retrieved 2022-08-18. ## "Mel Taylor - DRUMMERWORLD". www.drummerworld.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.

External links

Biography of Mel Taylor (The Ventures)
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Mel 1933 births 1996 deaths Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jewish American musicians The Ventures members 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews