Matt Taylor (musician)

Matt Taylor
Birth name	Matthew Tayor
Born	July , 1948(1948-07-00) Brisbane, Queensland
Genres	blues
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar
Years active	1966-
Labels	Festival Mushroom Forever Records
Website	Matt Taylor

Matt Taylor is an Australian blues musician. He is best known for his work with long-lasting blues band Chain and for the hit song "I Remember When I Was Young".

Biography

Matt Taylor was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1948. He grew up in a working-class family in the suburb of Spring Hill. His father, who had emigrated from Liverpool, was a tram-driver.

Taylor began listening to blues records in high school, and taught himself the guitar and harmonica. In February 1966 he joined the Bay City Union, one of Australia’s first electric blues bands. They moved to Melbourne in December 1966 and achieved some success playing in dance halls and clubs. They recorded a single "Mo’reen" and "Mary Mary" released on the Festival label in 1968. Among the other members of this band was Glenn Wheatley, who was also their manager.

The Bay City Union broke up in May 1968. Taylor joined the Wild Cherries in October 1968, but left the following month. During 1969 and 1970, he played with progressive heavy rock / blues bands Horse and Genesis.

From September 1970 to October 1971, Taylor was the front-man for the blues band Chain, which had a hit single ("Black and Blue") and album ("Toward the Blues") during this period. He then quit the music industry and went to live on a commune led by Fred and Mary Robinson at Beechworth.

In 1973 he returned to the music scene as a solo artist, releasing three albums over the next three years, and scoring a major hit with the single "I Remember When I Was Young". He was one of the first artists to record for Mushroom Records, and was managed by Michael Gudinski.

He moved to Balingup, Western Australia, in 1975, to re-join the Robinsons in a new commune, but was eventually expelled after serious disagreements emerged. He then formed a new band, Western Flyer, with a more country-flavoured sound. Western Flyer produced two albums and had some success between 1977 and 1979.

Since 1976, Taylor has lived in Perth, Western Australia. He has continued to tour and record with various line-ups of Chain, as well as releasing two solo albums and touring as a solo artist.

Taylor has played with a wide range of Australian artists, including: Phil Manning, Dave Hole, Lucky Oceans, Broderick Smith, Lobby Loyde and Greg Lawrie. He has supported major American blues artists like B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins.

Albert Collins said of him: “You play the blues, but it’s like no other blues I’ve ever heard in my life”.^[1]

In May 2010 Taylor was inducted into the WAM Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

Matt Taylor (Solo) KKKLK

• Straight as a Die - Mushroom (L 34955) (August 1973)
• Music - Mushroom (L 35229) (August 1974)
• Old, New, Intuitive - Mushroom (L 35609) (September 1975)
• Trouble In The Wind - Walls To McGoo Collectors Range (No.9) (1992)
• Pyramids and Spirals - Newmarket Music (March 1995)
• The Awakening - Forever (5FORCDS) (1997)

Matt Taylor and Phil Manning Band

• Oz Blues - Full Moon (FML 12002) (June 1981)

'Matt Taylor Band

• Always Land On Your Feet - Forever (February 1983)
• No Trouble at All - (2008)

Singles

Matt Taylor (Solo)

• "I Remember When I Was Young"/"Krishna Loves You Too" - Mushroom (K-5251) (September 1973)
• "Fair Dinkum Aussie Blues"/"Alone" - Mushroom (K-5514) (May 1974)
• "Somebody Stole My Hair"/"Hound Dog Dust Bag" - Mushroom (K-6092) (September 1975)

Matt Taylor Phil Manning Band

• "Spring Hill"/"The Line" - (1981)

References

1. ^ Burrows, Toby, and Phil Riseborough, I Remember When I Was Young: the Matt Taylor Story. (Nedlands, W.A.: The Hilliard Press, 2009), p. 220. ISBN 978-1-4092-9421-4

Further reading

• Burrows, Toby, and Phil Riseborough. I Remember When I Was Young: the Matt Taylor Story. Nedlands, W.A.: The Hilliard Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4092-9421-4

External links

Persondata
Name	Taylor, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1948-July
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death