- Chip Taylor
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Chip Taylor 
Taylor at Wolverhampton, 2006Background information Birth name James Wesley Voight Born March 21, 1940 Origin Yonkers, New York, U.S. Genres Country Occupations Singer-songwriter Years active 1971–present Labels Buddah, Warner Bros., CBS, Capitol, Train Wreck Associated acts Carrie Rodriguez, Kendel Carson, John Platania James Wesley Voight (born March 21, 1940), better known by his stage name as Chip Taylor, is an American songwriter, who is noted for writing the songs "Angel of the Morning" and "Wild Thing." He is the brother of actor Jon Voight and geologist Barry Voight. He is the uncle of actress Angelina Jolie and actor James Haven.
Contents
Family background
The Voight brothers—Barry, Jonathan, and James Wesley—could trace their roots to Germany and Slovakia.[citation needed]
Early career
Taylor attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York.[1] After an unsuccessful attempt to become a professional golfer, Taylor entered the music business, writing pop and rock songs, both alone and with other songwriters, including Al Gorgoni (as the duo Just Us), Billy Vera, Ted Daryll, and Jerry Ragovoy.
As "tune tailor"
Taylor's best-known songs are "Wild Thing," which, though originally recorded in 1965 by Jordan Christopher & The Wild Ones, became famous as both a 1966 hit single for The Troggs and a 1967 live performance by Jimi Hendrix, and "Angel of the Morning," a hit for Merrilee Rush in 1968, and then a million-selling single in 1981 for country-pop singer Juice Newton.[2] Other notable pop and country songs written by Talor include "He Sits at Your Table" (Willie Nelson), "I Can't Let Go" (Evie Sands), "The Baby" (The Hollies), "Worry" (Johnny Tillotson), "Make Me Belong to You"(Barbara Lewis), "I Can Make It With You" (The Pozo Seco Singers, Jackie DeShannon), "Any Way That You Want Me" (The Troggs, Evie Sands, Juice Newton), "Step Out of Your Mind", "Country Girl City Man" (Billy Vera and Judy Clay), "I'll Hold Out My Hand", "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" (Janis Joplin), "Julie" (Bobby Fuller Four), "Lonely Is As Lonely Does" (The Fleetwoods), "Sweet Dream Woman" (Waylon Jennings), "A Little Bit Later On Down the Line" (Bobby Bare) and "Son of a Rotten Gambler" (Emmylou Harris, the Hollies, Anne Murray).
In 2009, Ace Records released a compilation CD of some of Taylor's compositions as recorded by other artists (Wild Thing: The Songs of Chip Taylor)
On his own
Taylor has released recordings on Warner Bros., Columbia, and Capitol. His most popular recording is Last Chance, on Warner Bros. In the mid-1970s, Taylor gave up the music business for a career as a professional gambler specializing in blackjack and horse-racing handicapping. But the year 1980 saw Taylor make an appearance in the film Melvin and Howard.
Performing career
Taylor restarted his performing and recording career in 1993. At a South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas in 2001, Chip met singer and violinist Carrie Rodriguez, with whom he performed and recorded Americana music for several years. The duo recorded Let's Leave This Town in 2002. They released The Trouble With Humans the following year and the critically acclaimed Red Dog Tracks in 2005. Each has since released successful solo albums. Taylor's double-CD Unglorious Hallelujah/Red Red Rose, his first solo album in five years, was quickly hailed as "a future classic" by Sonic Magazine, whose reviewer declared: "This is the best we've heard from Chip Taylor so far." Rodriguez's solo album, Seven Angels on a Bicycle, was released in August 2006. In late 2006 and early 2007, Rodriguez toured on her own but continued to perform with Taylor from time to time.[3]
Taylor has also performed with alt-country singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks, playing bass for Fulks's January 2004 date at Double Door in Chicago. Taylor has done a series of shows with guitarist John Platania and the young singer/fiddler Kendel Carson, and he produced both their 2007 albums. In addition, the reggae rap star Shaggy utilized "Angel of the Morning" as the basis for his hit "Angel" in 2001. The song also used the bass line of the Steve Miller song "The Joker". Both Taylor and Miller received co-writing credit for the song, which became Taylor's second No. 1 hit on the Billboard pop charts, some 35 years after "Wild Thing". "Angel of the Morning" has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
Chip Taylor´s album "Yonkers, NY" was in 2011 nominee for Grammy Award, for best recording package but lost to "Brothers" by The Black Keys.[4]
Train Wreck Records
In 2007, Taylor launched his own independent label, Train Wreck Records.[5]
Discography
Albums
Year Album US Country Label 1971 Gorgoni, Martin & Taylor — Buddha 1971 Gasoline — Buddha 1973 Chip Taylor's Last Chance — Warner Bros. 1974 Some of Us — 1975 This Side of the Big River 36 1976 Somebody Shoot Out the Jukebox — CBS 1979 Saint Sebastian — Capitol 1996 Hit Man — 1997 Living Room Tapes — 1999 Seven Days In May... A Love Story — 2000 London Sessions Bootleg — 2001 Black & Blue America — 2002 Let's Leave This Town — Lone Star 2003 The Trouble With Humans — Lone Star 2005 Red Dog Tracks — 2006 Unglorious Hallelujah — Back Porch Music 2007 Live from the Ruhr Triennale — MRI 2008 New Songs of Freedom — Megaforce 2008 Songs From a Dutch Tour — Train Wreck 2009 Yonkers NY — Train Wreck Compilations
Year Album Label 2008 Angels & Gamblers: Best of 1971-1979 Raven Records 2010 James Wesley Days Best of 99-10 Rootsy / Train Wreck Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country CAN Country 1973 "101 In Cashbox" Chip Taylor's Last Chance 1975 "Me As I Am" 80 — Some of Us "Early Sunday Morning" 28 41 "Big River" 61 — This Side of the Big River 1976 "Circle of Tears" 92 — 1977 "Hello Atlanta" (with Ghost Train) 93 — Somebody Shoot Out the Jukebox References
- ^ Spectro Pop
- ^ Dallas News
- ^ NPR
- ^ "Black Keys package takes Grammy over Chip Taylor". Countrystandardtime.com. 2007-10-23. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=5061. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ Train Wreck Records Press Release
External links
Categories:- 1940 births
- Living people
- People from Yonkers, New York
- Musicians from New York City
- Songwriters from New York
- American gamblers
- American musicians of Slovak descent
- American musicians of German descent
- American writers of German descent
- American male singers
- American singer-songwriters
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