Allan Taylor - The Timeless Voice of Folk and Singer-Songwriter Tradition

Allan Taylor (born September 30, 1945, in Brighton, England) is an English singer-songwriter who has written and performed music around the world for over 50 years.

Career

Taylor left school in 1961 and became an apprentice in telecommunications until 1965. Inspired by skiffle and the beat generation, he started singing and playing guitar in the folk clubs of Brighton during his teenage years. He became a full-time musician in 1966 and left Brighton to immerse himself in the vibrant music scene in London. Taylor toured Great Britain, performing at various folk clubs, including the Troubadour Club in London, where he sometimes supported Fairport Convention. In 1970, he signed a recording contract with United Artists, recording the albums Sometimes (1971) and The Lady (1972).

Taylor then moved to New York and became part of the singer-songwriter scene in Greenwich Village, playing at iconic clubs such as Gerde's, The Gaslight Cafe, The Bitter End, the Mercer Arts Center, and The Bottom Line. He toured throughout America and recorded The American Album in Nashville and Los Angeles (1973). In 1974, he signed with Island Records as a songwriter. In the mid-1970s, he returned to the UK and formed the band Cajun Moon, later signing a recording contract with Chrysalis Records and releasing the album Cajun Moon (1976). After disbanding Cajun Moon, he became a solo artist and recorded three albums with Black Crow/Rubber Records from 1978 to 1983, including The Traveller, which won the Grand Prix du Disque de Montreaux for best European Record, Roll on the Day, and Circle ‘Round Again.

In 1980, Taylor formed T Records and released several albums, including Win or Lose (1984), Lines (1988), Out of Time (1991), So Long (1993), Faded Light (1995), and The Alex Campbell Tribute Concert (1997). From 1980 to 1992, while continuing as a singer-songwriter and working occasionally for the BBC presenting documentary programs, he earned three academic degrees: a BA from Leeds University, an MA from Lancaster University, and a PhD in ethnomusicology from Queen's University Belfast.

1995–Present

In 1995, Taylor began his relationship with Stockfisch Records, based in Northeim, Germany, producing Looking for You (1996), Colour to the Moon (2000), Hotels and Dreamers (2003), Old Friends New Roads (2007), Leaving at Dawn (2009), Songs for the Road (2010), All Is One (2013), and There Was a Time (2016).

To date, there are more than 100 cover versions of his song "It's Good to See You" in ten different languages, along with numerous cover versions of his other songs. Taylor's song "Roll on the Day" was inspired by his personal experience of visiting an ex-coal miner and witnessing the effects of a lifetime of working in a coal mine.

Dr. Frederick Woods commented in The Oxford Book of Traditional Verse: "Allan Taylor is one of the more literate and sensitive of contemporary songwriters in terms of words and music, and one who is capable of exploring more complex subjects than most of his contemporaries… he should probably be regarded as potentially the most important songwriter of his generation."

With a career spanning from 1966 to the present, Taylor has accumulated significant experience and maturity in his music. He continues to record and perform concerts throughout Europe and currently resides in Leeds, England.

Discography

• The Lady (1971)

• Sometimes (1971)

• The American Album (1973)

• Cajun Moon (1976)

• The Traveller (1978)

• Roll on the Day (1980)

• Circle Round Again (1983)

• Win or Lose (1984)

• Lines (1988)

• Out of Time (1991)

• So Long (1993)

• Faded Light (1995)

• Looking for You (1996)

• Alex Campbell Tribute Concert (1997)

• Colour to the Moon (2000)

• Out of Time: Remastered (2002)

• Banjoman: Derroll Adams Tribute (2002)

• Hotels & Dreamers (2003)

• Old Friends, New Roads (2007)

• Leaving at Dawn (2009)

• In the Groove (2010)

• Songs for the Road (2010)

• Down the Years I Travelled... (2012)

• Old Friends in Concert (Live-CD with Hannes Wader, 2013)

• All Is One (2013)

• There Was a Time (2016)

• Behind the Mix (2017)

Allan Taylor remains a significant figure in the folk and singer-songwriter tradition, continuing to inspire audiences with his heartfelt lyrics and timeless melodies. His extensive body of work and dedication to his craft solidify his legacy as a respected artist in the music industry.