Melvin Taylor
Born in 1959 in Mississippi, Melvin Taylor grew up in Chicago, where he learned to play guitar at the age of 6 in a musical family.
Self-taught, he was influenced by guitar pioneers such as Albert King, Jimmy Reed, Wes Montgomery, and later Jimi Hendrix.
After starting out with the band The Transistors, Melvin Taylor focused on blues music until 1980, becoming one of the rising stars in Chicago's West Side clubs.
His talent and truly unique style were quickly recognized on Maxwell Street.
Melvin was offered the opportunity to play with a number of notable figures, including Pinetop Perkins and "Big Eyes" Willie Smith, with whom he formed The Legendary Blues Band for its first European tour. Melvin achieved immediate success, particularly in France, where he recorded his first two albums: Blues on the Run in 1982 and Plays the Blues for You in 1984 for the Isabel label.
During the 1990s, he was one of the most highly regarded talents of the new generation of blues, alongside Lucky Peterson, Kenny Neal, and Joe Louis Walker.
His career slowed somewhat during the 2000s, until he returned to the studio in 2010 and subsequently toured the United States again.
Melvin Taylor is a prolific composer and musician whose unique style is a subtle blend of jazz, blues, rock, and soul.
It was time to see Melvin back on the road in France, since it was his tours in France that brought him to the attention of the general public 30 years ago!
Discography
1982 – Blues on the Run
1984 – Plays the Blues for You
1995 – Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band
1997 – Dirty Pool
2000 – Bang That Bell
2002 – Rendezvous with the Blues
2010 – Beyond the Burning Guitar
2012 – Sweet Taste of Guitar
2013 – Taylor Made
Line up
Melvin Taylor - guitare & chant
BT Richardson - basse & chant
Bernell Anderson - clavier & chant
Jay Davenport - batterie