Welcome to Jill Taylor MUSIC
Biography
"This life is not about what you've done,
it's about who you've become."
--"Loved By You"
it's about who you've become."
--"Loved By You"
Jill Taylor was born the love child of two hippies at the end of the sixties. Brought up on the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Muddy Waters, and George Harrison as well as her father's late night blues guitar jam sessions, Jill had an interest in music at a young age. Through school band and music lessons she learned to play the flute, saxophone, vibraphone, piano, guitar, and bass guitar and she performed in her school's traveling show choir and jazz band. Through her teenage musical idols, Hall and Oates, she was turned on to the greater world of soul music including Motown, Memphis Soul, Muscle Shoals, Stax Volt, and Chicago Blues. She began writing songs at age 15. Studying classical music at the University of South Florida, she became a regular at the Tuesday Night Jam at campus hotspot, the Empty Keg. Slinging her dad's homemade guitar and singing an eclectic set of songs from David Bowie, the Velvet Underground, and Joni Mitchell, Jill showed amazing range and vocal power for a girl of 17. The Keg would bring important musical associations into her life as she met former bandmate Erbie Garrett and future soulmate and husband, John Taylor. She joined Erbie's college party band and soon the group had added two of Jill's own songs to the set list. After the exit of the rest of the band, they ventured out as a classic rock duo. But the duo of Jill and John became stronger as they married in 1990. They formed a Rock and Soul show band with the Fabulous Levy Brothers: Adam, an gifted yet under appreciated bass player Jill met at the school of music and his brother, Mike, still in high school, who appeared to have facility in any instrument. These two talented musicians had higher musical aspirations and moved on to working professionally in New York, LA, and the Far East. With the demise of the band and the clamor of family life, Jill's Rock n Roll days seemed behind her. The Taylors didn't play together for nearly 12 years while John honed his recording skills and Jill taught school and private lessons, directed choirs and brought two daughters into the world. Jill entered an 8 year period of listening to nothing but gospel music. Because of her wide range and lyric soprano voice, she became the "resident Sandy Patti" at her church, she jokes. A move to North Carolina brought with it a quiet country lifestyle, new church, and new musical associations. In spring of 2008, lightning struck with the inspiration for the song, Bluebird of Happiness, a Beatlesque anthem of longing for an elusive joy. The flood gates opened and Jill suddenly found herself with a backlog of songs especially those reflecting her love of the lyricism of the Bible and her faith. "I have felt very divided in my soul and these songs were a much needed and joyous step in my life." Jill released her debut album, "Song of My Heart" and then a tongue-in-cheek Christmas single and hilarious video, "Christmas Blues". Jill continues to write and seek an audience for her songs while recording at her home studio near Raleigh, North Carolina.