Mayfield High School Alumni
Mayfield, Kentucky (KY)
Charles Taylor
Mayfield High School
Class of 1961
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CHARLES' PROFILE
| First Name | Charles |
| Last Name | Taylor |
| Graduation Year | Class of 1961 |
| Gender | Male |
| City | N/A |
| State/Province | TN |
| Country | United States |
| Occupation | development |
| Married | Yes |
| Favorite School Memory | Anytime Cards beat Tornadoes |
| About Me | BIOGRAPHY CHARLIE TAYLOR Singer-songwriter Charlie Taylor was born in Abilene, TX in 1943, raised in Mayfield, KY then Westport, CT for his high school years. Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s parents bought him a Hallicrafters S-38 short wave radio with headphones when he was 5 years old and he began to seek radio stations on the skip at night, tuning into WWOL in New Orleans, WHBQ in Memphis, WLS in Chicago and WLAC in Nashville getting the Grand Ole Opry live in 1947. Charlie got a strong dose of R&B and blues from Chicago and the Deep South. Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s mother Mary Ann also steeped Charlie in the big band era sounds�¢ï¿½ï¿½especially the Nat King Cole trio, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. In Westport, Charlie met rocker Barry Tashian (The Remains), a young Michael Douglas (yes, that Michael Douglas) and joined the legendary Downshifters Hot Rod Club and the fell in with the hot-rodding culture of the late 1950�¢ï¿½ï¿½s. During his college years at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, Charlie sang with Little Hilton and the Artesians and played varsity baseball, picking up pointers from local Lexington club legends Little Enis and the Table Toppers and other full-on bar bands in the area. The Artesians performed on live radio and played sock hops around Central Kentucky in 1963-65. After college Charlie did a stint in Greenwich Village in 1966, then moved to Washington DC in 1967 and then to San Angelo, TX in 1968, where he met Buddy Holly�¢ï¿½ï¿½s manager Hi Pockets Duncan. Hi encouraged Charlie to hone his songwriting skills by moving to LA which Charlie did in 1970 marrying Susan Hanley on the beach in Malibu at Bill and Judy Cleary�¢ï¿½ï¿½s Malibu Road home. Bill was John Phillips�¢ï¿½ï¿½ (Mamas and Papas) manager. Bill Cleary opened doors for Charlie and eventually Charlie wound up hanging out with, working with, writing with or performing with the likes of Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Kevin Kelly (Byrds), Johnny Weider and Barry Jenkins (the Animals), Billy Preston, Rock N Roll Hall of Famers Spooner Oldham, Hilton Valentine (the Animals), Andy Summers (the Police, Animals). Charlie performed at The Troubadour, the Palomino Club, the Sundance Saloon in Calabasas, CA and other venues learning the craft of songwriting. After a UCLA course with songwriter Al Kasha (2-time Academy Award winner) Charlie decided to head back East to raise his family which now included daughter Simone Noel, soon to be joined by brother Trevor. After stops in Tampa and Atlanta, Charlie moved to Nashville, which began a thirty year stint writing with Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, the late Kent M. Robbins and George Ducas among others. Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s first CD, Once Upon a Time released in 2003 on Gullwing Records and distributed by Rhombus Records in LA, was short listed by the Grammy organization and listed in the 2003 Grammy Awards guide. The project gained further attention when it was chosen by Stereophile Magazine�¢ï¿½ï¿½s Records 2 Die 4 Best or 2003 (Feb 2004 issue) as one of the 80 best CD�¢ï¿½ï¿½s released in 2003. Produced by the legendary producer / songwriter Dan Penn (The Box Tops) and Geoff Gillette (Sergio Mendes, the Yellowjackets) the project was bolstered by performances by Bread co-founder James Griffin, bassist Mike Leech, Rock N Roll hall of famers Scotty Moore (Elvis) and piano and organist Spooner Oldham (Neil Young, Bob Dylan), also Dan Penn, guitarist Mike Durham, drummer Ian Wallace (King Crimson, Jackson Browne, Don Henley), Rick Vito (Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt), great R&B organist and keyboard man the late Carson Whitsett. In October 2007, Dan Penn and Geoff Gillette again teamed up to produce Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s second CD For All I Am�¢ï¿½ï¿½this time gathering The Memphis Boys�¢ï¿½ï¿½ Bobby Emmons on organ, strings and piano, arranger Mike Leech on bass. They were joined by drummer Jim Brock (Joe Cocker), Mike Severs and Mike Durham on guitars, as well as Dan Penn and Geoff Gillette on vocals. After 12 songs in Nashville at Penn�¢ï¿½ï¿½s Dandy Studios, the project headed to LA to record one jazz side with the Mid Century Jazz Quartet, featuring drummer Gus Duffy. Andy Suzuki, jazz tenor sax player extraordinaire, added the icing to the session. The mixing and mastering began at Visual Rhythm Studio with Carlos Y Del Rosario at the mix. Geoff and Carlos rendered a great record. In a parallel career path, Charlie has produced many special events and telethons as an executive producer featuring acts as diverse as: Brooks and Dunn, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Bill Cosby, Frankie Avalon, Marion Ross, Jim Brown, Cornell Wilde, Jean Tierney, Lloyd Bridges, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Rick Nelson, Kansas, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Brenda Lee, Barbara Mandrell and many others. Recent Honors and Awards On April 10, 2010 Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s alma mater Transylvania University bestowed upon him The Distinguished Achievement Award at the annual Alumni Awards Luncheon held in Lexington, KY. President Charles Shearer presented the award to Charlie for his 40 year career achievements in both music and in the not for profit development profession. The Grammy Awards Guide listed Charlie�¢ï¿½ï¿½s debut CD Once Upon a Time in the 2003 Grammy Awards Guide. Stereophile Magazine�¢ï¿½ï¿½s Feb 2004 issue listed Once Upon a Time as one of the 80 Best CD�¢ï¿½ï¿½s released in 2003 in its annual Records 2 Die 4 issue. Charlie Taylor Gullwing Records P.O. Box 210365 Nashville, TN 37221 FOR ALL I AM - CHARLIE TAYL...(read more) |
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