Melvin Taylor is a guitar virtuoso of Blues/Jazz/Rock genres; A musicians - musician. To describe a talent such as Melvin, one would have to list – amazing, skillful, dazzling, and eclectic or an even more concise definition of, phenomenal. Melvin Taylor is a master of the guitar. With his explosive and erupting blues-based rock style mixed with fuzz-tone rock licks and smooth jazz runs leaves you wanting to connect him with such greats as B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. As several critics have written, Melvin Taylor is "a volcanic guitarist…"; "…he can also rock hard and has enough sensitivity for jazz." His execution of lightening speed runs, infused with jazz embellishments reminiscent of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, and Kenny Burell are mind boggling. The most dynamic aspect of his sound is his ability to combine so many of these styles into well constructed solos causing his own unique interpretation.
Melvin Taylor was born in 1959 in Jackson, Mississippi. His father moved north to Chicago when Melvin was three years old looking to provide for a better life for his family. The move introduced Melvin to the melting pot of Blues, Jazz, Rock n' Roll and R&B early on. As a young boy into his teens and young adult life, he began performing on Maxwell Street as well as smaller clubs in and local up and coming headliners in and around the Chicago area.
Growing up in the Taylor home, Melvin's first influences came from his grandmother who played guitar; his mother's twin brother played guitar, as well as most of his uncles. In fact, it was his uncle that put a guitar in his hands at a very young age. He watched, listened and paid close attention to his the family that was immersed in music and whose roots were planted in the blues. Drawn to the sounds of the sixties and seventies, there was no way getting around the love and desire which surrounded him. Blues was his passion. As he grew, so did the creative genius. When he realized his ability to merge the Blues with other genres of music, Melvin Taylor created the unique sound of Melvin Taylor.
When Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins came looking for a guitarist for his European tour, Melvin seized the opportunity and joined the Legendary Blues Band for a year making an impact in European circuit. While in France he cut two albums in 1982 Blues on The Run and 1984 Melvin Taylor Plays the Blues For You both very popular in Europe. An established musician throughout Europe, Melvin Taylor is now under new management, Make It Happen Productions ("MIH") is heading toward a new journey in his life, a road to provide audiences throughout the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe with a newer more refined and revised virtuoso performer. Melvin takes his audience into a transcendental ride through a myriad of shifting moods, slides and tempos. Look for Melvin Taylor's new CD to excite, ignite, setting a new milestone of 21st century entertainment.
Reviews:
RENDEZVOUS WITH THE BLUES – Review
Living Blues (11/02, pp.51-3) - "...Those with a taste for contemporary blues will find plenty to like here....[Taylor's] blend of chunky chords, howling fills, and snarling leads reveals an artist who continues to stretch the boundaries..."
BANG THAT BELL - Reviews
Down Beat (9/00, p.64) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Taylor creatively incorporates pronounced stylistic elements from far beyond the blues world in his explosive guitar solos..."
JazzTimes (12/00, p.98) - "...For sheer guitar heroics and fretboard flash, it's hard to beat Melvin Taylor..."
DIRTY POOL – Review
JazzTimes (12/97, p.143) - "...Taylor shows that he is a part of the Albert King-Jimi Hendrix-Stevie Ray Vaughn continuum..."
MELVIN TAYLOR and THE SLACK BAND - Review
Down Beat (12/95, p.71) - 3.5 Stars - Good/Very Good - "Chicago guitarist Taylor steps forcefully out of the shadows and into the spotlight with a high-energy mainstream introduction after years of word-of-mouth buzz..."
