Johnnie Taylor

Johnnie Harrison Taylor (Crawfordsville, Arkansas, may 5, 1934 - Dallas, Texas, May 31, 2000) was an American singer. He began his early life as a gospel singer, but later he would also blues, soul, pop, Doo-Wop and disco songs. He was best known for his only world hit Disco Lady.

Youth

Taylor grew up with his grandmother as the youngest child of three children in West Memphis, Arkansas. Starting from his sixth year, he sang in the gospel choir of the Church. At the age of ten, he ran away from home and he went in Kansas City, Kansas live. There he joined the gospel group singing The Melody Makers . This group sang often with the group The Souls Stirrers Sam Cooke , of which the singer was. Cooke wanted to sing solo and Taylor was the lead singer of The Souls Stirrers. He made two years long plates with the group until Taylor Pastor wanted to be. He moved to Chicago, Illinois and the blood crept where it could not go when he was asked to come sing at The 5 Echoes . He hesitated no moment. Then sang Taylor at The Highway Q.C. 's and went in Los Angeles, California living.

Career

Cooke had in the meantime founded his own SAR Records and offered his good friend Taylor a contract. Cooke wanted Taylor more pop and R & B songs had Taylor singing and went in 1962 his first minor hit with "Rome (wasn't build in one day)". The first issue was produced by Cooke. Unfortunately, Cooke died in 1964 by a shooting incident and lost Taylor except a good friend also a record deal.

In 1966 , Taylor signed to Stax Records and had a minor hit with the song "I had a dream". Also the singles "I got to love somebody's baby" and "somebody's sleeping in my bed" were reasonable hits.

In 1968 came Taylor Don Davis against at Stax Records. Davis wanted the songs Taylor sang a Motown sound got more. Davis produced "who's making love" and that became a number one hit in 1975 in America. They found the cooperation very pleasant and made a number of plates with each other. "Disco Lady" became a major hit in America and Platinum was also his biggest worldwide hit in 1976. Stax Records went bankrupt that same year but unfortunately and Taylor for the second time in his career had no record deal.

Finally In 1984 got Taylor signed to the small record label Malaco Records. Ten years later Taylor had the best selling record of the music label created: "Good Love!".Taylor made his latest record In 1999 with the title "Gotta Get the Groove Back".

In 2000 Taylor died of a heart attack in the Charleton Methodist Hospital in Dallas.

Miscellaneous

1. Nicknamed "the Philosopher of Soul" got Taylor at the time that he had a contract with Stax Records.
2. Taylor has on many plates of Booker t. and the mg's singing along.
3. In the 80 's dj Taylor a was at a radio station in Dallas.
4. In 1999 Taylor was given the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
5. Taylor is buried next to his mother Ida Mae Taylor.
6. In 2004 , the song "What about my love" gesampled by the Shapeshifters. The song "Lola's theme" was a number one hit in England.
7. Four of his nine children went in the music world: Johnny Taylor Jr., Floyd Taylor, Latasha "Tasha" Taylor and T.J. Hooker-Taylor.