Mick Taylor
On 17/01/1949: Mick Taylor was born in Welwyn Garden City, England. He was raised in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. When he was nine, he started playing the guitar after learning to play from his mother's younger brother. When he was a teenager, he formed various bands with friends from school. One such band was called The Juniors and the Strangers. The band appeared on TV and released a single. Taylor and other members of the band formed The Gods. The band also included Ken Hensley.In 1965, Taylor went to see a John Mayall's Bluesbreakers at The Hop Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City. Eric Clapton had not shown up for the performance. During the interval, Taylor asked Mayall if he could play with them, as he knew some of their songs. Mayall agreed and was impressed with Taylor's performance. The two of them exchanged phone numbers.
In 1966, The Gods opened for Cream at the Starlite Ballroom, in Wembley, London.
In 1967, Peter Green left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Mayall invited Taylor to replace him and he joined the band. Taylor made his Bluesbreakers debut at the Manor House, London. Taylor featured on the John Mayall album's "Crusade", "Diary of a Band", "Bare Wires", and "Blues from Laurel Canyon".
In 1969, Brian Jones was removed from The Rolling Stones. John Mayall recommended Taylor to Mick Jagger. Taylor went to a studio session with The Rolling Stones, thinking he was being called in as a session musician. Jagger and Richards were impressed by him and invited him back the next day to rehearse and record with the band. He overdubbed guitar for two songs on the album "Let It Bleed" and for the single "Honky Tonk Women". Taylor made his live debut with them at Hyde Park on 5/07/1969.
In 1971, The Rolling Stones released the album "Sticky Fingers". It included the songs "Sway" and "Moonlight Mile" which Taylor and Jagger completed without Richards. Taylor was not credited for either track. He would only be credited as co-author for "Ventilator Blues" on the album "Exile on Main Street", which was released the next year.
In 1973, after the European tour, the Rolling Stones were encountering problems with Richard's drug use. The band members were living in various countries. In November that year, Taylor missed some of the sessions for the album "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" in Munich when undergoing surgery for acute sinusitis. When Taylor returned, he had trouble working with Richards. Richards erased some of the tapes with Taylor's guitar playing. Taylor was then fully present for the sessions at Stargroves, England. After those sessions, Taylor went on an expedition to Brazil, where he explored latin music. Also in 1973, Taylor joined Mike Oldfield onstage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and for a BBC TV broadcast.
In 1974, Taylor appeared on Herbie Mann's album's "London Underground" and "Reggae". In October that year, Taylor told Nick Kent from the "NME" magazine about the new Rolling Stones album and that he had co-written "Till the Next Goodbye" and "Time Waits for No One" with Jagger. Kent showed him the record sleeve, which didn't have him credited for the songwriting. In December, Taylor left the Rolling Stones, he announced to his bandmates at a party. Taylor would later say that one of the reasons he left the band was his addiction to heroin and he wanted to protect his family from the band's drug culture.
Jack Bruce invited Taylor to form a new band called The Jack Bruce Band. The band also included Carla Bley and Bruce Gary.
In 1975, The Jack Bruce Band began rehearsals. The band went on tour in Europe but disbanded the next year.
In 1977, Taylor finished work on the recording for John Phillip's album "Pay Pack & Follow" which was recorded over four years. Rolling Stones members Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Wood also recorded for the album. It was released in 2002. Also in 1977, Taylor appeared as a guest at a Little Feat concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London. In the same year, Taylor signed a solo record deal with Columbia Records.
In 1978, Taylor appeared on Pierre Moerlen's Gong's album "Expresso II".
In 1979, Taylor released his debut solo album called "Mick Taylor".
Taylor worked on projects with Miller Anderson, Alan Merrill and others.
In 1981, Taylor performed with the Rolling Stones at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Taylor's guitar work would feature on two tracks on the Rolling Stones album "Tattoo You" released that year, which had been recorded in 1972. Also in 1981, Taylor toured with Alvin Lee. During the tour, Taylor met Bob Dylan backstage at The Roxy, Los Angeles.
In 1982 and 1983, Taylor joined John Mayall for the "Reunion Tour" with John McVie and Colin Allen.
In 1983, Taylor joined Mark Knopfler. Also in 1983, Taylor would appear on Bob Dylan's album "Infidels".
In 1984, Dylan asked Taylor to assemble a band for a European tour. Ian McLagan, Greg Sutton and Colin Allen were recruited. The tour lasted four weeks.
In 1985, Taylor featured on Bob Dylan's album "Empire Burlesque".
In 1986, Richards appeared at a Mick Taylor show at the Lone Star Cafe, New York.
In 1988, Taylor featured on one track on Keith Richard's album "Talk is Cheap". Also in that year, Taylor was a guest at a Grateful Dead concert at Madison Square Garden.
In 1989, The Rolling Stones, including Taylor, were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
During the 1990s, Taylor worked with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
In 1990, Taylor moved to Los Angeles. He released the live album "Stranger in This Town" that year and went on a mini-tour.
In 1991 in Los Angeles, Taylor began a series of collaborations with Carla Olson with the release of the album "Too Hot For Snakes".
In 1994, Taylor appeared on Percy Sledge's album "Blue Night" along with Steve Cropper, Bobby Womack and Greg Leisz.
In the mid-1990s, Taylor moved back to England.
In 1998, Taylor released the album "A Stone's Throw".
In 2003, Taylor appeared at John Mayall's "70th Birthday Concert" in Liverpool.
In 2004, Taylor joined John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers for a UK theatre tour.
In 2007, Taylor joined the Experience Hendrix group for US east coast tour.
In 2010, The Rolling Stones released a special edition of "Exile on Main St". The album featured new guitar overdubs from Taylor. On National Record Store Day that year, The Rolling Stones released the single "Plundered My Soul" with guitar and vocals recorded by Jagger and Taylor. Also in 2010, Taylor appeared at a benefit gig to save the 100 Club in London arranged by Stephen Dale Petit. Ronnie Wood, Dick Taylor, and Chris Barber also appeared. Taylor toured the UK with Petit, appeared on a Paul Jones BBC Radio 2 session with him and featured on Petit's album "The Crave".
In 2011, Taylor appeared at a concert at Ambassadors Theatre, London to promote the "Boogie For Stu" album, which was recorded by Ben Waters to honour Ian Stewart. Proceeds from the concert were donated to the British Heart Foundation.
In 2012, Taylor joined the Rolling Stones onstage for two London shows.
In 2013, Taylor joined the Rolling Stones on tour during the "'50 & Counting Tour". He also appeared the next year, as part of the "14 On Fire" concerts.