Mick Taylor

**Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor** (born 17 January 1949) is an English musician best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones. He is well known for his skills as a _slide guitar_ player. He also plays piano, bass and drums.

## Life

Taylor was born in Welwyn Garden City. He was raised in Hatfield.

He formed his first band _The Gods_ in 1965. He played together with Ken Hensley (later with Uriah Heep). Other musicians were  Greg Lake  (later with Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and John Glascock. 1966 he left the band and joined John Mayall´s Bluesbreakers. He replaced there Peter Green. In June 1969 the Rolling Stones looked for a new guitarist and they found Mick Taylor. His first gig as band member of the Stones was the concert in Hyde Park on 5 July 1969 . The concert was in memory of the late Brian Jones.

Like Bill Wyman he was never the show man on stage. Due to Richards drug problem he did a lot of guitar work for the albums. Jagger and Taylor recorded _Sway_, _Moonlight Mile_, _Winter_, _Till the Next Goodbye_ and _Time Waits For No One_. But Taylor never earned money for this work. As Richards critizied his guitar playing he decided in December 1974 to leave the Stones.

Taylor's onstage presence with the Rolling Stones is preserved on the album _Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!_, recorded in New York and  Boston in November 1969; in the documentary films _Stones in the Park_ (released on DVD in 2001), _Gimme Shelter_ (released in 1970) and _Cocksucker Blues_ (unreleased); and in the concert film _Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones_ (shown in cinemas in 1974). Bootleg recordings from the Rolling Stones' tours from 1969 through 1973 also document Taylor's concert performances with the Rolling Stones.

Compared to the Rolling Stones time his solo career was not very successful. After leaving the Stones he formed together with  Jack Bruce, Carla Bley and Bruce Gary  the Jack Bruce Band. The project failed due to musical differences between Bruce and Taylor. But despite the split Taylor was often guitar player on solo projects of Rolling Stones members. For example he played om Richards album "Talk is cheap" from 1988. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Mick Taylor along with the Rolling Stones in 1989.In the early 1990s he played for Bill Wyman´s Rhythm Kings.

### With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers

- _Crusade_ (Decca, 1967/LP, 1987/CD)
- _Diary of a Band Volume 1 & 2_ (Decca, 1968/LP)
- _Bare Wires_ (Decca, 1968/LP, 1988/CD )
- _Blues from Laurel Canyon_ (Decca, 1968/LP, 1989/CD)
- _Primal Solos_ (Decca, 1969/LP)
- _Back to the Roots_ (Decca, 1971/LP, 2001 on 2CD)
- _Return Of The Bluesbreakers_ (AIM, 1985/LP, 1993/CD)
- _The 1982 Reunion Concert_ (Repertoire records, 1994/CD) with John Mayall, Mick Taylor, Colin Allen and John McVie
- _Wake Up Call_ (1993)
- _Silver Tones - The Best of John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers_ (Silvertone Records, 1998)
- _Along For The Ride_ (2001)
- _Rolling With The Blues_ (2003) - selection of live recordings '72-'82
- _Essentially John Mayall_ (Eagle Rock Records, 2007) 5 CD Box Set

### With The Rolling Stones

- _Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)_ (1969) (compilation)
- Taylor plays on "Honky Tonk Women"
- _Let It Bleed_ (1969)
- Taylor plays on "Country Honk" and "Live With Me"
- _Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!_ (1970)
- _Sticky Fingers_ (1971)
- _Hot Rocks, 1964-1971_ (1972) (compilation)
- _Exile on Main St._ (1972)
- _Goats Head Soup_ (1973)
- _It's Only Rock 'n Roll_ (1974)
- _Made in the Shade_ (1975) (compilation of hits 1971-1974)
- _Metamorphosis_ (1975)
- Taylor plays on "I Don't Know Why" and "Jiving Sister Fanny".
- _Sucking in the Seventies_ (1981) (compilation of hits, album cuts and outtakes 1974-1981)
- _Tattoo You_ (1981)
- Taylor plays on "Tops" and "Waiting on a Friend", both tracks recorded in 1972 during the _Goats Head Soup_ sessions.
- _Rewind (1971-1984)_ (1984) (compilation of hits 1971-1983)
- _Singles Collection: The London Years_. (1989) (compilation of singles 1963-1971)
- _Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones_ (1993) (compilation of hits 1971-1989)
- _Forty Licks_ (2002) (compilation 1964-2002)
- _Rarities 1971-2003_ (2005)
- Taylor plays on "Let It Rock" (live 1971) and the 1974 b-side "Through The Lonely Nights".

**Non-Rolling Stones work with Rolling Stones members:**
- _Pay, Pack and Follow_ (John Phillips, first official release by Eagle Rock Records, 2001)
- from 1973-1979 recording sessions in London aka "Half Stoned" sessions
- produced by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
- _I've Got My Own Album to Do_ (Ronnie Wood solo album) (1974)
- _Now Look_ (Ronnie Wood solo album) (July 1975)
- _Talk Is Cheap_ (Keith Richards solo album) (1988)

### With Jack Bruce

- _Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test_ (Strange Fruit, 1995). Tracks from several Whistle Test shows recorded between '75 and '81. Seven of the songs feature Taylor on guitar.
- _Live at the Manchester Free Trade Hall_ (2 CD, Polydor, 2003)

### With Bob Dylan

- _Infidels_ (1983)
- _Real Live (In Europe, 1984)_ (1984)
- _Empire Burlesque_ (1985)
- _The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991_ (1991)

### Solo discography

- _Mick Taylor_ (1979) US #119 [5 wks on top 200]
- _Stranger in This Town_ (1990) (Recorded Live, Produced by Mick Taylor and Phil Colella)
- _Arthur's Club-Geneve 1995_ (Mick Taylor & Snowy White) (Promo CD/TV Especial)
- _A Stone's Throw_ (2000)
- _Coastin' Home_ aka _Live at the 14 Below_ (1995) re-issued 2002
- _14 Below_ (2003)
- _Shadow Man_ (2003)

### With Carla Olson

- _Too Hot For Snakes_ (_Live at the Roxy_) (1991 live album)
- _Within An Ace_ (1993)
- _Reap The Whirlwind_ (1994, Virgin Records Europe)
- _Special - The best of Carla Olson_ (1995, Virgin Records Sweden)
- _The Ring of Truth_ (2001)
- _Too Hot For Snakes_ plus (2008, Collectors' Choice) 2-CD set of the Roxy album plus "You Gotta Move" and a 2nd disc of 13 studio tracks 1993 - 2004 including a previously unreleased version of "Winter" and "Think I'm Goin' Mad" from the Carla-produced Barry Goldberg album _Stoned Again_.

### Other session work

- "Slim's Got His Thing Goin' On"  (Sunnyland Slim) (World Pacific Records 1969)

- _Tubular Bells Premiere_ Mike Oldfield (June '73)  Queen Elizabeth Hall
- _Tubular Bells_ (Mike Oldfield) Telecast Tubular Bells Part One and Tubular Bells Part Two. Recorded at BBC Broadcasting House November 1973 and aired in early '74 and June '74. Available on Oldfield's Elements DVD.
- _The Tin Man Was A Dreamer_ (Nicky Hopkins) (1973)
- "London Underground" (Herbie Mann 1974)
- _Live European Tour_ Billy Preston -  (A&M Records, 1974). Recorded with Stones Mobile Studio during the '73 tour. Preston opened up for the band with Mick Taylor on guitar.
released on CD (A& M - Japan, 2002)
- _Have Blues Will Travel_ (Speedo Jones) (Integrity Records, 1988)
- _Reggae II_ (Herbie Mann) (Atlantic, 1976)
- _Just A Story From America_ (Elliott Murphy) (Columbia 1977)
- _Waiting for Columbus_ (Little Feat) (1978) double CD released 2002
- _Expresso II_ (Gong) (1978)
- _Downwind_ (Pierre Moerlen's Gong) (1979) lead guitar on What you know
- _Alan Merrill_ (Alan Merrill)'s solo album (Polydor, 1985) recorded in London in 1977
- _Vinyl_ (Dramarama) (1991)
- _Burnin' Blues_ (Coupe De Villes) (1992)
- _Once in a Blue Moon_ (Gerry Groom) (1993)
- _Cartwheels_ (Anthony Thistlethwaite) (1993)
- _Hecho en Memphis_ (Ratones Paranoicos, Sony Music) (1993)
- _Let's get stoned_ (The Chesterfield Kings) (Mirror Records,1994)
- _Crawfish and Caviar_ (Anthony Thistlethwaite)
- _Blue Night_ (Percy Sledge, Virgin Records, 1994)
- _Mick & I_ (2001) Miyuki & Mick Taylor
- _From Clarksdale to Heaven_ (BlueStorm, 2002) John Lee Hooker Tribute Album.
- _Stoned Again_ (Barry Goldberg, Antone's Records, 2002)
- _Meaning Of Life_ (Todd Sharpville) (Cathouse/Universal, 2003)
- _Key To Love_ (Debbie Davies) (Shanachie Records, 2003)
- _Shadow Man_ (re-release of a Sasha album from '96) (2003)
Originally released by Alpha Music in 1996, this "Mick Taylor featuring Sasha" album should have read "Sasha featuring Mick Taylor", but the company felt it would sell better under a household name. It features Mick Taylor on guitar, but is basically a Sasha Gracanin album.
- _Treasure Island_ (Nikki Sudden) (Secretly Canadian, 2004)
- _Unterwegs_ (Crazy Chris Kramer) (2009)

### Music DVDs

- _Blues Alive_ video (RCA/Columbia Pictures 1983), recorded at Capitol Theatre, NJ 1982
- _Jamming with the Blues Greats_ - DVD release from the 1983 video, featuring John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (Mick Taylor, Colin Allen, John McVie) and special guests Albert King, Etta James, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Sippie Wallace (Lightyear/Image Entertainment 2005)
- _The Stones in the Park_ Hyde Park concert video (Granada Television, 1969)
- released on DVD (VCI, 2001)
- _Gimme Shelter_ (Maysles Films, 1970) music documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, shot at the Rolling Stones concerts at Madison Square Garden, NY on 27/28 November and Altamont, CA on 6th Dec December 1969.
- restored and released on DVD (Criterion, 2000)

- _John Mayall, the Godfather of British Blues_ documentary about John Mayall's life and career (Eagle Rock, 2004. Region 1: 2005)
- _70th Birthday Concert_ (Eagle Rock, 2004. Region 1: 2005). Bluesbreakers  Charity Concert (Unite for UNICEF) filmed in Liverpool, July 2003. John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with special guests Chris Barber, Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor.

- "Stones In Exile" 2010

- "Ladies & Gentlemen The Rolling Stones" 2010

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Music DVDs - Unofficial
- _Cocksucker Blues_

## Other websites

- Official Homepage
- Fansite
- Mick Taylor’s Complete Works 1964 – Present
- Video Interview with Mick Taylor - 2010

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Mick Taylor
- **img**: Mick Taylor onstage The Lucky.jpg
- **img capt**: October 2002
- **background**: non_vocal_instrumentalist
- **birth name**: Michael Kevin Taylor
- **birth date**: 17 January 1949
- **birth place**: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
- **instrument**: Guitar
- **genre**: Blues-rock, Rock music, rock
- **occupation**: Musician, songwriter
- **years active**: 1965–present
- **associated acts**: John Mayall, The Rolling Stones