Montana Taylor
Montana Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Arthur Taylor |
| Born | c.1903 Butte, Montana or Indianapolis (uncertain), United States |
| Died | c.1958 (aged 54–55) (probably) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Boogie-woogie, Piano blues |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, vocal |
| Years active | 1923-1929, 1946 |
| Labels | Vocalion |
Arthur "Montana" Taylor (1903 – c.1958)[1] was an American boogie-woogie and piano blues pianist, best known for his recordings in the 1940s, and regarded as the leading exponent of the "barrelhouse" style of playing.[2]
Life and career
Details of Taylor's life are obscure. He was born either in Butte, Montana, where his father owned a club, or in Indianapolis.[1] The family seem to have moved to Chicago and then, around 1910, to Indianapolis, where Taylor learned piano.[3] Later he moved to Cleveland, Ohio. By 1929 he was back in Chicago, where he recorded a few tracks for Vocalion Records, including "Indiana Avenue Stomp" and "Detroit Rocks".[2]
He then disappeared from the public record for some years, during which he may have given up playing piano.[3] However, in 1946 he was rediscovered by jazz fan Rudi Blesh, and was recorded both solo and as the accompanist to Bertha "Chippie" Hill.[3] The later recordings proved he had lost none of his instrumental abilities, and had developed as a singer.[2]
Taylor's final recordings were from a 1946 radio broadcast, and after that he was reportedly working as a chauffeur.[4]
Montana Taylor died soon after 1957, when he was last recorded as living in Cleveland.[5]
In 1977, Taylor's complete recordings were compiled by Martin van Olderen for the Oldie Blues label. Included were two then recently discovered radio performances from 1946.[4] In 2002 Document Records released the complete recordings on CD.
Discography
Singles
- 1929 - "Whoop and Holler Stomp" b/w "Hayride Stomp" (Vocalion) - 78 rpm
- 1929 - "Indiana Avenue Stomp" b/w "Detroit Rocks" (Vocalion) - 78 rpm[6]
Albums
- 1977 - Montana's Blues (Oldie Blues) - compilation LP with Montana Taylor's complete recordings
- 2002 - Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order 1929-1946 (Document Records) - compilation CD with Montana Taylor's complete recordings
References
- ^ a b Stefan Wirz, Montana Taylor Discography, Wirz.de. Retrieved 26 September 2016
- ^ a b c Eugene Chadbourne. "Montana Taylor - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 342. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ a b Olderen, Martin van, Montana's Blues, liner notes OL 2815, 1977
- ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 419. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography: 1000 - 1499 race series". 78discography.com. Retrieved 18 January 2015.