Vince Taylor

Vince Taylor (portrait: Jean Thomassen)

Vince Taylor (born July 14, 1939 in Isleworth , Middlesex , † August 28, 1991 in Lutry , Switzerland ; actually Brian Maurice Holden ) was a British rock 'n' roll and rockabilly musician . As the front man of the group The Playboys , he was particularly successful in France and on the European continent in the late 1950s and early 1960s before his career was interrupted by drug problems.

youth

Brian Maurice Holden was born in Isleworth, Middlesex. When he was seven years old, his parents emigrated to New Jersey , USA , where his father worked in a coal mine. When his sister Sheila married the animation producer Joseph Barbera in 1955 , the family moved on to California , where Brian Maurice attended Hollywood High School.

Music career

Vince Taylor 1962

At the age of 18, Holden was impressed by the music of Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley . He began to sing and made his first appearances. His brother-in-law Barbera became his manager and took him on a business trip to London. There he met the later Shadows drummer Tony Meehan and the bassist Tex Makins at a concert by Tommy Steele , with whom he founded the band The Playboys . Inspired by the Latin phrase ' In hoc signo vinces ', he called himself Vince Taylor from now on.

The first single with the titles "I Like Love" and "Right Behind You Baby" was released in 1958 by Parlophone . A few months later the recordings "Pledgin 'My Love" and "Brand New Cadillac" followed . The latter track was played by guitarist Joe Moretti, who later recorded "Shakin 'All Over" with Johnny Kidd & the Pirates . However, Parlophone was not satisfied with the sales results and dissolved the record deal.

In April 1960, Taylor appeared on British television ABC, where he appeared alongside Johnny Kidd & the Pirates on the first episode of the television show Wham! occurred. Taylor received a new chance from Palette Records, for whom he released “I'll Be Your Hero” b / w “Jet Black Machine” in August 1960 .

However, his volatile personality led to controversy in the band, which fired him and renamed themselves The Bobbie Clarke Noise after the name of their drummer . When the group went to Paris in July 1961, where they were to appear at the Olympic Theater, Taylor was able to convince his former colleagues to take him with them. Taylor dressed completely in black leather and donned a heavy chain with a medallion of the Blessed Virgin of Orleans , an outfit that would become his trademark from now on. Already at the soundcheck he delivered such a wild show that the band was immediately rebooked as the main act. As a result of the two spectacular appearances at the Olympia, Vince Taylor received a six-year recording contract from Barclay Records .

In 1961 and 1962 Taylor toured with the band, renamed The Playboys again, through several countries on the European continent. At the same time, an album with twenty songs was created in the Barclay Studios in Paris, including numerous cover versions by Chuck Berry , Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran and others. At the end of 1962 Taylor played again in the Olympia with Sylvie Vartan in the opening act.

Vince Taylor 1963

Although musically very successful, the relationship with the musicians in his band failed. In 1963 and 1964 Taylor was looking for new accompanying musicians with whom he recorded the single " Memphis, Tennessee " b / w "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" . A little later he reconciled himself once more with his former comrade Bobby Clarke, and now appeared as Vince Taylor and the Bobby Clarke Noise , among other things in late 1964 in the opening act of the Rolling Stones .

Decline

Excessive drug use made Taylor's behavior increasingly unpredictable, both on stage and in private life. At concerts in England and France he declared that he was the apostle Matthew and the audience booed him. On May 23, 1965, he smashed the band's equipment on stage. But while the British rock group The Who turned such behavior into an acclaimed show feature a little later, Taylor's colleagues were not impressed and his band broke up.

Vince Taylor joined a religious movement and disappeared for some time. A comeback attempt with his colleague Bobbie Clarke under the name Vince Taylor and Bobbie Clarke backed by Les Rockers again underlined his incoherent stage presence. Eddie Barclay of Barclay Records did not drop him, however, and gave him a chance for new studio recordings in the 1970s and 1980s as well.

In his final years, Taylor lived in Switzerland , where he worked as an aircraft mechanic and said he was happy. He died of cancer in August 1991 at the age of 52 and is buried in Lausanne . He left behind a son, Ty Holden, who also became a musician and now works as a disc jockey.

reception

During his career, Vince Taylor wrote several songs that have been covered by other musicians. His hit “Brand New Cadillac” , which the British punk band The Clash immortalized on their 1979 album “ London Calling ” , became best known . His interpretations also proved to be influential, such as his version of "Endless Sleep" (originally by Jody Reynolds ), which was later covered by Marc Bolan .

Through his stage outfit and his wild show, Taylor became a role model for glam rock and punk , particularly evident in the appearances of Gary Glitter , Alvin Stardust and Alice Cooper . According to David Bowie , Taylor was also the main inspiration for the character of Ziggy Stardust on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars .

In 1973 the Dutch band Golden Earring remembered his sex appeal in the song "Just Like Vince Taylor" . The Northern Irish singer Van Morrison complained in his 1999 song "Goin 'Down Geneva" that Taylor has now largely been forgotten.

The British broadcaster BBC Radio 4 brought a documentary entitled Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth on August 18, 2010 .

Discography

Singles (selection)

• 1959 Pledging My Love / Brand New Cadillac
• 1960 I'll Be Your Hero / Jet Black Machine
• 1961 What-Cha-Gonna Do / Move Over Tiger
• 1961 Sweet Little Sixteen / Love Me
• 1961 Shaking All Over (4 track EP)
• 1962 There's A Lot Of Twisting Going On (4 Track EP)
• 1962 Baby Let's Play House / My Babe
• 1982 Space Invaders / Until The Very End

bibliography

• Phil "Heron" Guidal: Vince Taylor Illustrated Discography , Black Leather, 1988.

Web links

Commons : Vince Taylor  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Vince Taylor at Discogs (English)
• Vince Taylor at Allmusic (English)
• Vince Taylor & the Playboys (German)
• Vince Taylor, the Black Leather Rebel - Detailed Biography

Remarks

1. ^ Andy Roberts: Albion Dreaming. A popular history of LSD in Britain , London 2012, pp. 93f., ISBN 978-981-4382-16-8 .
2. ↑ Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth on BBC Radio 4 Extra April 7, 2016.