Vernon Taylor
{{short description|American rockabilly musician (born 1937)}}
{{for|the American basketball player|Vernon Taylor (basketball)}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2018}}
Vernon Taylor (born November 9, 1937) is an American rockabilly musician.
{{Infobox person
| name = Vernon Taylor
| native_name = Walton Alderton
| birth_date = 9 November 1937
| nationality = American
}}
Personal life
Vernon Taylor was born Walton Alderton on November 9, 1937, into a Baptist family.{{Cite web|title=Vernon Taylor|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/VernonTaylor.html|access-date=2021-04-28|website=www.rockabillyhall.com}}
He was the youngest of four children and at age 11 his family moved to Spencerville, Maryland, where learned to play the guitar.
At the age of fifteen he formed his first band (The Nighthawks) with two high school classmates and by 1956 they were a five- piece band called The Nighthawks.
Career
The band received their first break while in high school, playing between sets for Curley Smith, who was later a member of the rock band Boston. The Nighthawks went on to perform in an hour-long Saturday night TV show on WTTG channel 5 out of Washington, D.C., from 1957 to 1960. During this time Taylor signed to Dot Records in 1957.{{Cite web|title=VERNON TAYLOR|url=https://tims.blackcat.nl/messages/vernon_taylor.htm|access-date=2021-04-28|website=tims.blackcat.nl}}
After releasing two singles, "Losing Game"/ "I've Got the Blues" (Dot 15632) and "Why Must You Leave Me" which did not sell either Dot Records cancelled his contract.
Taylor then signed with Sun Records after Sam Phillips.had seen him perform on American Bandstand. On October 27, 1958, Vernon recorded the single "Today Is A Blue Day"/"Breeze" (Sun 310) The second Sun single (325) was released on August 15, 1959, and after neither song was successful Taylor ended his music career, dedicating himself to his family and a career in business.
In 1989 Taylor returned to music playing at a benefit concert for Charlie Feathers, which led to a comeback career.{{Cite news|last=Joyce|first=Mike|date=1989-08-09|title=PAEAN TO A ROCKABILLY PRO|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/08/09/paean-to-a-rockabilly-pro/3f6a61d4-3c08-407d-b8e5-4e47f9ffbde7/|access-date=2021-04-28|issn=0190-8286}} He has since performed in the United Kingdom and had a re-release of his Sun and Dot material on Germany's Eagle Records. In 1999, Run Wild Records released a 12-song CD of newly-recorded material by Vernon, titled "Daddy's Rockin'".
Discography
| class="wikitable"
! width="30" | Year ! width="350" | Title ! width="150" | Record Label | ||
| ----
| 1957 | "I’ve Got The Blues" / "Losing Game" | Dot Records |
| ---
| 1958 | "Why Must You Leave Me" / "Satisfaction Guaranteed" | Dot Records |
| ---
| 1958 | "Today Is A Blue Day" / "Breeze" | Sun Records |
| ---
| 1959 | "Mystery Train" / "Sweet and Easy Love" | Sun Records |
| ---
| | * "Your Lovin' Man"
| Sun Records (not issued) |
| ---
| | * "All They Wanna Do Is Stroll"
| not issued |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.rockabillyhall.com/VernonTaylor.html Vernon Taylor] at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Vernon}}