Allyson Taylor is one of Nashville's rising young stars who has built a reputation as an explosive and dynamic singer/guitarist on stage, and as a world class songwriter known and loved by many of the town's biggest artists. She's been described as a young Bonnie Raitt yet with more leanings to R&B infused pop and bluesy Rock.
Multiple Grammy winning artist Alison Krauss recently stood on the stage of Nashville's blessed Ryman Auditorium and hailed her to the heavens. Krauss says, "When I went to see her show, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd lay awake at night and wake in the morning, staring at the ceiling, wondering what it was like to be her."
Allyson was born and raised in South Carolina as a child of a 'southern bell beauty queen mom' and a distinguished attorney/politician father who held office in the state legislature and also as state chairman for the Democratic Party. At an early age she was the star of many political functions, singing and dancing for her parents guests, many times in the family's living room dressed only in her pajamas. She learned to work a crowd at a very young age, needless to say. Taylor says politics in the south is a lot like show business.
She started baritone ukulele at seven, as her fingers were to small for her older sister's guitar, then graduated to her own at the age of ten. There was no turning back after that. The guitar became a conduit for what was dying to come out...that voice.
Allyson also taught herself piano and started writing melodies. Her instruments became her obsession, so much so her mother had to make her stop playing some nights to tend to her schoolwork. She started doing professional gigs as young as 14, solo and ensemble. Formerly with jazz great Clark Terry, local trumpet man Johnny Helms took her under his wing and placed her in his trio at 17, singing standards. Allyson says, "Johnny taught me a lot about what was truly fine, he told me what records to listen to, needless to say, a lot of horn players." Other Early influences ranged from Billie Holliday, Gladys Knight, Nancy Wilson, to Carol King and Todd Rungren.
Age 19 found Allyson moving to New York to take matters into her own hands, to pay dues and be heard. And heard she was. Allyson landed three, regular standing solo gigs the first week upon arriving. The buzz about the little girl from South Carolina with the big voice and the guitar was getting around. Players started coming around to listen and within a month Allyson had formed her own band and began playing sometimes six nights a week. She paid dues at clubs that once had nurtured the likes of Chick Corea and Billy Joel while also working her share of day gigs as an aerobics instructor, waitress and maid.
Demo tapes that had filtered their way to Nashville, caught the ear of a Nashville producer, and Allyson's New York attorney urged her to go to Nashville to investigate the opportunity. The producer proved to be a dead end, but a performance she did in Nashville was caught by two publishers, studio veteran/producer David Briggs and his partner, multiple Oscar and Grammy winning songwriter Will Jennings (My Heart Will Go On, Up Where We Belong, Higher Love). Jennings and Briggs were floored at the raw, soulful deliveries from this young talent, and offered her a publishing/production deal immediately. Once there, Allyson wasted no time in further honing her skills while being nurtured by Jennings and Briggs. "I wrote so many songs at that time and got the opportunity to develop friendships with the finest musicians and writers in town.
When Jennings and Briggs parted ways, Allyson was snapped up by Garth Brooks' manager/publisher Bob Doyle and signed to Major Bob Music. She continued sharpening her writing and particularly her studio/production skills and playing live while being courted by several labels. An R&B side project group she had started, Q & A, signed a deal with Motown records and began recording. Towards the end, Motown dismantled her division and the record was never released.
Undaunted, Allyson was garnering enough rave reviews from her live shows and songwriting skills to make her one of the town's newest inside stars. Country star, Bryan White recorded her song, "The Natural Thing" on his gold Asylum CD: "Love Is The Right Place". And Alison Krauss released as a single, Taylor's "Stay", on her Grammy nominated album, "Forget About It". The recording was picked up by the Miramax movie, Happy Texas and subsequently released on a soundtrack album by Arista. Allyson was also a featured vocalist on bassist extraordinaire, Victor Wooten's Grammy nominated album, Yin and Yang, singing the lead on "One". Wooten was in Allyson's first band when she moved to Nashville.
"Taylor exudes star quality from every pore..." said Billboard's Chris Morris after a performance for DNA (Distribution North America) in Sacramento, July 2000. Accompanied only by herself playing her signature, black "Taylor" acoustic, she stunned a jaded, "show me" crowd with a set of originals that left them asking for more.
Producer and Musician David Pack of the group Ambrosia says: "I see Allyson's future as bright indeed...this very soulful young lady has no limits as a writer and vocalist; she's got hundred's of songs in her catalogue, can possibly cross boundaries from blues infused rock, to pop, to alternative country; she has the grass roots support of so many stars in the industry. Her live shows connect big time...she pours her guts out, wears her heart on her sleeve, and just rips".
Allyson has recently completed a 14 song CD of newly penned tunes that is jam packed with originals which she produced/co-produced with Pack and talented session drummer Shannon Forrest and writer/guitarist, Andrew Ramsey that shows her broad scope and self containment as an artist, writer, and producer. Tracking was done at Omni Sound Studios, overdubs were accomplished at historic Javelina studio, which is the legendary RCA studio, and mixing and mastering where done at the Emerald complex. People are talking about this much awaited album and this undeniable talent.
Allyson has begun touring in support of the new CD and has recently been honored to open shows at the House of Blues in Both LA and Las Vegas.
Taylor refuses to put labels on her music as the industry would like. She just says, "I think the time for artists that are willing to forgo all the inside 'advice' and represent themselves in a purely original light is here. That is precisely what an artist is. I can't manufacture some type of sound or image someone else would like to see me in. Usually the song dictates all of what it's about for me. If I write a waltz, which I did on this record, I wanna do a waltz. If I feel like doing a James Brown kind of tune, I'll do it. I don't want someone who barely knows me telling me I can't do a waltz and a funk tune on the same record. These changes of pace keep music alive and interesting to me. It's also so much more fun in the live show too. Communicating to the audience on all these different levels keep them involved with what's going on with me and the band."
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