Allan Taylor

Allan Taylor stands among England’s most esteemed singer-songwriters, with material interpreted across the Atlantic by Don Williams, Frankie Miller, Fairport Convention, Dick Gaughan, the McCalmans, the Fureys, the Clancy Brothers, and De Dannan. Folk Roots singled out his gift for distilling atmosphere and summoning historical periods as effortlessly as a computer recall, producing finely shaped compositions whose dramatic shifts echo the spirit of Brecht, Bikel, and Brel. The Oxford Book of Traditional Verse echoed that esteem, describing Taylor as one of the most literate and sensitive of contemporary songwriters in terms of words and music and one who is capable of exploring more complex subjects than most of his contemporaries. The mid-’60s British folk revival prompted him to abandon school at sixteen and establish a neighborhood folk club. Five years afterward he launched a full-time performing career, aided substantially by associates from Fairport Convention; that bond strengthened when he served as support act on the band’s national tour. His debut release, the 1971 album Sometimes, included contributions from the group’s drummer Dave Mattacks, fiddler Dave Swarbrick, and bassist Dave Pegg. Relocating to New York in 1972, Taylor cut The American Album with session musicians drawn from Nashville and Los Angeles, remaining stateside until the end of 1974. Back in England he assembled the ensemble Cajun Moon, whose lineup featured fiddler Brian Golbey and keyboardist Jon Gillaspie, to present American folk and roots repertoire. A May 1976 Chrysalis contract, secured after a tour supporting Steeleye Span, appeared to promise stability for both artist and band, yet Taylor’s vocal-cord injury forced a three-month layoff that dissolved the group’s forward motion; by the time he recovered from surgery the unit had disbanded. Returning to solo work, he placed publishing with Chrysalis and recording with Rubber Records. The resulting album The Traveller incorporated accordion and melodeon parts from John Kirkpatrick and earned the Grand Prix du Disque de Montreux for Best European Folk Album in 1980. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s Taylor balanced continued recording with academic pursuits, completing a bachelor’s degree at Leeds University in 1983, a master’s at Lancaster University in 1985, and a doctorate at Queens University in Belfast in 1993; his dissertation examined the creative process together with the power and aesthetics of song.