Andy Taylor

British guitarist Andy Taylor attained extraordinary celebrity alongside Duran Duran throughout the mid-1980s. The offspring of a fisherman from a tiny rural hamlet, he acquired proficiency on guitar, bass, and drums through self-instruction and commenced professional engagements upon turning thirteen. Already experienced from stints with assorted ensembles—one of which issued the A&M single “Teenage Girls” under the name Motorway—Taylor responded to a Melody Maker advertisement requesting a “live-wire guitarist” and boarded a train bound for Birmingham to audition for Duran Duran, whose members at the time comprised Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and ultimately Simon LeBon. The ensemble’s spectacular, video-driven ascent elevated Taylor and his bandmates into the stratosphere of teen idols. He married Tracey Wilson, a hair stylist previously employed by the fashionable quintet, and launched a wine bar named Rio in Whitely Bay. Together with the unrelated John Taylor, he assembled the short-lived yet successful Power Station by enlisting Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson. Taylor exited Duran Duran in 1985 amid acrimonious exchanges. With substantial funds at his disposal, he enlisted Sex Pistol Steve Jones for his debut solo album Thunder, which promptly slipped from the charts. Taylor supplied music to the American Anthem and Tequila Sunrise soundtracks and mounted U.S. tours. He resumed work with Robert Palmer and served as producer for Rod Stewart. He further collaborated with the British band Thunder on Back Street Symphony and Laughing on Judgement Day. Taylor’s second solo release, Dangerous, appeared in 1990 and assembled his versions of heavy 1970s staples such as “Live Wire” and “Space Station No. 5.” He rejoined the Power Station for the follow-up Living in Fear and its accompanying tour. By the close of the century Taylor remained active in recording and performance alongside Thunder’s Luke Morley.