Biography
Neville Taylor fronted the Cutters, one of the few black rock & roll ensembles active in England by the closing years of the 1950s. Born in the West Indies, Taylor possessed a strong gift for ballads yet adopted Little Richard’s vocal mannerisms when delivering up-tempo material. EMI’s Parlophone imprint placed the band under contract, and their debut single paired the standout track “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” on the B-side with “House of Bamboo” as the promoted A-side; the latter received airplay in 1958 because the former was judged too adventurous for the label at that time. Three additional singles followed: “I Don’t Want to Set the World On Fire” backed with “Tears on My Pillow,” “The Miracle of Christmas” coupled with “A Baby Lay Sleeping,” and “Crazy Little Daisy” paired with “The First Words of Love,” the last of these appearing in 1959.
The ensemble, whose lineup emphasized horns, saxophones, and guitar in keeping with contemporary British practice, secured recurring spots on the television program Oh Boy!. Although this visibility, together with their inclusion on the related Parlophone compilation Oh Boy! (PMC 1072), brought them national attention, none of their records reached the charts; their impact remained largely televisual. By the transition from the 1950s into the 1960s, the group’s style already struck listeners as passé.
The ensemble, whose lineup emphasized horns, saxophones, and guitar in keeping with contemporary British practice, secured recurring spots on the television program Oh Boy!. Although this visibility, together with their inclusion on the related Parlophone compilation Oh Boy! (PMC 1072), brought them national attention, none of their records reached the charts; their impact remained largely televisual. By the transition from the 1950s into the 1960s, the group’s style already struck listeners as passé.