Genres Rock Role Musician Name Dick Taylor | Labels St. George Records Years active 1962–present | |
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Birth name Richard Clifford Taylor Born 28 January 1943 (age 81)
Dartford, Kent, England ( 1943-01-28 ) Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, record producer Instruments Guitar, bass guitar, piano, banjo Movies The Rolling Stones: In Performance Music groups The Rolling Stones (1962), The Pretty Things, The Mekons Albums SF Sorrow, Live'r Than You'll Ever Be, So Good It Hurts, The Mekons Rock 'n R, Emotions | ||
Dick Taylor, the very first bass player of the Rolling Stones.
Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founder member of the Pretty Things.
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Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to become an art student at Sidcup Art College. Whilst there he formed the Pretty Things in September 1963. He now lives on the Isle of Wight, England.
Career
Taylor was born in Livingstone Hospital, Dartford, Kent, England and he attended Dartford Grammar School. In July 1962, while he was at Sidcup Art College, the Rolling Stones was formed when Taylor, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' three piece, Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys joined Brian Jones and Ian Stewart's Rollin' Stones. Initially, Taylor played lead guitar in the band, but switched to bass to accommodate Jones, who quickly went on to become an accomplished slide guitarist. In November 1962, Taylor left to return to art college, and the band-mates posted an advertisement seeking another bassist. Bill Wyman responded, and succeeded him as The Rolling Stones' bassist in December 1962.
Later in 1963, Taylor formed The Pretty Things with vocalist Phil May and once again played his preferred guitar position. He left the Pretty Things in 1969, after the release of their concept album S.F. Sorrow. In the following years, Taylor produced Hawkwind's debut album, on which he also played guitar, as well as Cochise's first album and Skin Alley's first album. His contribution to punk rock was a recording by Auntie Pus, and during the second half of the 1980s Taylor played guitar with the English post-punk band the Mekons. He recorded with Andre Williams in Chicago, Illinois for George Paulus' St. George Records. The core members of The Pretty Things remain in the band to this day, and released the Balboa Island album in 2007 on the Cote Basque record label.
