Better Man - Music

There Is More Than One Artist With This Name Including 1 Eric Taylor September 25 1949 – March 9 2020 Was An American Singer-Songwriter Based In Texas. 2 Eric Taylor Is A Gospel Violinist. 3 Eric Taylor Is An American Rapper Aka E-Rock Of The 5th Ward Boyz. 4 Eric Taylor Is A Brazilian Folk-Rock Singer-Songwriter Popular In The São Paulo Folk Scene. 1 Eric Taylor September 25 1949 – March 9 2020 Was An American Singer-Songwriter Based In Texas And Known For His Storytelling Style Combining Spoken Word With Anecdotal Songs To Create A Theater-Style Performance. In Addition To Taylor's Nine Solo Releases His Songs Have Been Recorded By Nanci Griffith Lyle Lovett Peter Cooper And Many Others.
Taylor Grew Up In Atlanta Georgia And Started Playing Soul Music In His Early Years Steeping Himself In The Rich Cultural Heritage Of The Black South. "I've Written Poetry All My Life " Taylor Recounts. "When I Learned How To Play Guitar It Was A Natural Progression To Write Songs." After High School A Brief Stint At Georgetown University In Washington DC Just "didn't Work Out " According To Taylor.
"Music Lured Me Away " Says Taylor. "I Thought I'd Make My Way To California Like Everybody Else Back Then But I Ran Out Of Money And Ended Up In Houston." It's A Good Thing He Never Made It To California Because The Musical Environment In Houston During The '70s Was Just What Taylor Needed To Inspire Him.
Taylor Learned Intricate Blues Guitar Stylings From Music Legends Lightnin' Hopkins Mance Lipscomb And Mississippi Fred McDowell While Working At The Family Hand Club. Later He Developed His Own Unique Guitar Picking Style That Would Be Imitated By Many Of His Contemporaries From The Early Houston Days Such As Guy Clark Townes Van Zandt Robert Earl Keen Lyle Lovett Steve Earle And Nanci Griffith. "There Were No Lines Drawn In The Sand Between Musical Genres In Houston Back In Those Days " Taylor Remembers. "You Were Just A Musician. I Believe So Many Great Writers Came Out Of That Scene Because You Could Learn From Others. Isn't That The Point Of This Whole Thing?"
In 1977 Taylor Was A Winner Of The "New Folk" Competition At The Kerrville Folk Festival. Shameless Love His First Album Came Out In 1981 And After A Hiatus Of Almost 14 Years He Returned With The Self-Titled Eric Taylor Released In 1995. His Eponymous Release Was Chosen As The 1996 Kerrville Folk Festival Album Of The Year. Three Years Later He Released Resurrect And It Was Subsequently Named One Of The "100 Essential Records Of All Time" By Buddy Magazine. Taylor Has Headlined The Prestigious Newport Folk Festival Played National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage" And Has Appeared On Both "Late Night With David Letterman" With Nanci Griffith And "Austin City Limits" With Lyle Lovett Guy Clark And Robert Earl Keen.
"To Say That Eric Taylor Is One Of The Finest Writers Of Our Time Would Be An Understatement " Nanci Griffith Says. "If You Miss An Opportunity To Hear Eric Taylor You Have Missed A Chance To Hear A Voice I Consider The William Faulkner Of Songwriting In Our Current Time." Griffith Has Recorded Several Of Taylor's Songs Including "Deadwood " "Storms " "Dollar Matinee" And "Ghost In The Music " Which They Wrote Together. Lyle Lovett Who Recorded Taylor's "Memphis Midnight/Memphis Morning " And With Whom Taylor Co-Wrote The Immensely Popular "Fat Babies " Compares Taylor's Narrative Voice To That Of Bruce Springsteen. Iain Matthews Claims "Once You Become A Taylor Fanatic It Gives One Immense Joy And Pride To Be Able To Enlighten Others To The Man's Work."
2001 Brought Forth Scuffletown And Shortly Following Its Release Taylor Was A Featured Artist On "Austin City Limit's" And NPR's "Morning Edition." The Kerrville Tapes 2003 Is His First Live Album Recorded During Three Years Of Appearances At The Prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival.
In 2004 Heeding Repeated Requests By Fans And Media Taylor Re-Mastered The Vinyl Shameless Love And Reissued It As A CD With 2 Never-Released-Before Bonus Tracks. 2006 Will Introduce The Great Divide A Powerful Brilliant Work That Is Both Timely And Timeless. Recorded At Rock Romano's Red Shack In Houston TX Between April And July 2005 The Album Includes Several New Songs Some Older Songs And 2 Songs By A Couple Of Eric's Early Music Mentors Arthur Jackson Aka Peg Leg Sam And Townes Van Zandt .
A Mesmerizing Performer Taylor Has Toured Extensively In The United States And Europe Playing Notable Venues Such As Club Passim The Bottom Line The Bluebird Cafe Eddie's Attic The Ark CSPS Cafe Carpe Paradiso Amsterdam Theatre Kikker Utrecht The Real Music Club Belfast Hotel Du Nord Paris Grey's Pub Brighton And The Bein Inn Perth . Festival Appearances Include Kerrville Newport Folk Festival Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Take Root The Netherlands And Roots Of Heaven Festival The Netherlands . He Has Taught At The Kerrville Song School And Has Conducted Songwriting Workshops At The Fulston Manor Performing Arts Centre Sittingbourne England CARAD Rhayader Wales And The Plowshares Coffeehouse Pennsylvania . 2 Eric Taylor Is A Gospel Violinist. 3 Eric Taylor Is An American Rapper Aka E-Rock Of The 5th Ward Boyz. 4 Eric Taylor Is A Brazilian Folk-Rock Singer-Songwriter Popular In The São Paulo Folk Scene Due To His Debut EP "Lines We Wrote In Spring" Released Online In Late 2010. He Released His Second EP "Northern Lights Or Summer Skies" In June 2011.
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