R. Dean Taylor

52
R. Dean Taylor bigraphy, stories - Canadian singer, musician, songwriter and record producer

R. Dean Taylor : biography

11 May 1939 –

R. Dean Taylor (born Richard Dean Taylor, 11 May 1939 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada)[ Allmusic.com – Biography by Jason Ankeny] is a Canadian singer, most famous as a recording artist, songwriter and record producer for Motown Records company during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Jason Ankeny, Taylor "remains one of the most underrated acts ever to record under the Motown aegis." As a singer, American audiences know him best for his 1970 Billboard Top 5 hit, "Indiana Wants Me", about an Indiana murder fugitive that featured police sirens in the intro and an outro that included more sirens and a police officer warning the fugitive that he was surrounded and to give himself up. The single hit #1 in Taylor’s native Canada. The song was predominantly featured in the opening minutes of the 1980 American movie, The Ninth Configuration. He is at least as well known in the UK for his other hits, "Gotta See Jane" and "There’s a Ghost in My House".

Songwriting credits

  • "A Little Bit for Sandy" – Paul Petersen
  • "Ain’t It a Sad Thing" – Taylor
  • "All I Need" – The Temptations
  • "At The High School Dance" – Taylor
  • "Baster Baby Blues" – The Kinsey Sicks
  • "Dance Hall Rock" – Barrington Levy
  • "Don’t Fool Around" – Taylor
  • "Go on and Cry" – The Mynah Birds, Bloodstone
  • "Gotta See Jane" – Taylor, The Fall, Golden Earring
  • "I Don’t Want to Own You (I Just Want to Love You)" – The Supremes
  • "I Know Better" – Gladys Knight & the Pips, Barbara McNair, The Marvelettes
  • "I’ll Turn to Stone" – Four Tops, Jackie DeShannon
  • "I’m Livin’ in Shame" – Diana Ross & The Supremes
  • "Indiana Wants Me" – Taylor, Joe Simon
  • "It Must Be Love Baby" – Chris Clark
  • "It’s My Time" – The Mynah Birds
  • "Just Look What You’ve Done" – Brenda Holloway
  • "Let’s Go Somewhere" – Taylor, David Garrick
  • "Love Child" – Diana Ross & The Supremes, La Toya Jackson, Sweet Sensation
  • "Love’s Your Name" – Taylor
  • "Mother You, Smother You" – Diana Ross & The Supremes
  • "Offering" – Fred Wesley
  • "Shadow" – Taylor, Tindersticks
  • "So Long" – Marvin Gaye
  • "The Beginning of the End of Love" – Diana Ross & The Supremes
  • "There’s A Ghost in My House" – Taylor, The Fall, Graham Parker, The Fog Band
  • "Turn To Stone" – Rick Danko
  • "Window Shopping" – Taylor

[ Allmusic.com – Songs]

Biography

Taylor began his career in 1961, as a pianist and singer with several music bands in Toronto. He also made his first recordings in 1961, for the Audiomaster record label. The next year, Taylor’s "At The High School Dance", a single for Amy-Mala Records, was a minor success. His next single, "I’ll Remember", on the Barry label, was a #23 scoring success for Toronto rock and roll radio station CHUM, and the singer decided to relocate to Detroit, Michigan to further his career.

In Detroit, Taylor was hired by Motown Records in 1964 as a songwriter and recording artist for the Motown subsidiary V.I.P. label. Taylor’s scheduled first single (March 1964) for V.I.P. was the topical satire "My Ladybug (Stay Away From That Beatle)", but it was deemed too weak for release and was never issued.

It was not until November 1965 that Taylor’s debut V.I.P. single, "Let’s Go Somewhere", was issued. It was written by Taylor in conjunction with Brian Holland, and produced by the team of Holland and Lamont Dozier, who had already produced five #1 scoring songs for The Supremes. However, the song was only a regional success in several U.S. cities and Toronto.