Happy Birthday Mick Taylor

Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor turned 58 years young today! I thought this would be a nice opportunity to write about one of the most criminally underrated guitar players to emerge in the late sixties/early seventies....

Taylor first picked up a guitar at the age of nine and began giggin' around with local bands in his early teens. By the age of 18 he had been tapped to fill the prestigious guitar spot in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, formerly occupied by Eric Clapton and Peter Green before him. It was then that Taylor really started to make a name for himself, wowing British audiences with his pitch perfect bends, emotive vibrato and truly sublime phrasing and tone.

Meanwhile, the already legendary Rolling Stones were struggling with guitarist and founding member Brian Jones. His infamous problems with substance abuse and the resultant legal battles had long been a thorn in the group's side. The talented multi-instrumentalist had hardly contributed anything at all to their most recent LP "Beggars Banquet" (aside from some Delta style slide on "No Expectations"), instead often opting to sit around at sessions napping or reading if he bothered to show up at all. After much deliberation amongst the band members he was fired in June of 1969. The Stones hadn't toured since 1966 and were anxious to get back on the road. John Mayall spoke highly of Taylor and Jagger invited him to a recording session. Taylor mistakenly assumed his presence was only required for some session work, but before long was asked to join the band. His first public appearance with The Stones was at a massive, free concert located in London's Hyde Park on July 7th. Jones drowned only days before the concert. Rather than cancel it outright the group decided to turn it into a tribute of sorts to their former bandmate.

Despite these grim beginnings, Taylor soon made a name for himself on the subsequent tour of the States and the live album that resulted entitled "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out". He went on to play on some of the group's greatest LP's including "Sticky Fingers", "Exile On Main Street", "Goat's Head Soup" and "It's Only Rock and Roll". "Sticky Fingers" featured one of his greatest moments as a Stone in the form of an elongated, Latin-tinged solo on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". He co-wrote the "Exile" track "Ventilator Blues" and "It's Only Rock and Roll" featured another two songs that Taylor supposedly had a hand in writing, "Til The Next Goodbye" and "Time Waits For No One". Taylor did not recieve a co-writing credit for either song and left the band shortly thereafter. "Time Waits For No One" featured another breathtaking, extended solo from Taylor. It served as a fitting swan song to his stint as a Rolling Stone.

After his departure from The Stones Taylor went on to play with artists as varied as Jack Bruce and Bob Dylan. He's released a handful of solo albums and continues to tour regularly. He occasionally even appears with his old mate John Mayall. He can be seen appearing with John Mayall and Eric Clapton on the "John Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert" DVD. In recent years Taylor has chosen to concentrate on his slide playing, often leaving the slide on his pinky throughout the set and switching back and forth between slide licks and regular fretted playing mid-solo. The "Sticky Fingers"/"Exile" period of The Stones remains a favorite of fans and the longetivity of those albums is due in no small part to Taylor's masterful guitar playing. Never before or since has a virtuoso guitarist of Taylor's stature been a member of The Stones. Often cited as one of the best white blues players to emerge from the sixties (right up there with such legends as Eric Clapton, Peter Green and the late, great Mike Bloomfield), I would quite simply rate Mick Taylor as one of the best blues based guitar players ever. Period.