|
| ||
|
 |
by Laura J. Hunt Despite being raised in a devout Catholic family, Taylor says he "walked away and embraced the world." He started playing in bands at the age of 18, and spent some time in his twenties trying out careers in lumber and real estate, but says "it wasn’t me. I just didn’t like it." Eventually he returned to singing and songwriting. Taylor worked himself up through the ranks, eventually opening for the legendary Bob Dylan. "It was incredible. Big show, about 7,000 people." Despite the success he was now enjoying, inwardly nothing had changed. "I thought if I became a famous singer all the problems in my life would go away but ^^basically, when I got to the top they were all still there!" he admits. Finally, in 2000, "after all those years of ignoring [God]," Taylor began to look into what he might have missed.Taylor’s wife, Robin, has been very instrumental in his journey of faith. When he first met Robin’s strong Christian family, they welcomed him "with open arms.""This is what I need," Taylor decided at the time, thinking he could be a ‘Christian’ by proxy." He soon learned however, that becoming a Christian meant making a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, and accepting His forgiveness. After he’d made the decision to follow Christ, Taylor says "I didn’t have a flash-point — boom, bang. God had to work on me. But what He did was pull all this darkness out of my soul and put it right in front of my face." As a result, Taylor recognized his need for Jesus Christ.^^ After his baptism last December, Taylor says, "I started seeing how I had squandered opportunities to serve Him because of my selfishness."Robin had always told her husband, "If you become a Christian someday, you’ll be amazed at what will happen with your music." And he is. Taylor’s band, The Callers, is releasing their first album in January. The 47-year-old relates, "Quite frankly I feel like the most blessed guy in Alberta sometimes." Tony Greengrass, 60, producer for The Callers’ new CD, thinks Taylor is pretty blessed, too. "He has taken Western swing and...has created a much higher level of energy. He’s found himself an incredible band. He wants to reach for the top and I keep telling him, ‘Don’t reach short, reach long.’ " But most importantly, adds Greengrass, "he has no qualms about letting people know where he stands with Jesus Christ." Taylor feels that his band could only have been put together by God. ^^"It was the Lord’s hand. He brought us together." Besides him, there’s Ted Tessier — the band’s upright bass player and, as Taylor describes him, "a walking personification of Christ" — Don Beauchamp on drums and harmony vocals, who is spearheading a new project to "bring young artists into the fold," to help them, teach them, and launch their careers; and lead guitarist Maynard Brown. Taylor plays rhythm guitar and assumes lead vocals. Regarding the future, Taylor says the Callers want "to play any and everywhere we can. I’m not afraid at all to take this into a dark place."Clearly, it’s not about making a name for himself anymore. "It’s strictly impact now," explains Taylor. "Fame was what I wanted. Fame, money, the usual. ^^Well, this is people’s lives. It’s something totally different. It’s the musical experience I never had before. Now I’m seeing it and I can’t believe I let it go so long. " Taylor moved to Millet, AB, from Texas about a year ago. You’ll probably see him around. He’s taking his music to the street. To order The Callers’
self-titled CD, visit www.callersmusic.com
[LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs] [Event Calendar]
|
Creed
Taylor was a rising country singer in Texas. But as he started to rub
shoulders with well-known musicians like John Anderson and Willie Nelson,
he realized, "it was the same bunch of people I met at the bottom
of the ladder."