Chuck Taylor (born September 28, 1962 in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States) is an American music journalist. He served as a reporter, senior writer, [1] columnist and senior editor at Billboard magazine from 1995 to 2009. There, he held the titles of Senior Editor/Talent, Senior Writer, Radio Editor, host of the Billboard Radio Countdown (online), columnist of AirWaves [2] and, Single Reviews Editor since 1998; [3] as well as Managing Editor of Top 40/AC for affiliated publication Billboard Radio Monitor, and senior editor/features and AC format editor for Billboard sister Radio & Records. [4]
Taylor graduated from James Madison University (journalism and speech/English), then worked in metro Washington, DC, for 11 years, including writing gigs at the Washington Business Journal and Radio World, as well as a stint as Editor for Clark Construction Group, before relocating to New York in September 1995 to begin his career at Billboard.
Taylor has interviewed more than 2,000 artists and music executives, including Olivia Newton-John, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Josh Groban, Bette Midler, James Taylor, Tony Bennett and Toni Braxton. [5] He also penned liner notes for 'N Sync's "Greatest Hits" and Backstreet Boys 2015 Box Set, and was a regular contributor to Time-Life's themed music compilations throughout the 1990s. [6]
He has been interviewed on music and pop culture topics on ABC's "20/20", "CBS Evening News", CNNfn, VH1's “Behind the Music,” MTV, BBC, A&E's "Biography" and E!;[ citation needed ] and has been quoted in The New York Times , USA Today , TV Guide , People, Parade, Us and Entertainment Weekly .[ citation needed ] He was profiled in the career manual, "How To Get A Job in the Music Industry" ( ISBN 978-0876390726) written by Keith Hatschek. [7]
Taylor's artist specialty at Billboard was Céline Dion. He penned seven front-page articles about the singer, including her first global interview previewing the release of the 2003 album "A New Day." [8] He also led a Celine Dion Special Section [9] in the magazine in February 2008; and wrote liner notes for Sony Music for the re-release of both Dion's "These Are Special Times" and "A New Day Has Come" and was a media spokesman on VH1's "Behind the Music" and E!'s "True Hollywood Story" on Dion, while also quoted in publications regarding the artist, including The New York Times.
He is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy Awards)[ citation needed ] and a published songwriter for Young Pals Music/BMI.[ citation needed ] His lyrical composition "Lost and Found," performed by Miz Metro, with music by Ayhan Sahin and Eve Nelson, was featured in an episode of MTV's "Made" in March 2008.[ citation needed ] Taylor also collaborated with Universal artist Karine Hannah and Sony Turkey singer/songwriter Emre Yilmaz, whose single "Only Yesterday," written by Ayhan Sahin, Taylor and Emre, became a graduation anthem in the U.S.[ citation needed ] In 2014, his co-write "Marquee" appeared on the debut album from Mexican superstar and Broadway actress ("Chicago") Bianca Marroquin.
On-Air broadcasting experience includes country WWOD-AM/AC WKZZ-FM in Lynchburg, Virginia, his hometown, as well as voiceover work for commercials and theater. He hosted Billboard's weekly online countdown at billboardradio.com, from its inception in March 1998 through January 2006. The show was scripted by renowned Billboard writer and author Fred Bronson.
Taylor now lives in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia, where he hosts professional gatherings at his MidCentury Modern "Wiseacre Estate" in Norfolk.
Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", she is noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals. Her music has incorporated genres such as pop, rock, R&B, chanson, and classical music. Her recordings have been mainly in English and French, although she has also sung in several other languages including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish and Neapolitan.
A New Day Has Come is the eighteenth studio album and seventh English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 25 March 2002. It was her first new studio album since her 1998 Christmas album These Are Special Times. Dion returned to the music scene after a two-year hiatus when she gave birth to her first child in 2001. She collaborated on A New Day Has Come with various producers, including Anders Bagge and Peer Åström for the first time.
All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released by Sony Music on 12 November 1999, it features nine previously released songs on most editions and seven new recordings on all editions. Dion worked on new tracks mainly with David Foster. Other producers include Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. It is the best-selling greatest hits album in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, including over nine million in the United States, five million in Europe, two million in Japan and one million units in Canada.
Let's Talk About Love is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 14 November 1997 by Sony Music. The follow-up to the commercially successful Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project, she collaborated with Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, Corey Hart, and her previous producers: David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman. The album includes Dion's biggest hit, "My Heart Will Go On". Written by James Horner and Will Jennings and serving as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film, Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" topped the charts around the world and is considered to be Dion's signature song.
"My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film Titanic. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon Franglen. It was released as a single internationally by Columbia and Epic on November 24, 1997, and included on Dion's album Let's Talk About Love (1997) and the Titanic soundtrack.
Falling into You is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album The Colour of My Love (1993) and French-language D'eux (1995), Falling into You showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", among others. Several songs were produced by David Foster, including Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me". In total, Dion worked on the album with fourteen producers and a variety of songwriters and musicians.
"I'm Your Angel" is a duet by Celine Dion and R. Kelly from Dion's These Are Special Times album and Kelly's R. album. It was released on 13 October 1998. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly. The single was very successful, reaching number one in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The single also reached the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.
The 20 is a weekly music video countdown television show that aired on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running show was first introduced in 1994 as VH1 Top 10 Countdown, part of VH1's "Music First" re-branding effort. Over the years, a variety of hosts counted down the top 10 or 20 music videos of the week. The order of countdown was initially decided by a mix of record sales, radio airplay, video spins, message board posts, and conventional mail. The final episode aired unexpectedly without fanfare on November 28, 2015.
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin released as a single by the Atlantic label. The lyrics were written by Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler, and the music was composed by Carole King. Written for Franklin, the record reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became one of her signature songs. It made history on the UK Singles Chart a week after her death, finally becoming a hit almost 51 years after it was first released, entering at No. 79. Franklin also included a live recording on the album Aretha in Paris in 1968.
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
"Because You Loved Me" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion on her fourth English-language studio album, Falling into You (1996). It was released on 19 February 1996 as the first single in North America, and as the second single in the United Kingdom on 20 May 1996. "Because You Loved Me" was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, and served as the theme song from the 1996 film Up Close & Personal, starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Billboard ranked it as the 14th "Top Love Song of All Time".
"The Prayer" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. It was written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Tony Renis and Alberto Testa.
"Alone" is a song composed by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who recorded it under the name i-Ten on their 1983 album Taking a Cold Look. It was later recorded by actress Valerie Stevenson and actor John Stamos on the original soundtrack of the CBS sitcom Dreams in 1984. American rock band Heart covered it on their 1987 album Bad Animals, and this version reached number one in the US and Canada. In 2007 Celine Dion recorded it for her album Taking Chances. In 2010 Alyssa Reid used the music and lyrics for the chorus of her song "Alone Again".
"That's the Way It Is" is the lead single from Celine Dion's greatest hits album All the Way... A Decade of Song, released on 1 November 1999. It peaked within the top ten in many countries, like Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Billboard listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of 1999.
"I Want You to Need Me" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion for her 1999 greatest hits album, All the Way... A Decade of Song. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by Matt Serletic. "I Want You to Need Me" was released as the second single in North America and Japan in April 2000, and third single in selected European countries in July 2000. Several club remixes were created by Thunderpuss. The song received positive reviews from music critics and topped the Canadian Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Liz Friedlander.
"Tell Him" is a song written by Linda Thompson and producers Walter Afanasieff and David Foster. It was recorded as a duet between American singer Barbra Streisand and Canadian singer Celine Dion for their respective 1997 albums, Higher Ground and Let's Talk About Love, and released as the lead single from these albums on November 3, 1997 by 550 Music, Columbia Records and Epic Records.
"Incredible" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer-songwriter and record producer, Ne-Yo. It was recorded for Dion's English-language studio album, Loved Me Back to Life (2013) and chosen as the second single in North America, most countries in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The song was co-written by Andrew Goldstein, Emanuel Kiriakou and Ne-Yo, and produced by Kiriakou.