Demetria Taylor

Last updated
Demetria Taylor
Birth nameDemetria M. Taylor
Born (1973-02-28) February 28, 1973 (age 50)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Chicago blues, electric blues
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2000s–present
Labels Delmark

Demetria M. Taylor (born February 28, 1973) is an American Chicago blues singer and songwriter. [1] [2] [3] Her father was Eddie Taylor, a fellow Chicago blues musician. Her step-brother Larry Taylor is a blues drummer and vocalist, and her brother Eddie Taylor Jr. was also a Chicago blues musician prior to his death in 2019, at the age of 46. Taylor's mother, Vera (Leevera), was the niece of the bluesmen Eddie "Guitar" Burns and Jimmy Burns, and maintained an intermittent career as a singer until her death in 1999. [3]

Contents

Taylor has released two albums on Delmark Records, albeit over 11 years apart.

Life and career

She was born in Chicago, Illinois, as the seventh child out of eight in a musical family. [1] [3] She began playing drums at the age of 14, mentored by her older brothers Larry and Tim, who were both professional blues drummers. She played in family shows across Chicago, which included her guitar playing brother Eddie Taylor Jr. She also sang in the gospel choir at Trinity All Nations Church on Chicago's South Side. [4] Her influences were Etta James, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, and the unrelated Koko Taylor. [1] When she commenced performing professionally, Taylor noted, "It was fun for me when I first started at Buddy Guy's, opening for Billy Branch and Jimmy Johnson". [5] She went on tour both nationally at first and then overseas. [4]

Her debut album, Bad Girl, was released on May 17, 2011 on Delmark Records. [2] [4] The album incorporated musical work from Billy Branch, Eddie Shaw, Big Time Sarah, Eddie Taylor Jr., plus Shun Kikuta, Roosevelt Purifoy, Greg McDaniel and Pookie Styx. Bad Girl had eleven tracks including "I'm A Woman/Hoochie Coochie Woman", "All Your Love", "Big Boss Man", and a duet with Big Time Sarah on "Wang Dang Doodle". [6] Taylor was nominated in the 2012 Blues Music Awards in the 'Best New Debut Artist' category. [4] She has since performed at numerous venues and music festivals, including appearing at the Chicago Blues Festival. Taylor explained her philosophy, "I put God first and everything else will work out. I feel that singing is something I was born to do. Sometimes on the stage my eyes tear up as I feel the music I'm singing". [4]

Her sophomore album was some time in its making. It was recorded in Chicago, at Delmark's Riverside Studio, between 2019 and 2022. Doin' What I'm Supposed to Do was released on Delmark Records on August 19, 2022. [7] The songs on the album were written by members of her family, some by fellow musicians Mike Wheeler and Larry Williams, one by Magic Sam, plus a couple of numbers penned by Taylor herself. [5] Lead guitar duties were shared between Mike Wheeler, Billy Flynn and Carlos Showers, with the album produced jointly by Julia A. Miller and Elbio Barilari. [8] A guest appearance came from Deitra Farr who sang on one of the album's tracks, "Blues Early This Morning", which was written by Demetria's mother, Vera Taylor. Whereas Billy Flynn played guitar on the aforementioned song, as well as on "(Wreck On) Highway 83", written by Demetria's father, Eddie Taylor. [7] The 52-minute CD, Doin' What I'm Supposed To Do, had a record release party held at Space in Evanston, Illinois, on August 22, 2022. [9]

Taylor was the new recipient of the Koko Taylor 'Queen of the Blues' Award in 2022, given by the Jus' Blues Foundation. [7] She received the award during a ceremony at the Bluesville Music Hall in Tunica, Mississippi. [10]

Taylor is married with eight children. [4]

Discography

YearTitleRecord label
2011Bad Girl Delmark Records
2022Doin' What I'm Supposed to DoDelmark Records

[11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-Bone Walker</span> American blues musician and singer-songwriter

Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the Living Blues magazine in Chicago in 1970.

Eddie Taylor was an American electric blues guitarist and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carey Bell</span> American blues musician

Carey Bell Harrington was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s before embarking on a solo career. Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Louisiana Red and Jimmy Dawkins and was a frequent partner with his son, the guitarist Lurrie Bell. Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago's finest harpists." The Chicago Tribune said Bell was "a terrific talent in the tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter." In 2023, he was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Iglauer</span> American businessman and record producer

Bruce Iglauer is an American businessman and record producer who founded Alligator Records as an independent record label featuring blues music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. B. Hutto</span> American blues musician

Joseph Benjamin Hutto was an American blues musician. He was influenced by Elmore James and became known for his slide guitar playing and declamatory style of singing. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame two years after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lurrie Bell</span> American blues guitarist and singer

Lurrie Bell is an American blues guitarist and singer. His father was renowned blues harmonica player Carey Bell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zora Young</span> American blues singer (born 1948)

Zora Young is an American blues singer. She is distantly related to Howlin' Wolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Shaw</span> American Chicago blues musician

Eddie Shaw was an American Chicago blues tenor saxophonist, arranger and bandleader. He led Howlin' Wolf's band, the Wolf Gang, from 1972, both before Wolf's death in 1976 and subsequently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deitra Farr</span> American singer-songwriter

Deitra Farr is an American blues, soul and gospel singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Burns</span> American songwriter

Jimmy Burns is an American soul blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although he was born in the Mississippi Delta, Burns has spent nearly all his life in Chicago. His elder brother, Eddie "Guitar" Burns, was a Detroit blues musician.

Sammy David Lawhorn was an American Chicago blues guitarist, best known as a member of Muddy Waters's band. He also accompanied many other blues musicians, including Otis Spann, Willie Cobbs, Eddie Boyd, Roy Brown, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton and Junior Wells.

Karen Lynn Carroll was an American singer. She was born to Mack Carroll and Alberta Simmons Carroll.

Little Arthur Duncan was an American Chicago blues and electric blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He was a member of the Backscratchers and over his career was associated with Earl Hooker, Twist Turner, Illinois Slim and Rick Kreher.

Bob Stroger is an American electric blues bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has worked with many blues musicians, including Eddie King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Eddy Clearwater, Sunnyland Slim, Louisiana Red, Buster Benton, Homesick James, Mississippi Heat, Snooky Pryor, Odie Payne, Fred Below, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Billy Davenport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Wheeler (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Lewis Wheeler is a Chicago blues songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. His first gig was with Muddy Waters' piano player, Lovie Lee. He performed with numerous Chicago bands and well-known artists such as Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, and Shemekia Copeland. He formed his own band, the Mike Wheeler Band, in 2001.His CD, Self Made Man, was released by Delmark Records in 2012 with critical acclaim. He was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2014. He is a regular performer at the famed Chicago blues club, Kingston Mines.

Edward Taylor, better known as Eddie Taylor Jr., was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released six studio albums, and a compilation album of his better known tracks, all on the European-based label, Wolf Records. Among the musicians who worked in Taylor's backing band was his fellow guitar player Johnny B. Moore. Taylor also supported other musicians including Moore, Little Arthur Duncan, Willie Kent and Hubert Sumlin, plus Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Billy Gibbons.

Brian Berkowitz, known professionally as Johnny Iguana, is an American Chicago blues pianist, singer and songwriter. He has recorded albums with Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Koko Taylor, Lil' Ed Williams, Eddie Shaw, Matthew Skoller, Lurrie Bell, Carey Bell, Oh My God, and the Claudettes among many others.

Fabrizio Rodio billed professionally as Breezy Rodio is an Italian born, American based Chicago blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has been based in Chicago, Illinois, for over 20 years and has released six albums in his own name. His musical style was described by his record producer as "Chicago West Side Modern Blues".

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Demetria Taylor". Highresaudio.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Demetria Taylor - Bad Girl Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (May 1, 2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. ABC-CLIO. p. 76. ISBN   9780313344244 . Retrieved March 8, 2019– via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Blue Chicago I Demetria Taylor I Featuring the Best of Chicago Blues Music". Bluechicago.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Q&A with Chicago blues singer Demetria Taylor -the daughter of Eddie Taylor- traditional blues and modern R&B". Blues.gr. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Demetria Taylor - Bad Girl". Delmark.com. 25 June 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Johnson, Kevin (4 August 2022). "NEW BLUES RELEASE and CD Party for DEMETRIA TAYLOR with The MIKE WHEELER BAND". Delmark.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  8. ↑ Apice, John (August 23, 2022). "REVIEW: Demetria Taylor "Doin' What I'm Supposed To Do" • Americana Highways". Americanahighways.org. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Demetria Taylor is 'Doin' What I'm Supposed to Do' on new album". Americanbluesscene.com. July 25, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Demetria Taylor Receives "KoKo Taylor Queen of the Blues" Award Today". Americanbluesscene.com. August 4, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Demetria Taylor Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.