Taylor is highly regarded for his songwriting skills. These often include allusions to and reworkings of material ranging from Elizabethan poets to modern authors. Foremost among Taylor's influences is William Blake. The Daniel Amos album title Fearful Symmetry was drawn from Blake's poem "The Tyger," and numerous songs across The Alarma! Chronicles series of albums have Blake-inspired references. Some other poets who have influenced Taylor's work are T. S. Eliot and Christina Rossetti. Eliot's poetry inspired the song "Hollow Man" from the Doppelgänger album. "Where Dreams Come True" from Taylor's solo album, A Briefing for the Ascent, draws heavily from Rosetti's poem "Echo".
The inspiration for many Daniel Amos and Taylor songs from the mid-1980s can be found in the book Behold, This Dreamer: Of Reverie, Night, Sleep, Dream, Love-Dreams, Nightmare, Death. This book, compiled by Walter de la Mare and published in 1939, contains poems and essays that appear in Taylor's songwriting. De la Mare is thanked in the liner notes of the final installment of The Alarma! Chronicles, Fearful Symmetry. References to contemporary authors also appear in Taylor's songs. One example is the song "Shape of Air" from the LP Darn Floor-Big Bite. The song explores the mystical musings of Annie Dillard found in her Pulitzer prize-winning book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. The album is also heavily inspired by the works of Czesław Miłosz. This is especially evident in songs like "The Unattainable Earth" (which was named after one of Miłosz' books), "Safety Net", "Pictures of the Gone World", "Divine Instant", and "Half Light, Epoch, and Phase". On Taylor's 1998 release, John Wayne, he credits more influences; Flannery O'Connor, Dennis Prager and Frederick Buechner.
During the 1990s and into the new millennium, Taylor's songwriting for the Lost Dogs and on other projects turned away from more esoteric themes. The songs crafted during this phase of Taylor's career marked a shift toward "Americana" and, in some ways, a return to the country music sound of Daniel Amos in the early 1970s. The primary vehicle for this phase of Taylor's songwriting career is the Lost Dogs, with a number of noteworthy solo projects. The Lost Dogs began in 1991 as a one-time collaboration between vocalists and songwriters from four different bands at the behest of their label at that time. Taylor, Gene Eugene (of Adam Again), Derri Daugherty (of The Choir), and Michael Roe (of The 77s) have released several eclectic albums of traditional American music (country, folk, blues, rock) over the last decade.
Career
After a number of years performing with local California bands and folk trios like Good Shepherd, Judge Rainbow and the Prophetic Trumpets, The Cardboard Scheme, and The Scarlet Staircase, Taylor formed Jubal's Last Band with Steve Baxter, Kenny Paxton, and Chuck Starnes in 1972. In 1974, the band recorded a demo tape together to shop around to record labels. Later that year, the band lost Paxton and Starnes, and added bassist Marty Dieckmeyer and guitarist Jerry Chamberlain to the line-up.
Sometime in the middle of 1975, Jubal's Last Band (minus Baxter) auditioned for Maranatha! Music and Calvary Chapel in hopes of signing a recording and performance contract. Another band at the meeting, led by Darrell Mansfield, had a similar name: Jubal. The two bands decided to change their names to avoid confusion. Mansfield renamed his band Gentle Faith, and Jubal's Last Band became Daniel Amos. Daniel Amos succeeded in landing a recording and performance contract, and quickly recorded their first song for the label, Taylor's "Ain't Gonna Fight It" featuring ace sessionplayer Michael Omartian (Steely Dan) on Rhodes. A full album, produced by Al Perkins, followed. Taylor and the members of Daniel Amos went on to record numerous albums and change musical styles with nearly every one of them, including the four part Alarma! Chronicles series in the 1980s.
In 1986, Taylor released his first solo album, Knowledge & Innocence, which included songs inspired by the death of his grandfather and the miscarriage of his and his wife's first child. The following year, Taylor released his second solo album, A Briefing for the Ascent, this time inspired by the loss of his grandmother. That year, Taylor also became the production director for Frontline Records and went on to produce many of the label's releases.
In the early 1990s, Taylor teamed up with Adam Again's Gene Eugene, The Choir's Derri Daugherty and The 77s' Mike Roe to form the alt-country/roots band, Lost Dogs. Although it began as a "one time" arrangement, the band soon took on a life of its own and has continued to tour and make albums to this day.
In 1997, Taylor became the head of West Coast A&R for the Killen Music Group (KMG Records), a Nashville-based record label. The following year Taylor's third solo album, John Wayne, was released at the Cornerstone Festival. In 1999, a number of artists and fans of Taylor's came together to create When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos. The album contained nearly 20 songs written by Taylor and performed by other artists, including The 77s, Randy Stonehill, Phil Madeira, Starflyer59, Jimmy Abegg, Larry Norman, The Throes and others. The project was completed and released in the summer of 2000, along with Taylor's fourth solo project, the acoustic Avocado Faultline. Two years later, Taylor returned with an EP entitled, LITTLE, big.
In 2005, Taylor composed the soundtrack to another TenNapel cartoon series (this time, for the Nickelodeon network) called Catscratch. He adapted the music from the famous children's song "Bingo" for use, with new lyrics by Taylor, as the opening theme song for the Cartoon Network animated television series Camp Lazlo.
Taylor created the fictional character, Dr. Edward Daniel Taylor, who first appeared in a 1990 best of compilation by Frontline Records of music by Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies. The character was an amalgamation of televangelists along the lines of Robert Tilton, Benny Hinn and Oral Roberts and acted as the emcee for segments of his ministry's Prickly Heat Telethon of Love pledge event which appeared as interludes between songs. The character made subsequent appearances including 2003's The Prickly Heat Radio Players, and 2004's limited edition EP, The Perfectly Frank True Story of Christmas and a very brief appearance on the Lost Dogs' 2007 Christmas album, We Like to Have Christmas, on which he can be heard introducing the band as "The Lost Hogs".
Knowledge & Innocence, released in 1986 as Terry Scott Taylor's first solo album, is an introspective album dedicated to Taylor's grandfather. Lyrically referencing the 1789 poetry collection Songs of Innocence by William Blake, references found also in Taylor's other work such as the Daniel Amos band album Fearful Symmetry.[3] "Song of Innocence", a duet with Randy Stonehill singing, in Taylor's words, a breathy "soulful and sweet" vocal, was released as a single.[4]
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Dancing on Light"
4:53
2.
"(out of) The Wild Wood"
5:50
3.
"Waiting"
3:07
4.
"Here He Comes, Second Time"
3:10
5.
"Picture of You"
4:03
6.
"Song of Innocence"
3:57
7.
"Old Time Gospel Camp Meeting Hour"
3:56
8.
"Picture of You (reprise)"
1:39
9.
"Ever After"
3:36
10.
"Home Movies (a. Christmas 1980) (b. Knowledge & Innocence)"
Come As a Child Or Not at All (Compilation memorial with Theo Obrastoff, 2003)
Related Research Articles
Lost Dogs are an American musical supergroup formed in 1991, comprising vocalists, songwriters, and guitarists from multiple Christian alternative rock bands. Their current lineup includes Terry Scott Taylor, Michael Roe, Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong. The original lineup included Gene Eugene, who died in 2000. The band's eclectic blending of folk, blues, country, and rock has been characterized as "a sort of CCM equivalent to the Traveling Wilburys". The band released their debut album Scenic Routes in 1992 as a one-time collaboration.
The Swirling Eddies are an American rock band that began as an anonymous spinoff from the band Daniel Amos, along with new drummer David Raven.
Derri Daugherty is an American record producer, songwriter, guitarist and singer, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for band the Choir.
Randall Evan Stonehill is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but some of his albums have focused on new wave, pop, pop rock, roots rock, and children's music.
Greg Flesch is an American guitarist and musician, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies.
Tim Chandler was an American bass guitar player, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos, the Swirling Eddies and the Choir.
Jerry Chamberlain is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer, best known for his work with the rock bands Daniel Amos and the Swirling Eddies.
Fearful Symmetry is the seventh studio album by Christian alternative rock band Daniel Amos, issued on Frontline Records in 1986. It is the fourth and final album in their ¡Alarma! Chronicles album cycle and the first of three albums the band issued under the shortened moniker DA.
Doppelgänger is the fifth studio album by Christian alternative rock band Daniel Amos issued on their own Alarma! Records label in 1983. It is the second album in their ¡Alarma! Chronicles album cycle.
Daniel Amos is the self-titled debut album by Christian rock band Daniel Amos. The album was issued in 1976 by Maranatha! Music and was produced by Al Perkins. It is typical of the country rock sound the band performed in the mid-1970s before their switch to alternative rock in the early 1980s.
Daniel Amos is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. The band currently consists of Taylor, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart. Over the band's career, they have included keyboardist Mark Cook, drummer Alex MacDougall, bassist Tim Chandler and keyboardist Rob Watson with sounds that experimented with country rock, rock, new wave and alternative rock.
Alarma Records was an imprint of Newpax Records and Frontline Records. Alarma! Records and Tapes was formed in 1983 by the band Daniel Amos with musician Tom Howard for the release of their Doppelgänger album. The name of the label comes from the band's 1981 album ¡Alarma!.
Kalhöun is the ninth album by Christian alternative rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records in 1991. It was issued under their contracted moniker dä and was their first album of studio material in four years.
Stunt Records is an independent record label formed in 1990 by Daniel Amos, Terry Scott Taylor, and Tom Gulotta.
Zoom Daddy is the third album by rock band The Swirling Eddies, released in 1994 on Alarma Records. It was released almost simultaneously with Terry Scott Taylor's other project, the Daniel Amos album: Bibleland.
Scenic Routes is an album by roots music band Lost Dogs, released on BAI Records in 1992.
Mutt is an album by the band Lost Dogs, released on Fools of the World and Lo-Fidelity Records in 2004.
Neverland Studios is an American recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee owned and operated by musician and songwriter Derri Daugherty. The studio is not connected to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.
Stories is the title of a compilation CD by Randy Stonehill, released in 1993 on Myrrh Records.
When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos is an indie tribute album by a variety of artists that pays musical tribute to the band Daniel Amos and its chief songwriter Terry Scott Taylor. It was released in July 2000 by Ferris Wheel.
↑ Mark Alan Powell Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (album description and review p.934) "still there have been very few significant projects in the history of contemporary Christian music that have not borne his influence, if not his fingerprints. Taylor is best known as the front man for three of Christian music's most popular and critically acclaimed groups: Daniel Amos, the Lost Dogs, and the Swirling Eddies... Knowledge and Innocence is a deeply introspective project inspired by the death of Taylor's grandfather. Musically the songs are situated somewhere between Rubber Soul (Beatles) and Pet Sounds (Beach Boys), lyrically the closest reference points would be to William Blake. … The Wild Wood... a tune that recalls David Bowie. Song of Innocence is a children's song or at least a song about songs for children"
↑ Knowledge & Innocence (CD tray insert). Terry Scott Taylor. Refuge Records. 1993. 790-060-5800.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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.
