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Tot Taylor

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Tot Taylor
BornCambridge, England
GenresMusic
Occupation(s)Songwriter
composer
record producer
author
art curator
Years active1973–present
WebsiteRiflemaker Gallery Official website

Tot Taylor is an English, Cambridge-born, London-based songwriter, composer, record producer, author and art curator. He was a songwriter, singer, performer and band member throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties[1] as well as composer of film soundtracks and theatre scores including stage-productions for the UK's National Theatre. In 2003 he founded the Riflemaker Gallery in London with the curator Virginia Damtsa, which featured feminist, audio and performative art for galleries and museums.[2]

His first novel, The Story of John Nightly, was published by Unbound/Penguin in 2017 and by Heyne Verlag/Random House in Germany in 2019.[3][4]

Early musical career

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A songwriter/guitarist since the age of 7 and a pianist from 11,[5] while still at school, Taylor's first group, A Special Moment, were signed to Chris Blackwell’s Island label to record the single "Let’s Socialize",[6] though the record was never issued.[7] Taylor then formed the group, Advertising, (Advert-i-sing) with guitarist Simon Boswell, releasing two singles and one album, Jingles, on EMI.[8]

As a solo artist, Taylor then signed to Blackhill Enterprises (managers of Pink Floyd, Ian Dury and The Clash), releasing three singles and an album, Playtime, in 1981 for GTO/CBS Records under the name Tot Taylor and his Orchestra.[9] His second solo album, The Inside Story, and two singles, "The Girl with Everything" and "Poptown", were released in 1983 (this time simply under the name Tot Taylor).[10] He then released a further three albums over three years: Box-office Poison(1986), My Blue Period(1987) and Menswear Pt1(1988),[1] whilst also composing the song "Selling Out"[11] for the 1986 David Bowie-starring, Julien Temple-directed film, Absolute Beginners and compiling the soundtrack for the films Dance with a Stranger and Alan Bleasdale's No Surrender.[12]

During this period, Taylor began a career as a songwriter for other artists and founded the independent record label, The Compact Organization, which issued the debut album for the Swedish singer Virna Lindt, Shiver, (produced and co-written by Taylor and Lindt).[13]

Teddy Johns

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Under the pseudonym ‘Teddy Johns’, Taylor wrote all the original compositions on Mari Wilson's debut album, Showpeople,[14] which was released on Taylor and Paul Kinder's Compact Organization label and achieved a top 30 UK chart position.[15] The album produced a UK chart top ten hit in "Just What I Always Wanted", reaching no.8 in 1982, as well as two other singles, "Baby, It’s True" and "Beware Boyfriend". Taylor's songs have also been covered by Stacey Kent, Simon Warner, Melissa Manchester, Cynthia Scott, Slim Gaillard and Peter Kay (co-writes) among others.

Composing

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Following his solo career, Taylor moved into theatre and film soundtrack scoring, relocating to Los Angeles, and working for the BBC as an arranger and composer. He composed six-hour's of piano score for the National Theatre's eight-hour production of the play Picasso's Women.[2][7][16] The play was also staged in Edinburgh, toured the UK and Europe, returning to London in 2018. Other theatre scores include touring productions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest for the AJTC Theatre Company, and Charles Thomas‘s ‘Blood Royal’ at the Kings Head Theatre, Islington, London.

Taylor has composed for film, television and video games, including Muela, Sparkhouse, The Grimleys, My Wonderful Life, Shatterer/Sicilian Connection and Batman: Dark Tomorrow - the world's first ever orchestral soundtrack to a video game (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) . His compositions, production and compilation work have featured in the Tom Hardy-starring Kray twins film Legend, the Joaquin Phoenix film, Buffalo Soldiers Julien Temple’s Absolute Beginners, Mike Newel's Dance With a Stranger with Rupert Everett & Miranda Richardson, No Surrender and Mike Leigh's Career Girls.[17][18]

For the BBC, Taylor composed and produced the soundtrack for the series Early Travellers in North America.[19][20] He was the music director for a series of documentary films for the BBC about how music is recorded: A Different Perspective (2001) on both Paul McCartney and Michael Stipe, directed by Kevin Macdonald. His music 'Trainer Trainers' was chosen to introduce mobile phones into the UK. He restored Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for Prince Albert of Monaco and is an international D&AD-awarded composer (2003) for his work in film.

Instrumental work

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Taylor has released two instrumental albums: Music for the Left Handed (with Mick Bass)[21] and Waterland.[22] He was the producer of a compilation album of modern interpretations of the music of Bach, entitled Bachology (EMI).[23]

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In 2003, with Virginia Damsta, he co-founded the gallery Riflemaker in Beak Street in Soho (until 2018). The gallery was so-named because it was on the premises of a former gunmaker's workshop, Soho's oldest building (1715).[24] The gallery has exhibited the work of William S. Burroughs, Juan Fontanive, Judy Chicago, Liliane Lijn, Gavin Turk, Jaime Gili, Marta Marce, Wen Wu, Penelope Slinger, Chosil Kil and Leah Gordon.[25] Together Taylor & Damtsa have collaborated with Tate Modern (JUDY CHICAGO), Tate St. Ives (PENNY SLINGER), MoMA New York (LILIANE LIJN), LACMA LA, The National Portrait Gallery (CHRISTOPHER BUCKLOW), The V&A, The Royal Academy, Frieze (JUDY CHICAGO) and many others including YOKO ONO in promoting the work of feminist artists and with the gallery's own groundbreaking themed exhibitions: ANALOG, RIFLEMAKER BECOMES INDICA, VOO-DOO, and four historic exhibitions with JUDY CHICAGO.

Selected discography

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Solo Records: (2020–2021) via Rough Trade

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  • ‘Yoko, Oh’ (7" + 7" dinked vinyl) (2020)(TheCampus via Rough Trade)
  • ‘Featurette’ (7" vinyl) (2020)
  • ‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Donald's song) (7" + 12" vinyl) (2020)
  • ‘I'll Go My Own Way’ (7" vinyl) (2020
  • ‘This New Abba Record’ (7" vinyl) (2021)
  • ‘Fortunes's Child’ (7" vinyl) (2022)
  • ‘Monster Ravin' Looney’ (7" vinyl 2023) (TheCampus via Rough Trade)
  • 'I Get My Kicks In NW6' (one-sided 7" vinyl 2024) on TheCampus Label via Rough Trade)
  • 'I'm Incredibly Down' digital + via @RoughTrade - 2024 from the album HIGH STREET (2025)

The band Advert-I-Sing

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  • ‘‘Jingles’’ (1978) – album
  • ‘‘Lipstick’’ (1977) – single
  • ‘‘Stolen Love’ (1977) – single

Solo albums

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  • ‘‘Playtime’’ (1981)
  • ‘‘The Inside Story’’ (1983)
  • ‘‘Box-office Poison’’ (1986)
  • ‘‘My Blue Period’’ (1987)
  • ‘‘Menswear’’ (1987)
  • ‘‘Music For The Left-Handed’’ (1990) – with Mick Bass
  • ‘‘Waterland’’ (1997)
  • ‘‘Frisbee’’ (2021)
  • Studio Sounds (2023)

Tot Taylor and the In-Group

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  • ‘‘PopFolkJazz’’ (2000)

Writer, composer, and producer

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  • ‘‘Shiver’’ (1984) by Virna Lindt (co-written/produced by Taylor)
  • ‘‘Play/Record’’ (1985) by Virna Lindt (co-written/produced by Taylor)
  • ‘‘Suburbia Suite’’ by The Sound Barrier (writer/producer)
  • ‘‘St Marks Place’’ (1993) by World of leather (producer/co-writer)
  • ‘‘Maria Callous’’ (1996) by Gretchen Hofner
  • ‘‘Jesus Christ Superstore’’ (1995) by World of Leather (producer/co-writer)
  • ‘‘Bachology’’ (1995) (producer)

Theatre and stage music

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  • ‘‘Picasso's Women’’ (National Theatre) (composer)
  • ‘‘The Tempest’’ (AJTC Theatre) (composer)
  • ‘‘Blood Royal’’ (King's Head Theatre) (composer)

Film and TV music

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  • ‘‘Shatterer’’ (1987) (composer)
  • ‘‘Macbeth’’ (1998)
  • ‘‘The Early Travellers’’ (1999) (composer/producer)

As 'Teddy Johns'

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  • ‘‘Showpeople’’ (1983) by Mari Wilson (writer and arranger) as ‘Teddy Johns’

Music for video games

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Author

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Taylor is the author of several books and monographs on artists and the visual arts including ‘Me as Him’ about the artists Gavin Turk and Andy Warhol, Analog (trends in Sound & Picture) and Indica, the story of the famous 1960s art space. .[26] His debut novel, the 900-page The Story of John Nightly was published by Unbound/Penguin Random House in the UK in 2017.[4][27][28]

'The Story of John Nightly' featured in The Guardian 'Best novels of 2019' (Guardian Newspapers)

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Tot Taylor | Credits". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b "Tot Taylor". Penguin.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Tot Taylor". Penguin.co.uk.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Tot (27 July 2017). The Story of John Nightly. Unbound Publishing. ISBN 9781783523214 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "MW Questionnaire: TOT TAYLOR". Musicworks.gr. 15 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Tot Taylor hometown, biography". Last.fm.
  7. ^ a b "Interview: Tot Taylor – M Magazine". M-magazine.co.uk. 3 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Advertising". Discogs.com.
  9. ^ "Tot Taylor And His Orchestra* – Playtime". Discogs.com. 1981.
  10. ^ "The Inside Story – Tot Taylor | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  11. ^ "Absolute Beginners (1986)". IMDb.com.
  12. ^ "Absolute Beginners – Original Soundtrack | Credits". AllMusic.
  13. ^ "Shiver – Virna Lindt | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  14. ^ "Mari Wilson With The Wilsations – Showpeople". Discogs.com. 1983.
  15. ^ "showpeople | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
  16. ^ "Colette Redgrave: Picasso's Women | Three Weeks Edinburgh Festival".
  17. ^ "Tot Taylor". IMDb.com.
  18. ^ "Tot Taylor – The Shatterer (Original Soundtrack Album From The Motion Picture) d. Tonino Valeri, starring Toshiro Mifune". Discogs.com. 1987.
  19. ^ "Early Travellers in North America". IMDb.com.
  20. ^ "Early Travellers – Tot Taylor | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  21. ^ "Music for the Left-Handed by Tot Taylor & Mick Bass". Music.apple.com.
  22. ^ "Waterland". Amazon.co.uk.
  23. ^ "Various – Bachology (Today's Innovators Do The Bach Thing)". Discogs.com. 24 July 1995.
  24. ^ "Riflemaker Contemporary Art | The Riflemaker Gallery | Hire Riflemaker". Riflemaker.org.
  25. ^ "Picture preview: Leah Gordon portraits of Caste". The Independent. 7 June 2012.
  26. ^ "Tot Taylor". Amazon.co.uk.
  27. ^ The Story of John Nightly: Amazon.co.uk: Tot Taylor: 9781783523207: Books. ASIN 1783523204.
  28. ^ Taylor, Tot (2017). Story of john nightly. Cornerstone. ISBN 978-1783523207.
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