Kelly Booth - lead vocals
Will Mullins - lead vocals
Tom Young - guitar
Jerry Merrill - keyboards
Geoff Lloyd - bass
Ray Merrill - drums
-plus-
Brian Jaxon - bass
Clarence Barrow - bass
Russ Kayo - bass
Way back in 1986, The Taylor Project formed in Newark, CA. Named for the hometown of band leader Will Mullins, the group consisted of six individuals. Will, himself an experienced lead singer and producer with wisdom and instincts beyond his years; Kelly Booth, a world-class vocalist with pipes that could blow open a barn door after lockdown; the Brothers-Merrill: Jerry, a virtuoso keyboardist, composer, and producer in his own right, and Ray, a master of rhythm, meter and groove; Geoff Llyod, a rock-solid bassist who was a well-admired fixture on the local band scene for several years; and Tom Young, an inexperienced yet eager guitarist who would constantly strive to meet the level of his bandmates.
With rehearsals lasting 3 hours a night, four nights a week, the band became a powerful unit. No longer just a "project", they would become a family. And, after weeks and weeks of rehearsing, barely coming up for air, the band realized they had worked up 40-50 songs. They were more than ready to go when the dust settled. Gigs came at a rapid rate - 3 and sometimes 4 weekends a month.
The gigs went better than expected, with a great deal of gratitude to the Taylor Road Crew: Chris, Bill & Jennifer. Chris was the main sound engineer, Bill was the stage manager and Chris' assistant, and Jennifer was the secret weapon that most bands only dream of. Some bands don't even have one helper, but this act traveled with a crew of 3. They set up, arranged, adjusted, cleaned, corrected, repaired, re-adjusted, maintained and tore down all the gear at practically every engagement, including the out-of-town trips!
In 1987, with a few gigs under their belts, the group commenced recording their first demo at Will's Montage Studios, in Newark, CA. The track listing:
"Who Will You Run To" (by Heart) / "Give Me All Your Love Tonight" (by Whitesnake) / "Rock & Roll" (by Led Zeppelin) / "Discipline Of Love" (by Robert Palmer) / "In The Heat Of The Night" (by Bryan Adams) / "Roadhouse Blues" (by The Doors)
Only the first 3 were completed and actually mixed, which is what you hear here.
Throughout the band's existence, bass players came and went. The original 4-stringer, Geoff, had to leave for various/personal reasons, and, without missing a beat, the remaining quintuplet began auditioning players.
After doing some gigs with an Apple Mac II running sequenced bass parts, The Taylor Project became a 6-piece again, with the addition of Brian "Action" Jaxon on the Alembic Spoiler. After a while, Brian left. He was replaced by Clarence, a touring pro with great tone and an even greater attitude. Clarence did some gigs with TP, most notably a 3-gigs-in-2-days stint in Ukiah, CA and a 1-nighter at "Fat Fannie's" in Fremont, CA. Alas, Clarence had places to go, and things to do, and he eventually bowed out of the fold. Enter Russ Kayo. A South Bay cover band vet, Russ rounded out the Taylor Project sound with professionalism and energy. Russ played New Year's Eve '89 in Ukiah, CA, and several other gigs, including a video-taped show at The Hill in Oakland, CA. (see the video clip below!).
By 1990, the band had run out of steam and slowly fell apart. Although the band did reunite in 1992 for a birthday bash with Brian on bass, the band never did make it back to the scene. All of the members are still good friends, some of them even playing together 20 years later!
If you have any questions, or if you have any information to add, PLEASE drop us a line. We'd be very happy to hear from you!
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
The Mighty Taylor Project shall forever be remembered as a driving force of pure ROCK from the 1980's! Songs will be written and tears will be shed remembering the mighty exploits of the Taylor Project!
