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Draft:Machan Taylor

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Machan Taylor
Background information
Birth nameMargaret Taylor
OriginYokohama, Japan
GenresRock, Jazz, Brazilian Music, pop
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Guitar, percussion, vocals
Websitewww.machantaylor.com

Machan Taylor (Margaret Taylor) is an American singer and composer; best known for her work with the bands Pink Floyd and Gov't Mule, Taylor is also an adjunct instructor at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music and The New School's School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Early life

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The daughter of an American armed forces member and a Japanese mother, she was raised Catholic.[7] Taylor started singing at the age of eight; her religious upbringing and maternal family's musical background shaped her development as an artist.[7][8] Taylor's mother was a singer in Japan in the post World War II era, performing American jazz in the officer's club at a Yokohama United States Army base (where she met Taylor's father); Taylor's maternal grandfather was a professional concert pianist and a professor at the University of Tokyo, where he taught piano and cello and directed choirs; additionally Taylor's maternal uncle was a composer, another uncle a saxophonist, and another a pianist.[7][8] Taylor grew up listening to classical music and jazz; as an adolescent she began listening to rock, pop, folk, and other music styles.[8] Taylor grew up in Paterson and Wharton, New Jersey and attended Morris Hills High School; she graduated early, with parental permission, at the age of 16 so she could focus on her music career.[7]

Musical career

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Taylor played clubs almost every night between the ages of 16 and 18; at the age of 19, she joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra and sang with it for two years, touring Europe, Japan, and the United States.[7][6] She toured in the mid-1980s with Pat Benatar and George Benson as a percussionist and singer before joining Foreigner as a choir director and coordinator, recruiting and organizing local choirs in each city to accompany the band during their performance of I Want to Know What Love Is, including a performance at the 1985 Farm Aid; after her work with Foreigner she joined Pink Floyd, in 1987, for their A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour.[7][8][9][6] Taylor was eventually replaced by fellow backup singer Durga McBroom's sister, Lorelei McBroom.[10] Nick Mason and David Gilmour were familiar with Taylor's album session work when she was hired for the tour; she was a touring member of the band for their 1987 and 1988 performances.[11]

Following her tenure with Pink Floyd, Taylor joined Hiroshima, performed with Sting, released two solo albums, and has worked on two albums and a number of tours with Gov't Mule; she has also focused on academic pursuits.[1][7][12][6] In 2023, she joined "Gov’t Mule in the Live Nation production of a Pink Floyd show called Darkside of the Mule, in honor of the 50th anniversary of “Darkside of the Moon.”[6]

Academic career

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Taylor resumed academic work following her projects with Sting, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Natalie Merchant, as well as releasing two solo albums, graduating from institutions including New York University, State University of New York Empire State College, Shenandoah University, and University of Utah.[13][6] She has been a lecturer at New York University and The New School's School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.[1][7][12][6]

Personal life

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Taylor is married to Gov't Mule keyboardist Danny Louis and they reside in the New York Hudson Valley's Ulster County area; together, they produce music as the act Gratus Corde.[1][7][14][15] Many fans are also familiar with Taylor as "Margaret" and Taylor explained her focus on the name Machan as follows: "Machan is my Japanese family name. 'Chan' is like an honorific or term of endearment. My grandmother in Japan called me Machan when I was little... it’s a common thing with family and close friends to use a first name or part of a name and add 'chan'... it makes me feel connected to my grandmother and family in Japan... it’s part of my original identity... I never felt like a Margaret, even though that’s connected to my English background and my father's side of the family, who were mainly from England and Ireland."[7]

Discography

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Solo albums

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  • Machan (2004)
  • Motion of Love (2007)

With Bernie Taupin

With Belinda Carlisle

With Eric Marienthal

With Leonard Cohen

With Mark Portman

  • Driving Beverly Hills (2003)

With Moby

With Neal Schon

With Pink Floyd

With REO Speedwagon

With Hiroshima

  • East (1989)

With Hurt

With SouthGang

  • Tainted Angel (1991)

With Leonard Cohen

With Gov't Mule

Collaboration

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Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role
1988 Delicate Sound of Thunder Background vocals for Pink Floyd[16]
1999 American Beauty Music for the movie through Sonoton Music Production.
2014 Boyhood Music for the movie through Sonoton Music Production.

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 The Oprah Winfrey Show Music composition

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Machan Taylor Returns to Her Role Celebrating the Music of Pink Floyd | New Jersey Stage". newjerseystage.com. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  2. ^ "Pink Floyd, Gov't Mule and NYU: Machan Taylor is on a (rock and) roll | Poughkeepsie Journal". www.poughkeepsiejournal.com. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  3. ^ "Machan Taylor Adjunct Instructor | New York University". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  4. ^ "Faculty | The New School". newschool.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  5. ^ "Durga McBroom, Scott Page & Machan Taylor discuss Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder | JTCurtisMusic". youtube.com. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Musician Spotlight Interview | Machan Taylor". boston.splashmags.com/. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Machan Taylor: a Biographical Glimpse by Ed Lopez-Reyes | Publius Enigma". publiusenigma.co.uk. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  8. ^ a b c d "Pablo Sanchez entrevista a Machan Taylor | Pablo Sanchez The Art and Wine Channel". youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  9. ^ Blake 2008, p. 329: Taylor one of the backup singers intended to add diversity to the band's stage presence; Schaffner 1991, p. 301: Carin explains Gilmour's paradigm in hiring musicians.
  10. ^ Schaffner 1991, p. 305: Gilmour wanted to 'bring more color to the picture' and re-organized Pink Floyd's backup singer ensemble based on this objective.
  11. ^ Mason 2005, p. 295: Rachel Fury was hired through engineer and producer James Guthrie and Durgam McBroom was familiar to the band from her Blue Pearl project; Taylor was known for her studio work with other artists.
  12. ^ a b "Machan Taylor — Those who can, teach | KO63 Music". medium.com/ko63-music. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  13. ^ "Getting Personal An Interview with Machan Taylor". Pan American Vocology Association. 2022. pp. 11, 12.
  14. ^ "Machan Taylor, Danny Louis 'Light the torch of love' as they 'Burn Down Babylon' with new song | Barry on the Beat". barryonthebeat.com. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  15. ^ "Burn Down Babylon by Gratus Corde | Radio Woodstock". www.radiowoodstock.com. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  16. ^ Kielty, Martin (November 22, 2023). "35 Years Ago: Pink Floyd Finally Goes Live on 'Delicate Sound of Thunder'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 10, 2024.

Sources

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