Thursday, March 28, 2024

WE REMEMBER: R&B Legend Bobby Taylor (Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers) Dies at 83

*Another R&B legend has transitioned. According to Soul Tracks, Bobby Taylor, the legendary lead vocalist of Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, has died from throat cancer. He was 83.

Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers is forever known as the group behind the classic Motown hit “Does Your Mama Know About Me” which was released in 1968. But the thing that most music aficionados probably don’t know about Taylor is that he is also credited by many with discovering the Jackson 5.

Taylor was born in Washington, DC and moved to New York to sing with doo-wop groups from the area and later moved to Columbus, OH to join the Four Pharaohs.

In the early-60’s, while in San Francisco, he joined up with Tommy Melton, Tommy Chong (Yep, the very same Chong from Cheech & Chong fame), Wes Anderson, Bernie Snead and Floyd Snead (Three Dog Night) in the band Little Daddy and the Bachelors which mainly did Motown covers.

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bobby taylor
Bobby Taylor

By the middle of the decade, they had changed their name to Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers and were discovered by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard of the Supremes. Motown head Berry Gordy brought the group to Detroit and signed them to the Gordy label. Their first single, “Does Your Mama Know About Me” (co-written by Chong) went to number 29 on the Hot 100 and 5 on the R&B singles in 1968.

Here’s more about Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers via Wikipedia:

Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a soul band from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. The group recorded for the Gordy Records division of Motown Records in 1968, where they had a top 30 hit single, “Does Your Mama Know About Me”. As a producer and solo artist, Bobby Taylor contributed to several other soul recordings, both inside and outside of Motown. Taylor is most notable for discovering and mentoring The Jackson 5. Tommy Chong was a member of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers before he became famous as a comedian.

After the Jackson 5 signed to Motown in March 1969, Taylor became the group’s first producer. He supervised the bulk of their first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, recording the Jacksons on a number of soul covers, including The Miracles’ “Who’s Lovin’ You”.[1][8] Berry Gordy would later move the group to California and take personal control of their sound. Although Taylor would briefly join the Jacksons in California, he did not receive credit for working on the group’s early singles such as “I Want You Back” and “ABC” alongside Gordy’s team known as The Corporation.[1] In addition to those, he produced most of their covers of older rhythm and blues songs.

You can read/learn MORE at Wikipedia.

Bobby Taylor’s Facebook page

 

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