John Taylor (Duran Duran)

Nigel John Taylor was born June 20, 1960 in Birmingham, England. In 1978, he and school friend Nick Rhodes formed the pop band Duran Duran. Taylor played guitar at the time, but switched to bass guitar after discovering the funky rhythms of Chic. Duran Duran released its first album in 1981, and went on to worldwide success in the early 1980s.

Duran Duran's early music tended to feature prominent, almost melodic bass lines, following the model of funk and disco songs like "Good Times[?]". Although it was occasionally plain in the beginning that Taylor's playing was naive and self-taught, he developed a unique undulating style that has since inspired many imitators. Both his musicianship and his good looks drew more attention than was generally received by pop bassists, prompting occasional comparisons to the popularity of Paul McCartney.

As Duran Duran became a worldwide success in the early 1980s, Taylor's individual celebrity grew. His picture was a staple of teen magazines, and he won numerous popularity polls (including appearances on People Magazine[?]s annual list of "Sexiest" people). He lived a lavish lifestyle with homes in London and Paris, and owned several cars which he rarely had a chance to drive (including the Aston Martin he had always dreamed of). He dated fashion models (including Bond girl Janine Andrews[?] and "Face of the '80's" Renee Simonsen[?]), was welcome at parties all over the world, and, of course, developed the cocaine addiction to go with the rest of his high living.

In 1985, Duran Duran split into two side projects. John Taylor and Duran guitarist Andy Taylor[?] joined forces with singer Robert Palmer[?] and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson to form the band Power Station[?]. With the guidance of producer Nile Rodgers, they released one album, Power Station 33 1/3, with two hit singles, "Some Like It Hot" and the T Rex song "Bang A Gong (Get It On)".

That year Taylor also launched his first solo effort, recording the single "I Do What I Do" for the soundtrack of the movie Nine and 1/2 Weeks.

Duran Duran reformed for 1987's Notorious album, and continued to record and tour throughout the 1990s. Taylor recorded a fair amount of unreleased solo material on the side, including several tracks used on the soundtrack of the Allison Anders[?] movie Mi Vida Loca[?].

In 1996, he recorded his first solo album, Feelings Are Good (And Other Lies), and made an attempt to market it by mail order, relying on word-of-mouth among Duran fanzines and online communities. He then recorded an album and toured with the Neurotic Outsiders[?].

He was briefly married to actress Amanda De Cadenet[?], and they had a daughter together. He moved from England to Los Angeles to help further his wife's acting career, which exacerbated tensions within Duran Duran. At this point Taylor was also struggling to end his long addiction to cocaine. He made an attempt to reunite Power Station, but his personal problems forced him to withdraw from the project, which went on to record and tour with Bernard Edwards in his stead.

In 1997, Taylor announced that he was leaving Duran Duran to pursue a solo career. He re-released Feelings Are Good on a larger label, and co-founded his own recording studio, B5 Records, with producer Hein Hoven. The studio never quite got off the ground, but Taylor went on to release several more self-produced albums and related merchandise through his website, Trust The Process.

Taylor also began making forays into acting. His long friendship with Allison Anders led to a starring role in the independent movie Sugar Town, and he made appearances in several other small movies and TV specials.

In 2001, Taylor reunited with the original five members of Duran Duran to record new material.

Discography:

1981 - Duran Duran, Duran Duran[?]
1982 - Duran Duran, Rio
1983 - Duran Duran, Seven and the Ragged Tiger
1984 - Duran Duran, Arena
1985 - Power Station, The Power Station 33 1/3
1985 - Duran Duran, A View to a Kill single
1986 - John Taylor, I Do What I Do single
1986 - Duran Duran, Notorious
1988 - Duran Duran, Big Thing
1989 - Duran Duran, Decade
1990 - Duran Duran, Liberty
1993 - Duran Duran, The Wedding Album
1995 - Duran Duran, Thank You
1996 - John Taylor, Feelings Are Good and Other Lies
1996 - Neurotic Outsiders, Neurotic Outsiders
1997 - John Taylor, Autodidact (EP)
1997 - Various, Dream Home Heartaches....Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music
1997 - Duran Duran, Medazzaland (4 tracks)
1998 - Duran Duran, Greatest
1998 - John Taylor Terroristen, 5.30.98 (EP)
1999 - John Taylor/Jonathan Elias, Resume
1999 - John Taylor, Meltdown
1999 - John Taylor, The Japan Album
2000 - John Taylor, Japanese EP
2000 - John Taylor, Live Cuts
2001 - John Taylor, Techno For Two
2001 - John Taylor, Retreat Into Art
2002 - John Taylor, MetaFour

Film Credits:

1999 - Sugar Town: Clive
2000 - Four Dogs Playing Poker: Dick
2000 - The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas: cameo, Keith Rockhard
2000 - A Diva's Christmas Carol: Ghost of Christmas Present (VH1)
2001 - Strange Frequency: Jimmy Blitz (VH1)
2001 - Vegas, City of Dreams: Byron Llord
2002 - That 80s Show: cameo, Zeke

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External Links

• http://www.trusttheprocess.com.
• http://www.duranduran.com
• http://us.imdb.com/Name?Taylor,+John+(IV)
• http://www.durandurantimeline.com