R. Dean Taylor
Biography
Taylor began his career in 1961, as a pianist and singer with several groups in Toronto. He also made his first recordings in 1961, for the Audiomaster label. The following year, Taylors "At The High School Dance", a single for Amy-Mala Records, was a minor success, and the singer decided to move to Detroit for better opportunities.
In Detroit, Taylor was hired by Motown Records in 1964 as a songwriter. Among Taylors hit co-compositions and co-productions for Motown are "Love Child" and "Im Livin in Shame" by Diana Ross and the Supremes, "Ill Turn to Stone" by Four Tops, and "All I Need" by The Temptations. Eventually Motown head Berry Gordy, Jr. gave Taylor a record deal. Taylor recorded several singles for the V.I.P. label, including "Poor Girl", "Lets Go Somewhere", and "Ladybug (Stay Away From That Beatle)".
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Taylor became one of the first artists assigned to Motowns new Rare Earth subsidiary, which was dedicated to white artists. In 1968 Taylors single "Gotta See Jane" became a Top 20 hit in England. Taylors "Indiana Wants Me" became a major hit in both the United States and his native Canada. As a Canadian, he could be played on CKLW as Canadian content. "Gotta See Jane" was reissued in 1971, and became a Top 10 hit in Canada. He also enjoyed a UK top three single with "Theres a Ghost in My House", later covered by Manchester band The Fall.
Taylor continued recording for Rare Earth, and working as a writer/producer for other artists until Rare Earth closed down in 1976. He attempted a comeback in the early 1980s, after which he took a hiatus from the industry. He has recently re-surfaced with his own record label, the appropriately dubbed "Jane Records". Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.
