Lewis Taylor

For other people named Lewis Taylor, see Lewis Taylor (disambiguation).

Lewis Taylor
Birth nameAndrew Lewis Taylor
Also known asAndrew Taylor, Andy Taylor, Sheriff Jack
Born (1966-01-20) 20 January 1966 (age 58)
London, England
GenresNeo soul, psychedelia
Instrument(s)Voice
Guitar
Bass Piano
Years active
  • 1986-2006
  • 2021–present
LabelsSlow Reality

Lewis Taylor (born 20 January 1966) is a British multi-instrumentalist musician, born and raised in Barnet, North London, England, in the late 1960s. He started in the music business as a guitarist touring with the psychedelic rock band Edgar Broughton Band.[1] In 1986 he began performing as Sheriff Jack, releasing two albums of psychedelia music, Laugh Yourself Awake (1986) and What Lovely Melodies! (1987). As Lewis Taylor, he released his self-titled album in 1996, through Island Records, with tracks including "Bittersweet" and "Lucky" being released as singles. The album showcased a significant departure from psychedelia towards neo soul and was highly acclaimed.[2] However, it became "an album that everybody talked about but few bought".[3]

His follow-up album, which was less of a soul record and included more elements of psychedelia and Brian Wilson-style arrangements, was rejected by Island Records. Taylor scrapped the whole record (though he'd release it in 2004 as The Lost Album), and started from scratch, recording Lewis II in the more commercial style that the record company wanted. Though they released the album in 2000, it too failed to connect and Taylor was dropped by the label.

Taylor released his next album Stoned, Part I in 2002 on his own label named Slow Reality (an anagram of his name), and followed it up in 2004 with, Stoned, Part II.[4] Robbie Williams covered "Lovelight" from Stoned, Part 1 on his 2006 album, Rudebox.

In June 2006, Lewis Taylor retired from music.[5] As Andrew Taylor, he had since been musical director and bass player for Gnarls Barkley, and guitarist/backing vocalist for the Edgar Broughton Band[6] and The Drivers.[7] In 2016, Caroline Records re-issued his debut album on CD with a bonus disc comprising the b-sides, Lucky remixes and extended version of "Bittersweet".

On 2 June 2021 a representative for Taylor announced that work had begun on his first new studio album in 17 years. On 10 June 2022 it was announced that the album, titled Numb, would be released on 26 August. The album was preceded by the single "Final Hour".[8] The album was released early, on 15 June.

  1. ^ "Lewis Taylor - Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. ^ "BBC Review". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  3. ^ Easlea, Daryl. "BBC - Music - Review of Lewis Taylor - Lewis Taylor". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Lewis Taylor". Open.spotify.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Lewis taylor". 17 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Rockpalast". 1.wdr.de. 12 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. ^ "The Drivers". Feenstra.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Lewis Taylor - Posts". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.