Imagine you are sitting in the small loft of a local bar, the walls lined with worn cushioned seats where a small cocktail table and oversized ottoman dot the floor space. The lighting is dim and the air is warm and humid as people shoehorn in for the show including standing two-deep on each step down the staircase…or imagine being in a tunnel cut beneath California’s Pacific Coast Highway. An archway of hard corrugated metal above your head with concrete walls and damp, gritty asphalt beneath your feet…or imagine yourself in the stairwell of your multi-story housing project. Grey cinder block walls, round steel railings and a maze of exposed ducting. These are among the many inconspicuous places that Stan Taylor has found inspiration to create and perform music. The natural acoustics generate feelings, sounds and vibrations that are unique and Stan Taylor has a gift for finding the extraordinary, within what most others would see as ordinary.

At 29 years old, Stan has been developing as an independent artist for nearly a decade. Raised in Central California, he moved to LA in 2009, after winning a reality television competition with ABC/Disney. This opportunity opened doors for Stan to begin building a network in Los Angeles to create and perform music.

Stan is in a love affair with Soul and R&B classics. One of his most successful endeavors thus far is a string vintage hits he pushes through his social media platforms entitled “The Classic Series.” Stan delivers seemingly effortless, soulful, and smooth acoustic renditions of covers he has selected to pay homage to industry icons like Al Green, Billy Paul, Frankie Valli, Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder. In his own journey as a musician it’s clear that Stan sees himself as a student of these great idols. Taylor’s genuine, raw and authentic talent will make you stop what you are doing and listen to the magic being made onscreen. His stripped down renditions, typically filmed in black and white video or vintage, muted color tones, foreshadow his own sound as an artist.

Its’ one thing to make great covers, and another to make original music that stands on it’s own. Taylor’s 2017 EP, Tunnel Vision does not disappoint. In a July, 2018, interview with Rosario Moreno of A Medium Corporation, she shares her love of the EP stating,

“Woman’s Wonder is probably my favorite track because he states that men have an important part in the pursuit of equality and women’s rights. Given the political climate it’s refreshing to hear a man speak up in this way because it’s absolutely necessary that men have these conversations among themselves…finding an artist that doesn’t shy way from speaking up is inspiring.”

Moreno also spoke of Taylor’s most recent appearance on national television last December when he was featured on the Steve Harvey Show where he performed Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On along with his band. She applauds his performance on the show and goes on to say,

“… what was especially moving to me was a clip on the show’s website. In the interview, Taylor reveals that when his 28 year old sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, he reevaluated himself as an artist and his work ethic.”

Reflecting on the hard work, mental toughness and the ability to overcome adversity required to succeed in the music business, he says,

“It’s never going to be as hard as seeing her go through six months of chemotherapy. Nothing will ever be that hard, for me, personally.”

Taylor’s carefully cultivated selection of covers definitely points to a quality over quantity approach that has garnered respect and admiration from his fans and fellow artists. His next EP entitled, Riffraff & Chivalry is set to be released in late fall, 2018. This collection of songs represents the latest embodiment of Stan Taylor’s work. He combines youthful energy and a world-class voice with intangible charisma and a vintage soul. Emotional, passionate, raw and moving, these adjectives not only describe Stan Taylor the artist, these also describe what listeners feel and experience when they hear Stan perform. Stan Taylor has a gift for finding the extraordinary, within what most others would see as ordinary.