Nigel John Taylor (born 20 June 1960) is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for

new romantic The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...

band

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...

, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 1980s due in part to their music videos which played in heavy rotation in the early days of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Taylor played with Duran Duran from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He recorded a dozen solo releases (albums, EPs, and video projects) through his private record label B5 Records over the next four years, had a lead role in the movie ''

Sugar Town "Sugar Town" is a song written by songwriter-producer Lee Hazlewood and first recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra in 1966. As a single released under the Reprise label, it peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in Dece ...

'', and made appearances in a half dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a reunion of the original five members of the group in 2001 and has remained with the group since. Taylor was also a member of two supergroups: The Power Station and

Neurotic Outsiders Neurotic Outsiders was a British-American rock supergroup founded in 1995, consisting of Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran. The first line-up featured Billy Idol and ...

Early life

Born in

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...

, which was then in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

, John Taylor grew up in nearby

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, England. As a child, he attended Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic school and the Abbey High School, in

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

, wore glasses (due to severe

myopia Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal. Other symptoms may includ ...

, over -10

dioptre A dioptre (British spelling) or diopter (American spelling) is a unit of measurement with dimension of reciprocal length, equivalent to one reciprocal metre, 1 dioptre = 1 m−1. It is normally used to express the optical power of a lens or ...

s), enjoyed

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

movies and was interested in the hobby of

wargaming A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

with hand-painted model soldiers. In his early teen years, he discovered music, choosing

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

as his favourite band, and before long was collecting records and teaching himself to play the piano. His first band was called Shock Treatment.

Career

1978–1997: Duran Duran and Power Station

In 1978, Taylor and school friend

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates, 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member, keyboardist, and only continuous member of the band Duran Duran. He is also informally monikered as "The Controller ...

formed

with

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...

while attending the School of Foundation Studies & Experimental Workshop at Birmingham Polytechnic (now

Birmingham City University , mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business" , established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843—Birmingham College of Art , type = Public , affiliation = ...

). Soon after Taylor underwent an " ugly duckling" transformation—ditching the glasses for

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmeti ...

es, adopting the ruffles and sashes of the fashion that would become known as the

New Romantic The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...

style, and learning to wear eyeliner and lipstick. He stopped using the name "Nigel", and has been known throughout his professional career as John Taylor. Taylor played guitar when Duran Duran was founded, but switched to bass guitar after discovering the funky rhythms of Chic, and learned to enjoy playing in the

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhyth ...

with Duran's newly recruited drummer Roger Taylor. He has frequently cited Chic's

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the 5 ...

and

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

Paul Simonon Paul Gustave Simonon (; born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz a ...

as his strongest influences, in addition to

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases ...

, and Roxy Music players Graham Simpson and John Porter. Duran Duran released their first album in 1981, and went on to worldwide success in the early 1980s. In 1985, after recording the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

to the Bond movie ''

A View to a Kill ''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film and the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and is the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted ...

'', Duran Duran split into two side projects. John Taylor and Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor joined forces with former Chic drummer Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer, who earlier met at Duran Duran's charity concert at Aston Villa football ground 1983, to form the band The Power Station. With the guidance of producer Bernard Edwards, they released one album, ''The Power Station'', which produced the hit singles "Some Like It Hot" and the

T.Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' ...

cover song " Bang a Gong (Get It On)". John Taylor 1985 (cropped)

That year, Taylor also launched his first solo effort, recording the single " I Do What I Do..." for the soundtrack to the movie ''

9½ Weeks ''9½ Weeks'' is a 1986 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne, and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. Basinger portrays a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wall ...

'' starring Kim Basinger. He also wrote some instrumental music for the movie's score with collaborator

Jonathan Elias Jonathan Elias (born 1956) is an American composer best known for his film soundtracks. Background Elias was born in New York City in 1956. He is of Jewish-Hungarian background. Elias started playing piano at the age of six, and was composin ...

. When Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left the band, the three remaining members reformed Duran Duran for the 1986 '' Notorious'' album, and continued to record and tour throughout the 1990s with new guitarist

Warren Cuccurullo Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, restaurant owner and former body builder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s ...

. On 24 December 1991, Taylor married 19-year-old

Amanda de Cadenet Amanda de Cadenet (; born 19 May 1972) is an English photographer, author, and media personality based in Los Angeles, United States. She began her entertainment career in the 1990s, first as a presenter for British series '' The Word'' and ''The ...

, who was already pregnant with his daughter Atlanta (born 31 March 1992). He moved from England to Los Angeles, California to help further his wife's acting career, as well as to escape constant attention from the British tabloids. Taylor's marriage declined even as Duran Duran's star rose with the success of 1993's ''

'', also known as ''The Wedding Album''. In late 1994, Taylor sought treatment for his substance abuse, and has remained sober since. He and de Cadenet separated in May 1995. Duran Duran's success rapidly waned with the widely derided 1995 covers album ''

Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...

''. Following that album's supporting tour, Duran Duran spent part of the summer of 1995 in London working on the album ''

Medazzaland ''Medazzaland'' is the ninth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. It was released on 14 October 1997 by Capitol Records. The album was never officially released physically in Europe until 2022, and was solely released in North Am ...

''. Concurrently, Taylor devoted time to the side project

, recording and touring with that band from the end of 1995 through the start of 1996.

1997–2001: Solo music career

In January 1997, Taylor announced at a Duran Duran fan convention that he was leaving the band. During 1997 and 1998, Taylor built and toured with a band called "John Taylor Terroristen" ( Gerry Laffy on guitar, Michael Railton/Tio Banks on keyboard, Larry Aberman on drums, John Amato on sax and flute) which played numerous shows in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

before touring the East and West Coasts of the United States. Terroristen released a live EP ''5.30.98'' and the accompanying video ''Better Off Alive'' through the Trust The Process website. After

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

, Taylor said he would never use the band name "Terroristen" again. Taylor also began making forays into acting. His long friendship with

Allison Anders Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include '' Gas Food Lodging'', ''Mi Vida Loca'' and ''Grace of My Heart''. Anders has collaborated with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Televis ...

led to a starring role in her independent film, ''Sugar Town'', in 1998. He also appeared in small roles in several other movies and TV programmes over the next couple of years. In 1999, Taylor released two albums of earlier material. The first, ''Résumé'', was made up of unreleased music that he and

had worked on together during the 1985 sessions for the ''9½ Weeks'' movie soundtrack. The second, ''Meltdown'', was a collection of tracks Taylor had laid down in 1992, during the extensive delays in Duran Duran's recording of ''The Wedding Album''. Later in 1999 Taylor signed a recording contract with the Japanese record label Avex Trax, and released an album labelled simply ''John Taylor'' on the cover, but listed in his official discography as ''The Japan Album''. He continued recording for Avex in 2000, and early in 2001 released ''Techno For Two'' (featuring the international hit "6,000 Miles" co-written by Matthew Hager), a decidedly non-

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

album filled with very personal songs. Shortly after, as talks began for a potential Duran Duran reunion, Taylor decided to create a retrospective package called ''Retreat into Art'' demonstrating his development over the previous five years. Taylor's final solo release, completed after the Duran Duran reunion was under way, was the collection ''MetaFour'' released in 2002. In October 2012, Taylor released an autobiography called ''In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran''. In 2013, the Writers in Treatment organisation awarded Taylor with the "Experience, Strength and Hope" award for his work.

2001–present: Duran Duran reunion

In 2000, Taylor was approached at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

by singer Simon Le Bon about a possible reunion with the original Duran Duran lineup, and he was enthusiastic about the idea as long as the other Taylors (Roger and Andy, who had left the band in 1986) were willing to rejoin as well. An agreement was soon reached, and Taylor demonstrated his renewed commitment to the band by getting an enormous linked-D's

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

on the upper side of his right arm After a highly successful tour of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

in 2003, the reunited band was signed with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

, and released the album ''

Astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

'' in October 2004. They toured throughout the first half of 2005 before returning to the studio to work on their next new album. Guitarist Andy Taylor left the band again in October 2006, and recordings from this session (with the working title "Reportage") were set aside when the band got a chance to work with famed producer Timbaland. The resulting album, "Red Carpet Massacre", was released in November 2007. To celebrate its release the band took the unprecedented step of performing the album in its entirety for 10 special performances on Broadway in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, with a world tour in 2008. In December 2010, the band released its 13th studio album, ''

All You Need is Now ''All You Need Is Now'' is the thirteenth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. Produced by Mark Ronson, a truncated version of the album was released digitally on 21 December 2010. A physical package was released on 21 March 2011 ...

'', on its own record label, Tapemodern. Initially, an abbreviated version was offered to

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

, but the physical album arrived in shops in March 2011. In February 2013, he placed 29th in MusicRadar's greatest bassist poll. In December 2021, Bass Player magazine awarded Taylor a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Guest appearances

Taylor's side project

has re-convened for an occasional live show or two since a surprise four-show stint at the Viper Room in 1999. Taylor made his first film appearance outside of Duran Duran as "The Hacker" (alongside then-girlfriend Virginia Hey) in the pilot episode of ''Timeslip'', a 1985 TV programme that was not further developed. He later made a guest appearance in the 1985 ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'' episode titled "Whatever Works". In the episode, he, along with Tony Thompson, Andy Taylor, and Michael Des Barres played Power Station's 1985 hit "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". John was the only band member who had spoken lines, introducing character Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) to new lead singer Michael Des Barres. Taylor also made

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s in '' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'', and ''

Politically Incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

'' with Bill Maher in 2000, and ''

A Diva's Christmas Carol ''A Diva's Christmas Carol'' is a 2000 VH1-original Christmas television film starring Vanessa L. Williams, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Brian McNamara and Kathy Griffin. The film is based on Charles Dickens' classic, ''A Christmas Carol'' (1843) ...

'' in 2000 starring

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and '' That '80s Show'' in 2002. He also appeared on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

comedy panel game '' Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' as a panelist in April 2001. In 2010, he contributed bass to the debut album by Swahili Blonde with ex-Weave! drummer Nicole Turley on the track "Tigress Ritual". In 2020, he was interviewed in the Michael Cumming/Stewart Lee documentary King Rocker - a film about Robert Lloyd and The Nightingales, in regards to the early punk music scene in Birmingham and his band Shock Treatment.

Personal life

From 1985 to 1989, John dated Danish model Renée Toft Simonsen, to whom he was engaged. John married

Amanda De Cadenet Amanda de Cadenet (; born 19 May 1972) is an English photographer, author, and media personality based in Los Angeles, United States. She began her entertainment career in the 1990s, first as a presenter for British series '' The Word'' and ''The ...

at Chelsea Old Town Hall's register office on 24 December 1991, and they had one daughter, Atlanta Noo, on 31 March 1992. They officially separated in May 1995. In late 1994, Taylor sought treatment for his alcohol and substance abuse, and has remained sober since. John met his second wife, Gela Nash, co-founder of Juicy Couture, in 1996, and they married in Las Vegas on 27 March 1999. Taylor and Nash-Taylor reside primarily in Los Angeles, but spend several weeks a year at

South Wraxall Manor South Wraxall Manor is a Grade I listed country house which dates from the early 15th century, at South Wraxall in the English county of Wiltshire, about north of Bradford on Avon. According to popular legend, the house was the first place tob ...

, which they purchased in 2005. In 2013 Taylor became an American citizen, maintaining dual citizenship.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Feelings Are Good and Other Lies'' (1997) * ''Résumé'' with Jonathan Elias (1999) * ''Meltdown'' (1999) * ''The Japan Album'' (1999) * ''Techno for Two'' (2001) * ''MetaFour'' (2002)

with Duran Duran

* ''

'' (1981) * ''

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

'' (1982) * '' Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' (1983) * '' Notorious'' (1986) * '' Big Thing'' (1988) * ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' (1990) * '' The Wedding Album'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1997) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Reportage'' (2006) (unreleased) * ''

Red Carpet Massacre ''Red Carpet Massacre'' is the twelfth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 November 2007 by Epic Records. Most of the music on the final incarnation of the album was completed in late 2006 following the departure of ...

'' (2007) * ''

All You Need Is Now ''All You Need Is Now'' is the thirteenth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. Produced by Mark Ronson, a truncated version of the album was released digitally on 21 December 2010. A physical package was released on 21 March 2011 ...

'' (2010) * '' Paper Gods'' (2015) * '' Future Past'' (2021)

with The Power Station

* '' The Power Station'' (1985)

with Neurotic Outsiders

* ''

'' (1996)

Live albums

* ''(:live cuts)'' (2000)

Compilation albums

* ''

Only After Dark "Only After Dark" is a song by English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer Mick Ronson. Co-written with Scott Richardson, it was on Ronson's 1974 debut solo album '' Slaughter on 10th Avenue'', released shortly ...

'' with Nick Rhodes (2006)

Box sets

* ''Retreat into Art'' (2001)

Extended plays

* ''Autodidact'' (1997) * ''The Japan EP'' (2000) * ''Terroristen: Live at the Roxy'' (2001)

Soundtrack appearances

* "I Do What I Do" (from ''

'') (1985)

Film credits

* 1999 – ''

:'' Clive * 2000 – '' Four Dogs Playing Poker:'' Dick * 2000 – '' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas:'' Keith Richrock * 2000 – ''

:'' Ghost of Christmas Present (VH1) * 2001 – ''Strange Frequency:'' Jimmy Blitz (VH1)

References

External links

Duran Duran official websiteInterview with John Taylor
''iProng Radio'', 2006-10-11
duranplanet.com
Unofficial Italian Duran Duran site (Italian and English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, John 1960 births English rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists English male singer-songwriters English new wave musicians English record producers British synth-pop new wave musicians Living people Duran Duran members The Power Station (band) members Ivor Novello Award winners Alumni of Birmingham City University Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands Neurotic Outsiders members

Early life

Career

1978–1997: Duran Duran and Power Station

1997–2001: Solo music career

2001–present: Duran Duran reunion

Guest appearances

Personal life

Discography

Studio albums

with Duran Duran

with The Power Station

with Neurotic Outsiders

Live albums

Compilation albums

Box sets

Extended plays

Soundtrack appearances

Film credits

References

Further reading

External links