Alvin Taylor (born March 26, 1953) is an American drummer, producer musical director, and author who is best known for his work with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

, and Bob Welch.

Early life and career

Alvin Taylor started playing drums at the age of 5. He played in various local bands and began his professional career at the age of 14, when he started touring with

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

. As part of Little Richard's band, Taylor played with

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and opened a show for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. Later he played with PG&E on their number one record, ''Are You Ready''. He turned down Jerry Goldstein's offer to play in the famous

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band

War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

, but joined

's band after Burdon left War. The Eric Burdon Band released a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

-packed album, '' Sun Secrets''; Taylor is shown on the cover. Taylor was also featured on their unreleased album ''

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...

'' (released in 2008), '' Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' (on February 9, 1974), and is mentioned in Burdon's 2001 book ''Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood''. Taylor performed at the first ever airing of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' on October 11, 1975. In 1976 he played on

's album '' Thirty Three & 1/3'', recorded at the former Beatle's Friar Park estate in England. Citing the album sessions, Taylor later called Harrison "the very best and my most favorite person" of all the artists with whom he had worked. He played on two albums by

, ''

'' (1976) and '' A Whole New Thing'' (1977). He then joined Bob Welch's band and recorded the album ''

French Kiss A French kiss, also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss, is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sens ...

'' (1977), which featured the hit single "Ebony Eyes". During subsequent years he appeared on albums by artists including

Aalon Aalon is an American soul group from Los Angeles formed by lead singer and guitarist Aalon Butler. Butler played guitar for Eric Burdon in the 1970s prior to forming the band Aalon, which signed to Arista Records in 1977. Their debut album, '' C ...

, Jesse Colin Young, Les McCann,

Lauren Wood Lauren Wood (born Ilene Rappaport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), also known as Chunky, is an American singer-songwriter, voice-over artist, and producer. Her 1981 single "Fallen" from the album ''Cat Trick'' was used in the 1990 movie '' Pretty W ...

, Gil-Scott Heron, The Originals,

Syreeta Syreeta Wright (born Rita Wright, February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), known mononymously as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs ...

, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Keni Burke,

Stargard Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...

Sammy Hagar Sam Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a ...

Billy Thorpe William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", "Poison Iv ...

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel, and R&B, became a pivotal influence on subsequent Amer ...

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

, and ''

Three Hearts ''Three Hearts'' is the second solo album by rock musician and former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch. Just like Welch's previous effort ''French Kiss'', ''Three Hearts'' was a commercial success. The album reached number 20 on the US char ...

'' by Bob Welch. On Danny O'Keefe's record '' American Roulette'' (1977) he appeared alongside Reggie McBride,

Mike Melvoin Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific studio musician, recording with Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, ...

, and David Lindley. In 1979, he appeared on

's single '' (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay'' which features

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section, which supported so many of Asylu ...

Barry Goudreau Barry Goudreau (born November 29, 1951) is an American musician. He was one of two original guitarists for the Rock music, rock band Boston (band), Boston alongside founder Tom Scholz; both Scholz and Goudreau shared lead and rhythm guitar part ...

and

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

, who originally played on the

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

version. Later in the same year he appeared on Cher's album ''Prisoner'' with Toto members

Steve Lukather Steven Lee "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to ...

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer. He is best known for being the co-founder and drummer of the rock band Toto, but is also one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working on hundr ...

David Hungate David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American retired bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate. Along with most of his ...

David Paich David Frank Paich (born June 25, 1954) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist, and secondary vocalist of the rock band Toto (band), Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrot ...

, and others. In 1980 he appeared again with Lukather and Paich on

's album '' 21 at 33''. Other notable musicians include

Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the rock band Chicago (band), Chicago from 1 ...

Chuck Findley Charles B. Findley (born December 13, 1947, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American trumpet player known for his diverse work as a session musician. He also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone. His technical ab ...

, and

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

. Taylor then appeared on Bob Welch's albums ''

Man Overboard "Man overboard!" is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that a member of the crew or a passenger has fallen off of the ship into the water and is in need of immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person fall is to shout, "Man overboar ...

'' (1980) and '' Bob Welch'' (1981). In 1981, he also appeared on the album '' 1234'' by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

member

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

. In 2011 he began working with Ukulele Ray and regularly plays at the

NAMM Show The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

. Beginning in 2013 he toured with "The Gypsy Experience" as well as former

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

member, David Lautrec and his group Desert Redux. In 2024, Taylor released his autobiography
“Drum Major 2 Major Drummer”
on Amazon in both paperback and ebook. He also announced his

Official Website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, ...

and has been actively promoting his book through book signings and new social media content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter).

Discography

George Harrison

* '' Thirty Three & 1/3'' (1976)

Bill Withers

* ''

Menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern zoo or zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, referring to ...

'' (1977) * ''The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums'' (2012, Compilation) * ''Original Album Classics'' (2013, Compilation)

Billy Preston

* ''

'' (1976) * '' A Whole New Thing'' (1977)

Bob Welch

* ''

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) * '' Bob Welch'' (1981) * '' Live from the Roxy'' (2004, Live-Recording from 1981)

Elton John

* '' 21 at 33'' (1980) * '' The Fox'' (1981) * '' To Be Continued...'' (1990, Compilation)

Eric Burdon

* '' Sun Secrets'' (1974) * '' Stop'' (1975) * ''

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

'' (1977) * ''Sun Secrets & Stop'' (1993, Compilation) * '' Soldier of Fortune'' (1997, Unreleased-Compilation) * '' Live at the Roxy'' (1998, Live-Recording from 1975) * '' Live 17th October 1974'' (2009, Live-Recording from 1974)

Sly & the Family Stone

* '' Back on the Right Track'' (1979) * ''Who in the Funk Do You Think You Are'' (2001, Compilation)

Other Credits

* The Originals - ''Communique'' (1976) *

- ''One to One'' (1977) * Danny O'Keefe - ''American Roulette'' (1977) * Aalon - ''Cream City'' (1977) * Stargard - ''What You Waitin' For'' (1978) *

- ''Prisoner'' (1979) * Pyrymyd - ''Pyrymyd'' (1980) *

- ''Stimulation'' (1981) *

- ''1234'' (1981) *

- ''View From The Ground'' (1982)

References

5. Taylor, Alvin. Alvin Taylor Official Website www.A American male drummers Living people 1953 births 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians lvinTaylormusic.com 6. Taylor, Alvin. Public Relations Director, Alvin Taylor. PULS Entertainment {{authority control