Lewis Taylor (born 20 January 1966) is a British

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...

musician, born and raised in Barnet,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, England, in the late 1960s. He started in the music business as a guitarist touring with the

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band

Edgar Broughton Band Edgar Broughton Band were a British blues rock band founded in Warwick in 1968, and in their initial form were operative through to 1976. The group were also a significant influence on the emerging politically conscious and spiritually aware ...

. 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 Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

and was highly acclaimed. However, it became "an album that everybody talked about but few bought". 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''.

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

covered "

Lovelight "Lovelight" is a song written and originally performed by Lewis Taylor for his 2002 album, '' Stoned, Part I''. In 2006, the song was covered by British singer Robbie Williams. His version was produced by Mark Ronson and was released as the s ...

" from ''Stoned, Part 1'' on his 2006 album, ''

Rudebox ''Rudebox'' is the seventh studio album by the English singer Robbie Williams, released by Chrysalis Records on 23 October 2006 in the United Kingdom. A breakaway from previous releases, Williams worked with a variety of producers, including Ma ...

''. In June 2006, Lewis Taylor retired from music. As Andrew Taylor, he had since been musical director and bass player for

Gnarls Barkley Gnarls Barkley is an American soul music, soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere (album), St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contai ...

, and guitarist/backing vocalist for the

and The Drivers. 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". The album was released early, on 15 June.

Discography

Studio albums *'' Lewis Taylor'' (1996) *'' Lewis II'' (2000) *'' Stoned, Part I'' (2002) *'' Stoned, Part II'' (2004) *'' The Lost Album'' (2004) *''Numb'' (2022) Compilations *'' Limited Edition 2002'' (2002) *'' Limited Edition 2004'' (2004) Singles/EPs *1996: "Lucky" *1996: "Whoever" *1997: "Bittersweet" *1997: "Lucky" (reissue) *1997: "Lucky" (Kruder & Dorfmeister Mixes) *1997: "Bittersweet" (12") *1997: "Bittersweet" (Lucas's Mixes 12") *2004: ''Reconsider - The 'Stoned Part II' EP'' (12") *2005: ''In Session 2005'' (digital only release) *2005: ''Stoned Instrumentals'' (CDr, promo, EP) *2006: ''Stoned Live'' (Hacktone 3-track promo-only EP) *2006: ''Hide Your Heart Away'' (CD, EP, promo) Soundtracks and miscellaneous appearances *1998: Mojo soundtrack (tracks ''Crazy Crazy Momma'', "Don't Make Me Wait", both credited as Little Lewis) *1998:

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' is a 1998 neo-noir black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie. It follows a heist involving a confident young card sharp who loses £500,000 to a powerful crime lord in a rigged game of ...

soundtrack (track "18 With A Bullet") duet with

Carleen Anderson Carleen Cassandra Anderson (born May 10, 1957) is an American musician. She was the vocalist, composer, and musician for the Young Disciples and is known for her numerous, varied collaborations. Her solo career began in 1992. She is credited w ...

*1998: Lullabies With a Difference (track "Cherry Blossom") *1999: Ophelie Winter - Privacy (tracks ''Move On'', "Lovin' You More") *2000:

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...

soundtrack (track "Blue Eyes") *2004: The Trip Created By Tom Middleton (track "Lovelight") *2006: Live At The World Cafe Volume 22: Catch 22 (track "Stoned Pt. 1") *2010: The Last Holiday soundtrack (track "Back Together") *2011: Deborah Bond - Madam Palindrome (track "If I Didn't Need You") duet with Deborah Bond *2012: The Vicar - Songbook #1 (tracks "The Girl With the Sunshine in Her Eyes" and "That Boy's Not Cool")

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Lewis English composers English multi-instrumentalists Living people Musicians from the London Borough of Barnet Neo soul singers 1966 births