Mel Taylor (September 24, 1933 – August 11, 1996) was an American musician who was the drummer for

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

from 1962 to 1996. He was born in

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant and the subsection of ...

, New York, and was the older brother of

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

bassist

Larry Taylor Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of the blues rock band Canned Heat. Before joining Canned Heat, he had been a session musician, session bassist for T ...

Career

After drumming with Boris Pickett and

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

, Taylor joined the Ventures in 1962 to fill in for Howie Johnson, who had been severely injured in an automobile accident. Johnson played with a neck brace for a period, but didn't want to be away from his family (in Washington state) for long periods, so he opted to be replaced. Taylor's distinct, harder-edged rock style so impressed the members of the band that they asked him to become a permanent member of the group. Taylor released a solo album in 1965 ("Mel Taylor & The Magics In Action"). In 1972, he decided to leave the Ventures to pursue a solo career, forming the band ''Mel Taylor & the Dynamics''. During this time, they released four albums: "007 James Bond", "Sand, Sea and Love", "Mel Taylor in Japan", and "Roll over Beethoven". Taylor rejoined the Ventures in 1979, and remained their drummer until his death in 1996. After Mel died, his son Leon Taylor replaced him, and has been the Ventures' drummer ever since.

Drumming style

Taylor used the traditional grip as opposed to the matched grip. He originally started out with The Ventures on a 4-piece drum kit with just hi-hats and a single cymbal. Towards the end of the 1960s, he expanded his kit to include multiple tom-toms and double bass drums; he eventually added numerous

crash cymbal A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to a ride cymbal. It can be mounted on a stand and played with a drum stick, or by hand in clash cymbals, pairs. One ...

s to his set as well. Taylor used many drum kits over the years including Rogers, Ludwig, Gretsch, and Canopus. Taylor preferred Zildjian cymbals, Pro-Mark drumsticks, and Remo drumheads.

Influences

Taylor mentioned in many interviews that

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, and

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

were some of his biggest influences while he was growing up, and that he got the

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

idea from

Declining health and death

In July 1996, Taylor developed what was initially diagnosed as pneumonia while on tour with the Ventures in Japan. Doctors there found a malignant tumor in his lungs, but he continued to play with the band until a replacement drummer could be found for the remainder of their tour. On August 2, Taylor returned to Los Angeles, California, for more tests and treatment, but the cancer had advanced and metastasized so quickly that in less than 10 days he died on August 11, 1996, at the age of 62 in Tarzana Hospital, California. Mel was survived by his wife, Fiona, his six children, Rita, Sylvia, Leon, Michael Lee, Michael Richard and Jayme, as well as 11 grandchildren.

Discography

* ''In Action! - Mel Taylor & The Magics'' (1966) Warner Brothers WB1624. USA. * ''Drums A-Go-Go'' Mel Taylor and the Magics – In Action. (1966). BP 7461. Japan. * ''007'' (1972) Dan Records VC-7501. Japan. * ''Sand, Sea and Love'' (1972) Dan Records VC-7503. Japan. * ''In Japan'' (1973) Dan Records VC-7506. Japan. * ''Live in Japan'' (1973) Bad New Records BNCY-29 (CD released in 1997). Japan. * ''Roll Over Beethoven'' (1973) Dan Records VC-7510. Japan. * ''The Very Best of Mel Taylor'' (2002) M and I Records. MYCV 30141. Japan.

References

External links

Biography of Mel Taylor (The Ventures)
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Mel 1933 births 1996 deaths Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jewish American musicians People from Brownsville, Brooklyn The Ventures members 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews Drummers from New York City