Songwriting
Perhaps a little known fact about Ron is that before he was a serious artist, he was a performing musician in several contemporary folk-bluegrass bands in the 1980’s as a guitarist/vocalist with his brother Randy. They played in some very notable venues, frequenting The Old Prospector and the famous Double Door Inn in Charlotte. It was a time when “newgrass” was becoming popular, and the Taylor brothers, along with the late Aaron Steelman, were developing a loyal following in this genre, especially in the restaurant scene around the Charlotte area. However the rigors of playing weekends, and balancing the responsibilities of a budding family, along with a 9 to 5 job began to take its toll. Meanwhile Ron’s yearning for painting was becoming a growing passion. He felt he could no longer devote the time necessary to keep playing music at the high level required for performing. Playing music became relegated to an occasional occurrence.
Move forward to 2007. The music began calling Ron again, not as a performer, but as a songwriter. During the next 5 years Ron would pen over 85 songs, with many more left “unfinished” . “Once the faucet was turned on, I had trouble turning it off. Stories and ideas began pouring out, almost consuming me, some complex, but the challenge has been to simplify my stories into song format. I had to stop the writing process to begin recording so I would have an audio record of at least some of the material.”
Ron’s first CD, “Ride Ferris Wheel Ride”, will be released 2018 with 12 original songs. He is quick to emphasize the CD is not meant to promote himself as a performer, admitting he is not a “youngster” anymore, and has always been somewhat reluctant to perform or “entertain”. To Ron it’s all about……the songs, and the self satisfaction of writing and recording his own material.
Poignant, evocative, like a book of short stories, Ron’s compositions break new ground from the shared broken dreams of a carnival rover and the emotionally shattered Joanne in the title song, to the reflections of troubled adolescence in a small southern town in the edgy “Screaming”. Ron’s lyrics paint a vivid portrait of obsession and persuasion in the California vineyard setting of “It’s High Time Melissa”. If there is one common thread in this collection of original songs, it is the tragic theme of human frailty. Ron’s maiden release is a patchwork of Americana, folk and bluegrass, embracing swing influences, but all weave seamlessly into the fabric of the CD.
Ron is also in process of recording enough original material for a followup CD with “Tales and Whispers“ likely to follow on the heels of “Ride Ferris Wheel Ride” containing some material written for female singers . ” The origins and destinations surprise even me. I’m just using a different canvas to create images and tell my stories.” (thanks to Dr. Craig Dlanor for input on the write-up)
ALL SONGS COPYRIGHT of Ron Taylor
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