Lewis Taylor

Biography

Neo-soul multi-instrumentalist Lewis Taylor began his professional career as guitarist for the re-formed Edgar Broughton Band before stalking the limelight on his own under the pseudonym Sheriff Jack, and later under his given name. Despite outspoken support from heavyweights such as Elton John, David Bowie, Jools Holland, Paul Weller, and others, as well as critical support, Taylor never found mass public scrutiny but has even remained below the radar of much of the underground listening public. Born and raised in Barnet, North London, Taylor developed his musical talents while recovering from a serious accident, and by his mid-twenties had been invited to join the Edgar Broughton Band.

Taylor lived a life of decadence on the road with Broughton and company, and following the experience, he cut two psychedelic albums in two years for Chime records as Sheriff Jack and disappeared for almost a decade before re-emerging on major label Island in 1996 with his self-titled "debut." Taylor was signed to Island on the strength of his demo alone -- the first time the label had signed an artist under such a circumstance -- and Lewis Taylor was released to great critical acclaim, but the label was unsure how to promote the album due to Taylor's unique amalgamation of classic soul, psychedelia, and rock, resulting in the album making almost no impact on the record-buying public. A second release for Island, titled Lewis II, came out four years later with similar results, and Taylor was dropped from the label. Taylor waited two years before releasing Stoned, Pt. 1 in 2002, this time on his own label, Slow Reality, and followed it up in 2004 with a sequel, Stoned, Pt. 2. ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide