Derek Taylor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Derek Taylor
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Taylor in 1970
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| Born | 7 May 1932 Wirral, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 8 September 1997 (aged 65) Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom |
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| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 1949−1997 |
| Notable works | A Cellarful of Noise (co-author) I, Me, Mine (editor) |
Derek Taylor (born May 7, 1932 – died September 8, 1997) was an English journalist, writer, and publicist. He was most famous for working as the press officer for the Beatles. He worked with them from 1964, and then again from 1968 to 1970. Because of his close connection, some people called him "the Fifth Beatle".
Before he returned to work for the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, in 1968, he was a publicist for many famous American bands. These included the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Mamas and the Papas. Taylor was known for his creative and big ideas for promoting music. He came up with famous slogans like "The Beatles Are Coming" and "Brian Wilson Is a Genius". He also helped organize the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, which was a big music event.
Taylor started his career as a local journalist when he was 17. He later wrote for national newspapers in Britain. In the 1970s, he worked for Warner Bros. Records and then for HandMade Films. He is often credited with calling the Beach Boys' song "Good Vibrations" a "pocket symphony" because it sounded so rich and complex. Taylor remained a close friend to George Harrison and John Lennon even after the Beatles broke up. He helped edit Harrison's autobiography, I, Me, Mine, and wrote several of his own books. He passed away from cancer in 1997 while working on The Beatles Anthology book.
Contents
Working with the Beatles
Taylor was a journalist for the Daily Express newspaper when he was asked to write about a Beatles concert in May 1963. His editors expected him to write a negative review, as the band was seen as just a passing trend. However, Taylor was very impressed by the Beatles and wrote a glowing review instead. Soon after, he was invited to meet the band. He quickly became a trusted journalist in their group, partly because he was also from Liverpool.
As the Beatles became more famous, Taylor's newspaper wanted to publish a column that seemed to be written by a Beatle. Taylor would secretly write it for them. George Harrison was chosen to be the "writer." At first, Harrison only approved the content, but he soon started working closely with Taylor. Harrison would share stories, and Taylor would help write them clearly and excitingly.
In early 1964, the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, hired Taylor to be in charge of the band's press releases. He also helped Epstein with his own book, A Cellarful of Noise. Taylor interviewed Epstein and then turned the recordings into a book, keeping Epstein's own words. Taylor was the press officer for the Beatles' first concert tour in the United States in 1964. After the tour, he left his job in September.
Publicity Work in California
In 1965, Taylor moved with his family to California in the United States. There, he started his own company to help promote music groups. He worked with bands like the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as the Mamas & the Papas. Many people in the music world thought Taylor became the most famous rock publicist of the mid-1960s.
Taylor had many smart ways to promote bands. He told people that the Byrds were a new kind of American band, similar to the Beatles. He also encouraged new music writers to see Brian Wilson, the leader of the Beach Boys, as a musical genius. Taylor used his connections in Britain to make sure the Beach Boys' 1966 album, Pet Sounds, received great reviews from British music critics and other musicians like John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
In June 1967, Taylor helped plan the Monterey Pop Festival. He was the main person in charge of telling the public about the event. For a few weeks in late 1967, Taylor also hosted a radio show in Pasadena, California. He also became the editor of a music magazine called KRLA Beat, where he helped focus on new ideas and music from the 1960s.
George Harrison's song "Blue Jay Way" was written during Harrison's visit to California in 1967. He wrote it on a foggy night while waiting for Taylor and his wife to arrive at his house. During the same trip, Taylor went with Harrison to the Haight-Ashbury area in San Francisco, which was a center for new cultural movements.
Taylor also helped start Harry Nilsson's music career. After hearing Nilsson's song "1941" on the radio, Taylor bought many copies of his album, Pandemonium Shadow Show. He sent them to important people in the music industry, including all four Beatles. The Beatles loved Nilsson's music and invited him to London. Nilsson later became a friend and worked with both Lennon and Ringo Starr. In 1973, Taylor produced Nilsson's album A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.
Working for Apple Corps
In April 1968, George Harrison asked Taylor to come back to England to work for the Beatles again. He became the press officer for their new company, Apple Corps. Taylor helped launch the company's record label, Apple Records, in August 1968. This was marked by the release of the Beatles' song "Hey Jude". As part of the promotion, "Hey Jude" and three other Apple songs were sent in a special gift box to Queen Elizabeth II and the British prime minister.
Between 1968 and 1970, Taylor played a big part in Apple's activities. He led the publicity campaigns for the Beatles' projects and for other artists signed to Apple Records. He also helped with John Lennon and Yoko Ono's peace campaign in 1969. Taylor is even mentioned in the lyrics of Lennon's song "Give Peace a Chance". In March 1970, Taylor asked a young photographer, Les Smithers, to take pictures of the band Badfinger, who were also signed to Apple Records. This photo is now in the National Portrait Gallery.
Taylor's time at Apple was known for his creative campaigns and press releases. However, when Allen Klein became Apple's business manager in 1969, spending and staff were greatly reduced. Even though Taylor was known for spending a lot, he was also very good at his job. He was one of the most liked people in the music industry, known for being able to say "no" nicely. Former Apple employee Chris O'Dell said that Taylor "stood for everything that was good and honest and funny and bright about Apple." Taylor left Apple in late 1970.
After the Beatles
After leaving Apple, Taylor went to work for a new record company in the UK called WEA (later Warner Music Group). He worked as the Director of Special Projects, helping artists like the Rolling Stones, Yes, America, and Neil Young. He also helped bring back the career of British jazz singer George Melly, producing two albums for him. Taylor was important in signing the rock band Deaf School and the Rhead Brothers to WEA.
In 1973, Taylor also helped produce Nilsson's album A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night. He had also written notes for Nilsson's earlier album Aerial Ballet.
Return to the United States
In the mid-1970s, Taylor worked as a Vice-President of Marketing for Warner Bros. Records. He helped with the "Rutles" project, which was a funny spoof of the Beatles' career. The Rutles' TV special, All You Need Is Cash, even featured George Harrison playing a reporter interviewing a character like Derek Taylor. Taylor left Warner's in 1978. He stayed close to Harrison and also wrote letters to John Lennon during Lennon's break from music between 1975 and 1980. Taylor did not enjoy his second time living in California and returned to England after a few years.
Back in England
In the early 1980s, Taylor worked with authors like Michelle Phillips and director Steven Spielberg on books. He also worked with George Harrison's film company, Handmade Films.
In January 1988, when the Beatles were added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, George Harrison said that Taylor and Neil Aspinall were the two people who truly deserved the title "the Fifth Beatle". In the early 1990s, Taylor was asked to rejoin Apple to manage the marketing for many new projects. These included releasing old Apple music on CD and big Beatles releases like Live at the BBC and albums related to The Beatles Anthology.
Work as an Author
In 1973, Taylor wrote a casual memoir called As Time Goes By. It was re-released in 2018.
From 1978 to 1979, Taylor worked with George Harrison again, helping him finish his autobiography, I, Me, Mine, which was published in 1980. The next year, Taylor's book about making the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark was published. He then wrote his own autobiography, Fifty Years Adrift, in 1983. George Harrison wrote a very positive introduction for this book. Only 2000 copies were printed, making it a special item for collectors.
In 1987, Taylor's book It Was Twenty Years Ago Today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The book described the people and events that shaped the album and the wider "Summer of Love" movement. It included old interviews, photos, and parts of a TV documentary that Taylor also helped with.
Other books by Taylor include As Time Goes By: Living in the Sixties (1990), What You Cannot Finish and Take A Sad Song (1995). After he passed away, a book called Beatles (1999) and an audio CD of his interviews with the Beatles (2001) were released.
Death
Derek Taylor passed away from throat cancer at his home in Sudbury, Suffolk, on September 8, 1997. He was still working for Apple at the time, helping to put together The Beatles Anthology book. His funeral was attended by his family and friends, including George Harrison, Neil Aspinall, and Michael Palin.
Personal Life
Taylor was married to Joan Taylor from 1958 until his death. They had six children: Timothy, Dominic, Gerard, Abigail, Vanessa, and Annabel. Joan Taylor appeared in the 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World.
In 2013, singer Stevie Nicks shared that she had a brief relationship with Taylor in the late 1970s. She wrote the song "Beautiful Child" about him, which is on the album Tusk.
Images for kids
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Taylor in 1970
See also
In Spanish: Derek Taylor para niños
