Myra Taylor (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Myra Taylor
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Myra Taylor at her 94th birthday party, Knuckleheads Saloon
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Myra Jardine Render |
| Born | February 24, 1917 Bonner Springs, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2011 (aged 94) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Vocal jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1940–2011 |
| Associated acts | Wild Women of Kansas City, Harlan Leonard |
Myra Taylor (born February 24, 1917 – died December 9, 2011) was an amazing American jazz singer and songwriter. She started performing as a teenager and continued singing and entertaining people for many years, even into her nineties!
Contents
Myra Taylor's Life Story
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Myra Jardine Render, who later became Myra Taylor, was born in Bonner Springs, Kansas. When she was a child, her family moved to the famous 18th and Vine area in Kansas City, Missouri. This neighborhood was a very important place for jazz music.
When Myra was just 14, she began dancing and singing in clubs on 12th Street. She quickly became known for her talent.
Acting on Screen
Myra Taylor also had a career in acting! She appeared in three episodes of a popular American TV show called The Jeffersons. She played a character named Pearl in 1980 and 1982.
She also acted in several movies. She had a main role in the 1979 comedy Scoring. Myra also had supporting roles in films like Suspect, Crossing Delancey, Once Around, and The Paper.
A Career in Music
In the 1930s, Myra toured around the Midwest with Clarence Love's band. In 1937, she moved to Chicago and worked with other famous musicians like Warren "Baby" Dodds, Lonnie Johnson, Roy Eldridge, and Lil Hardin Armstrong.
She returned to Kansas City in 1940. There, Harlan Leonard hired her to be the main singer for his new band, Harlan Leonard and His Rockets. The band performed for a long time at the Golden Gate Ballroom in Harlem. They recorded a song called I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire for Bluebird Records. Myra also wrote a song called Dig It.
After a while, Myra and Harlan Leonard went their separate ways. She then joined Eubie Blake's band for a tour with the USO. The USO puts on shows for American troops.
Myra then came back to Kansas City to sing with the Jimmy Keith Orchestra. In 1946, they had a popular song called Spider and the Fly on Mercury Records. Music critics praised her performance, saying she sang with a special "blues" feeling.
Myra felt frustrated with the music business in America. So, she spent most of the 1950s in Juarez, Mexico. Later, she started touring in Europe. In 1965, she moved to Frankfurt, Germany and even opened her own music club called Down by the Riverside.
She continued to perform in USO shows during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She performed in 32 different countries, bringing joy to many people.
In 1977, Myra moved back to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, California. She worked in film and television there. In 1994, she moved back to her hometown of Kansas City.
In 2000, she recorded an album called My Night to Dream. It was released on September 11, 2001. This album was later re-released in 2010.
Myra kept singing and performing with a group called Wild Women of Kansas City. They recorded a live album in 2010 with songs like Sentimental Journey and What a Wonderful World.
She celebrated her 94th birthday with a concert at Knuckleheads Saloon. She performed with other musicians like Samantha Fish and Mike Zito.
Myra Taylor's very last performance was on July 24, 2011, with the Wild Women of Kansas City at Jardine's nightclub in Kansas City. Her health declined later that year, and she passed away a few months later.
Passing Away
Myra Taylor died on December 9, 2011, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was 94 years old and had lived a long life full of music and performances.
Music Albums and Songs
Albums
- Kansas City Jump: Swingin Small Combos (Blue Moon Imports, 2007)
- My Night to Dream (Analogue Production Originals, 2001)
Singles
- Move Out/Quit Barking In My Rhubarb (Mercury)
- Clinging Vine/It's a Sin to Tell a Lie (Mercury)
- I'm in My Sins This Morning/Booted (Mercury)
Compilations
- Thorens 125th Anniversary LP – Spider and the Fly (2008)
- Radio Radio: Theme Time Radio Hour Volume Two- Still Blue Water (2009)
