Debbie Taylor
Encyclopedia
Debbie Taylor was an American singer. Her recording career between 1968 and 1975 saw her produce some of the most impassioned vocal performances ever committed to vinyl. Her sudden unexplained departure from the music industry and the lyrical content of her last ever recording "I don't wanna' leave you" have been the cause of much speculation with parallels having been drawn with a lot of the mythology surrounding blues guitarist and singer Robert Johnston.
Little is known about her background, date of birth etc, but she has achieved iconic status with fans of soul music due, in the main, to her pairing / partnership with songwriter / producers David Jordan and Patrick Adams .
It's believed that Debbie Taylor first came to the attention of Decca records
through her church singing. Her first recording with the Decca label in 1968 produced the tracks “I get the blues / The last laugh is on the blues” (Decca 32090) and Check yourself / Wait until I'm gone (Decca 32259). Neither track achieved much in the way of commercial success at the time of their release however today both are much sought after releases which give the earliest indications of a vocal talent that would beguile listeners worldwide.
She parted company with Decca and moved to the New York based GWP label which ran its affairs from 150 East 52nd Street
. Her 1969 debut single
with GWP “Never gonna let him know / Let's prove them wrong (GWP 501) was also the launch single for the label. In that year she also recorded the uptempo “Don't let it end / How long can this last” (GWP 510) and a flip side to the Hesitations single “No brag just fact” titled “Mamma look sharp” (GWP 512) which saw her showcase her vocal diversity in a style very reminiscent of the great Billie Holiday
’s interpretation of Strange fruit
.
Despite having released three records in 1969 between then and 1972 she recorded and released only one further recording - "Don't nobody mess with my baby" / "Stop" on the GWP subsidiary label GWP Grapevine.
In 1972 she left the GWP label and was brought to the Perception / Today label by its then Vice President Boo Frazier and David Jordan. It was during her brief stint at Today that she recorded the seminal soul / funk
album
"Comin' down on You" with Vice President of A&R
Patrick Adams and songwriter
producer David Jordan providing not only musical direction in the shape of songs but also with Adams infusing the recordings with a soulful vibe that was to become his trademark.
Taylor's tenure with Today was another short stint. It resulted in the album Comin' down on You, and one single released from it. Many regard this as her most productive / prolific period as a singer. Her collaboration with Adams, the then manager / producer and co-writer for label mates Black Ivory
, resulted in her covering the track "No if's, and's or but's".
In 1973 demo / promotional recordings on the Polydor label of the Mavis Staples
track "I have learned to do without you" released on Volt Records in 1970 began to surface. The track was released that year with the flipside "Cheaper in the long run". Commercial success still eluded her and by 1975 she had moved to and was recording with Arista Records
.
It was during this period with Arista that she recorded what many consider to be the soul single - a track in the classic Northern Soul
style. "Just don't pay" backed by a phenomenal vocal performance of "I don't wanna leave you" - both tracks penned by David Jordan.
Little is known about her background, date of birth etc, but she has achieved iconic status with fans of soul music due, in the main, to her pairing / partnership with songwriter / producers David Jordan and Patrick Adams .
Career
Debbie Taylor was born Maddie Bell Galvin in Norfolk, Virginia. As a young child she sang gospel in her father's church and toured nationally as a gospel singer while a teenager. Recognition led to recording contracts while she was still a teenager. From a brief marriage during her 20's, she changed her last name to Myles. To ensure the correct pronunciation of her first name, she adopted the phonetic version, Maydie. She currently resides in Connecticut where she is still actively singing under her real name, Maydie Myles. More information about her history and current activities can be found on her website, maydiemyles.com.It's believed that Debbie Taylor first came to the attention of Decca records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
through her church singing. Her first recording with the Decca label in 1968 produced the tracks “I get the blues / The last laugh is on the blues” (Decca 32090) and Check yourself / Wait until I'm gone (Decca 32259). Neither track achieved much in the way of commercial success at the time of their release however today both are much sought after releases which give the earliest indications of a vocal talent that would beguile listeners worldwide.
She parted company with Decca and moved to the New York based GWP label which ran its affairs from 150 East 52nd Street
52nd Street (Manhattan)
52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
. Her 1969 debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with GWP “Never gonna let him know / Let's prove them wrong (GWP 501) was also the launch single for the label. In that year she also recorded the uptempo “Don't let it end / How long can this last” (GWP 510) and a flip side to the Hesitations single “No brag just fact” titled “Mamma look sharp” (GWP 512) which saw her showcase her vocal diversity in a style very reminiscent of the great Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
’s interpretation of Strange fruit
Strange Fruit
"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939, the year she first sang it. Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred...
.
Despite having released three records in 1969 between then and 1972 she recorded and released only one further recording - "Don't nobody mess with my baby" / "Stop" on the GWP subsidiary label GWP Grapevine.
In 1972 she left the GWP label and was brought to the Perception / Today label by its then Vice President Boo Frazier and David Jordan. It was during her brief stint at Today that she recorded the seminal soul / funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
"Comin' down on You" with Vice President of A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
Patrick Adams and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
producer David Jordan providing not only musical direction in the shape of songs but also with Adams infusing the recordings with a soulful vibe that was to become his trademark.
Taylor's tenure with Today was another short stint. It resulted in the album Comin' down on You, and one single released from it. Many regard this as her most productive / prolific period as a singer. Her collaboration with Adams, the then manager / producer and co-writer for label mates Black Ivory
Black Ivory
Black Ivory was a R&B group from Harlem, which had a number of hits in the 1970s, including "Don't Turn Around", "You and I" , "I'll Find a Way ", "Spinning Around", "What Goes Around ", "Will We Ever Come Together", and "Mainline." -Career:The group features songwriter and prolific...
, resulted in her covering the track "No if's, and's or but's".
In 1973 demo / promotional recordings on the Polydor label of the Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
track "I have learned to do without you" released on Volt Records in 1970 began to surface. The track was released that year with the flipside "Cheaper in the long run". Commercial success still eluded her and by 1975 she had moved to and was recording with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
.
It was during this period with Arista that she recorded what many consider to be the soul single - a track in the classic Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
style. "Just don't pay" backed by a phenomenal vocal performance of "I don't wanna leave you" - both tracks penned by David Jordan.
Decca Records 7" Discography
- "I get the blues" (Don BryantDon BryantDon Bryant is an American singer and songwriter.Bryant was staff songwriter for Hi Records. He married soul singer Ann Peebles in 1974.-Discography:Doin' the Mustang...
) / "The last laugh is on the blues" (Buddy Scott, Jimmy Radcliffe) Produced by Joe Medlin - Cat No: 32090 released 1968. - "Check yourself" (David Porter, Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
) / "Wait until I'm gone" (Willa Dean Parker, Henderson Thigpen). Produced by Joe Medlin - Cat No: 32259 released 1968.
GWP Records 7" Discography
- "Never gonna let him know" (R Dahrouge, B Terrell) / "Lets prove them wrong" (E Jones, G Kerr). Produced by George Kerr and Paul Robinson - Cat No: GWP-501 released 1969.
- "Don't let it end" (T McQueen) / "How long can this last" (E Jones, A Mitchell). Produced by Paul Robinson and George Kerr. Cat No: GWP-510 released 1969.
- "Momma, look sharp" (Sherman Edwards) flipside to The Hesitations / "No brag just fact" (L Banks, H Rooney). Produced by Paul Robinson. Cat No: GWP-512 released 1969.
GWP Grapevine 7" Discography
- "Don't nobody mess with my baby" (R Dahrouge, B Terrell) / "Stop". Produced by R Dahrouge, B Terrell, ED Bland. Cat No: GRA-202 DJ Copy released 1970.
Today records Album
"Comin' down on you": Album - Cat No: TLP 1007 - Released 1972- No if's, and's or but's.
- (I can't believe I'm) Touchin' you.
- Too sad to tell.
- Second to none.
- Romance without finance.
- Leaving him tomorrow.
- No deposit, no return.
- Eye doctor.
- Jeremiah.
Today Records 7" Discography
- "No deposit, no return" (David Jordan, Patrick P Adams) / "Too sad to tell" (Maurice Irby jnr, T Philips). Produced by Patrick P Adams & David Jordan. Cat No: T-1510-A/B released 1972.
Polydor Records 7" Discography
- "I have learned to do without you" (David Jordan, D Davis, J Barnes) / Same. Produced by David Jordan, Arranged by Richard Rome, Cat No: PD 14219 - Promo/Demo copy 1973 - No commercial release.
- "I have learned to do without you" (David Jordan, D Davis, J Barnes) / "Cheaper in the long run" (David Jordan). Produced by David Jordan, Arranged by Richard Rome, Cat No: PD 14219 - released 1973.
- "Superstar" / "A good woman don't grow on trees" Cat No: Polydor 14252 - scheduled 1973/1974 but never released.
Arista Records 7" Discography
- "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 3:58 (D Jordan, A Smith) / "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 5:30. Produced by David Jordan, Tom Moulton mix, mastered by Jose Rodriguez. Cat No: AS-0144 - Promo/Demo copy 1975 - not commercially released (label mispress on 5:30 version).
- "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 3:15 (D Jordan, A Smith) / "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 5:30. Produced by David Jordan, Tom Moulton mix, mastered by Jose Rodriguez. Cat No: ASDJ-0144 - Promo/Demo/DJ copy 1975 - not commercially released.
- "Just don't pay" (D Jordan, A Smith) / "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 5:30. Produced by David Jordan, Tom Moulton mix, Cat No: AS-0144 - released 1975.
- "I don't wanna leave you" runtime 3:58 (D Jordan, A Smith) / "Just don't pay" (D Jordan, A Smith). Produced by David Jordan, Tom Moulton mix, Cat No: Arista 50 - UK Demo. Commercially released in 1976.
Reissues
- "Still comin' down on ya!". Tracklisting as with "Comin' down on you". CD format reissued by Sequel Records. Cat (UPC) No: 502322409412, release date 9 September 1997.
- "Soul twins, volume I" A twin set release of JJ Barnes's "Born again" album and "Comin down on you". CD format reissued by Today / SanctuarySanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
(UK). Cat (UPC) no: 5050749415011. Release date 28 May 2007.
Compilations
- "I have learned to do without you" appears on the compilation album "Urban classics III" released by Urban RecordsUrban RecordsUrban Records is a German record label subsidiary of Universal Music Group....
/ Polydor (UK). Vinyl format only. Released 1989. - "Too sad to tell" appears on the "Doors of perception" compilation album. CD format released by CastleCastle CommunicationsCastle Communications was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane and Jon Beecher. The company was acquired by the American music distributor Alliance Entertainment in 1994 and in 2000 it was absorbed into Sanctuary Records Group...
. Release date 24 September 2001- "Too sad to tell" appears on the compilation album "Sisters of Soul". CD format released by Castle. Release date 2004 Cat No: CMQCD903
- The tracks "Lets prove them wrong", "Don't let it end", "Don't nobody mess with my baby" and "All that I have" (with the Hesitations) appear on the GWP NYC TCB compilation CD issued by Kent in the UK. Release date 2006. Cat No: Kent (CDKEND 249).