Shooby Taylor
Encyclopedia
William "Shooby" Taylor (a.k.a. "The Human Horn") (September 19, 1929 - June 4, 2003) is famous for scat singing
over various records, including the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats and Cristy Lane
in a baritone
voice. He is noted for his highly idiosyncratic scat style, using sounds and syllables quite unlike those used by other scat singers.
Shooby Taylor was born in Indiana Township, Pennsylvania
, on September 19, 1929. Shortly thereafter he moved with his family to Harlem
, where he spent the majority of his life. Besides Shooby's several decades of pursuing a career as a scat singer, he also worked 21 years as a New York City
postal worker.
He is most famously known for the 14 tracks he recorded in the early 1980s, at the now nonexistent Angel Sound Studios in Manhattan. These recordings began circulating among tape and file-swappers and are now available at the official Shooby Taylor website.
Video of a 1980s appearance at the Apollo Theater
has also surfaced, and is the only known footage of Shooby performing. Taylor was booed off the stage moments after beginning his act.
In 1992, Shooby moved to a senior complex in Newark, New Jersey
. Shooby experienced a stroke in 1994 that crippled his scat skill, also stopping him from recording and performing.
Shooby was "re-discovered" in spring 2002 by producer Rick Goetz On August 28, 2002, Shooby appeared for his first and only radio
interview on WFMU.
Taylor died on June 4, 2003, at the age of 74. Plans for an official CD release of his work are still pending.
, there's a mentioning of Shooby Taylor in the last line of their scat-like bridge.
The Adam and Joe Show, a UK TV series from the 1990s, used the first 4 seconds of Shooby Taylor's version of "Lift Every Voice and Sing", at the start of their theme tune.
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
over various records, including the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats and Cristy Lane
Cristy Lane
Eleanor Johnston, known by her professional name as Cristy Lane is an American country music and gospel music singer, best known for a number of major country hits in the late 70s and the early 1980s, including her cover version of the song, "One Day at a Time".Lane's career began to take shape in...
in a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
voice. He is noted for his highly idiosyncratic scat style, using sounds and syllables quite unlike those used by other scat singers.
Shooby Taylor was born in Indiana Township, Pennsylvania
Indiana Township, Pennsylvania
Indiana Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The population was 7,253 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, on September 19, 1929. Shortly thereafter he moved with his family to Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, where he spent the majority of his life. Besides Shooby's several decades of pursuing a career as a scat singer, he also worked 21 years as a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
postal worker.
He is most famously known for the 14 tracks he recorded in the early 1980s, at the now nonexistent Angel Sound Studios in Manhattan. These recordings began circulating among tape and file-swappers and are now available at the official Shooby Taylor website.
Video of a 1980s appearance at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
has also surfaced, and is the only known footage of Shooby performing. Taylor was booed off the stage moments after beginning his act.
In 1992, Shooby moved to a senior complex in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Shooby experienced a stroke in 1994 that crippled his scat skill, also stopping him from recording and performing.
Shooby was "re-discovered" in spring 2002 by producer Rick Goetz On August 28, 2002, Shooby appeared for his first and only radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
interview on WFMU.
Taylor died on June 4, 2003, at the age of 74. Plans for an official CD release of his work are still pending.
Discography
- Ink Spots / Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
/ MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
(cassette) - The Human Horn (and then some) (cassette, MP3)
Pop-Culture References
In the song "Walk & Chew Gum" by the band Optiganally YoursOptiganally Yours
Optiganally Yours is a band formed around the Optigan, a toy organ produced by Mattel in the 1970s that plays the sounds of instruments that have been recorded onto celluloid disks...
, there's a mentioning of Shooby Taylor in the last line of their scat-like bridge.
The Adam and Joe Show, a UK TV series from the 1990s, used the first 4 seconds of Shooby Taylor's version of "Lift Every Voice and Sing", at the start of their theme tune.
See also
- Shooby.com: official site, includes mp3s
- http://www.keyofz.com/keyofz/shooby.htm