Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Tayloris an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakersand the Rolling Stones. He has appeared on some of the Stones' classic albums including Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.. Since resigning from the Rolling Stones in December 1974, Taylor has worked with numerous other artists and released several solo albums. From November 2012 onwards he has participated in the Stones' "Reunion shows" in London and Newark and in...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth17 January 1949
If you've been playing for a few years, especially in a group context, you'll see if you have the ability or the passion to want to carry on. It's something that you have to be dedicated to and you've got to love, no matter what happens
What I've always lacked is a really strong band to back me up
I suppose because I have a good ear, I could pick out harmonies and learn by ear. I still think that you have to have an ear for music to really be able to feel and understand what you're playing. You can learn by watching and listening to other people.
I play the piano a lot at home. I write songs on the piano and guitar. I would like to actually play piano on stage. I don't think I'll get the chance for a while.
I never advise anyone to sacrifice something else because of music, but then I don't see why they would have to anyway.
I certainly want to get back to the U.S. to play. It's such a big country. I've always liked playing there, and enjoyed living there. I lived in New York, LA, and Florida.
I do to keep things sounding fresh. Sometimes just changing the running order of the show is a good idea.
The most important thing is to follow your instinct and get involved with some friends who have similar tastes and aspirations and like music as much as you do.
I was very influenced by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, both of whom I had the pleasure of playing with and becoming friends with.
The Blues scene now is international. In the '50s it was purely something that you would hear in black clubs, played by black musicians, especially in America. But from the '60s onwards it changed
These days there's so much technology and ways you can learn. There are videos and CD roms
I had to learn chord shapes. I bought books with chord charts. I used to listen to all kinds of pop music.
The Stones don't really need to do it for money, so they must get some kind of pleasure out of it. They're not like a group that's disbanded and gone away and made a comeback. They've always been there.
Maybe if I go far enough back into my ancestry, I have African roots or something. I've got no idea