A mandolin player and tenor singer in the Bill Monroe style, Earl Taylor, a native of southwestern Virginia, came to Cincinnati from Baltimore and became a fixture on the Cincinnati bar scene. He played stints at the Ken-Mill, Aunt Maudie’s, and the Minute Man Inn. Performing on harmonica as well as mandolin, he did a lot of sessions at King Studios with out-of-town bluegrass bands such as the Stanley Brothers. In 1959, Earl Taylor and his band, the Stoney Mountain Boys, had been the first bluegrass group to play at New York City’s famous Carnegie Hall. In the mid to late 1960s, he toured and recorded with Jimmy Martin and with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. He recorded three LPs on Rural Rhythm with Jim McCall, two LPs on Vetco, one LP each on United Artists and on Capitol, a single on Rebel, and two singles with Jay Johnson, one on Rocket and one on Nashville. In 1997, Katie Laur wrote and recorded a tribute to Earl, “When Earl Taylor Played the Mandolin”.
TAYLOR, EARL (1929-1984)