Actors - Nigel John Taylor

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	Actors - Nigel John Taylor

John Taylor (born Nigel John Taylor on June 20, 1960) is a British bass guitarist and co-founder of the New Romantic band Duran Duran. Duran Duran was one of the most popular groups in the world during the 1980s, thanks to revolutionary music videos that played in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV, and Taylor was one of Duran Duran's most popular members.

Taylor played with Duran Duran and its changing lineups from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He made a dozen solo releases (albums, EPs, and video projects) through his company "Trust The Process" in the next four years, had a lead role in the movie Sugar Town, and made appearances in half a dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a full reunion of the original five members of the group in 2001.

Taylor also founded two supergroup side projects: Power Station and Neurotic Outsiders.

History

Taylor was born in Birmingham, England. He was a shy boy who attended Catholic school, wore glasses (due to a severe myopia over -10 dioptres), enjoyed James Bond movies, and played wargames with model soldiers. In his early teen years he discovered music, choosing Roxy Music as his favourite band, and before long was collecting records and teaching himself to play guitar. His first band was called Shock Treatment.

1978-1997: Duran Duran

In 1978, Taylor and school friend Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran. Soon after Taylor underwent an "ugly duckling" transformation -- ditching the glasses for contact lenses, adopting the romantic thrift-store-cum-pirate fashions that would become known as the New Romantic style, and learning to wear eyeliner and lip color. He stopped using the name "Nigel", and was known throughout his professional career as John Taylor.

Taylor played guitar at the time Duran Duran was founded, but switched to bass guitar after discovering the funky rhythms of CHIC, and learning to enjoy the rhythm section by playing with Duran's freshly recruited drummer Roger Taylor. He has frequently cited Chic's Bernard Edwards and The Clash's Joe Strummer as his strongest influences, in addition to Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, and Roxy Music players Graham Simpson and John Porter. Duran Duran released its first album in 1981, and went on to worldwide success in the early 1980s.

Duran Duran's early music tended to feature prominent, almost melodic bass lines, following the model of funk and disco songs like Good Times. Although it was occasionally plain in the beginning that Taylor's playing was naïve and self-taught, he developed a unique undulating style that has since inspired many imitators. It was John Taylor who played the bass parts on the Band Aid charity single Do They Know It's Christmas?. Both his musicianship and his good looks drew more attention than was generally received by pop bassists at the time.

As Duran Duran became famous in the early 1980s, Taylor's individual celebrity grew. His picture was a staple of teen magazines, and he won numerous popularity polls, including appearances on People Magazine's annual list of "Sexiest People". He lived a lavish lifestyle with homes in London and Paris, and owned several cars, which he rarely had a chance to drive, including the Bond-style Aston Martin he had always dreamed of. He dated fashion models, such as Bond girl Janine Andrews and "Face of the '80s" Renee Simonsen, was welcome at parties all over the world, and, of course, developed the cocaine addiction to go with the rest of his high living.

In 1985,after recording the chart-topping theme to the Bond movie A View to a Kill
, Duran Duran split into two side projects. John Taylor and Duran guitarist Andy Taylor joined forces with singer Robert Palmer and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson to form the band Power Station. With the guidance of producer Bernard Edwards, they released one album, Power Station 33 1/3, with two hit singles, Some Like It Hot and the T Rex song Bang A Gong (Get It On).

That year Taylor also launched his first solo effort, recording the single I Do What I Do for the soundtrack of the movie 9½ Weeks
; he also wrote some instrumental music for the movie's score with collaborator Jonathan Elias.

Although Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left the band, the three remaining Duran Duran members reformed for 1986's Notorious album, and continued to record and tour throughout the 1990s with the addition of guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Taylor recorded a fair amount of unreleased solo material on the side, including several tracks eventually used on the soundtrack of the Allison Anders movie Mi Vida Loca.

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