RealTracks Artist Bio: Jeff Taylor

As a boy in Batavia, NY Jeff Taylor played trumpet, piano, and accordion. By the age of 10 he was playing in his father's wedding band, the Variety Kings. Soon after he was playing in a Jazz trio, and by the time he was 16 he also played the fiddle, bass, euphonium, guitar, and trombone in a number of different bands, including Jazz and Western Swing combos. Jeff then studied Classical piano at Eastman School of Music and at SUNY Fredonia before joining the US Air Force and becoming a band leader.

Jeff moved to Nashville in 1990, working as a pianist, keyboard player and music director for live stage productions (Opryland, Ryman Auditorium, General Jackson Showboat), and as band leader for a year with "Hee-Haw Live" and another year with Boots Randolph. It was also at that time that he returned to playing the accordion, playing regularly at the Grand Ole Opry with Jimmy C. Newman and appearing as an accordion soloist with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded and toured with Vince Gill, Grandpa Jones, Martina McBride, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, The Chieftains and with the Sugarcanes, a Bluegrass "supergroup" assembled by Elvis Costello for his "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane" CD. Jeff was featured on the "Ricky Skagg's and Kentucky Thunder" instrumental CD that won the 2007 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.

Jeff's credits show him to be a musician of diverse tastes and talents, and in addition to the accordion he still plays the piano, keyboards, penny whistles, mandolin, and bouzouki. He is in a Celtic trio, The Boys of County Nashville, has recorded a solo piano CD of hymns, and performs live with Christian musicians Buddy Greene and Michael Card. He is also a member of the Grammy-nominated Time Jumpers, the A-list group whose famous Monday night jam at Nashville's legendary Station Inn is the "show that stars go to see."

You can read Jeff's bio at the Time Jumpers' web site, and he also has a profile on the Nashville Music Pros web site.