John Taylor Popular Books
John Taylor Biography & Facts
Nigel John Taylor (born 20 June 1960) is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for new wave band Duran Duran, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 1980s due in part to their music videos which played in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. Taylor played with Duran Duran from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He recorded a dozen solo releases (albums, EPs, and video projects) through his private record label B5 Records over the next four years, had a lead role in the movie Sugar Town, and made appearances in a half dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a reunion of the original five members in 2001 and has remained with the group since. Taylor was also a member of two supergroups: the Power Station and Neurotic Outsiders. Early life Born in Solihull, which was then in Warwickshire, John Taylor grew up in nearby Hollywood, Worcestershire, England. As a child, he attended Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic School and the Abbey High School, in Redditch, wore glasses (due to severe myopia, over -10 dioptres), enjoyed James Bond movies and was interested in the hobby of wargaming with hand-painted 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 the piano. His first band was called Shock Treatment. Career 1978–1997: Duran Duran and the Power Station In 1978, Taylor and school friend Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran with Stephen Duffy while attending the School of Foundation Studies & Experimental Workshop at Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University). Soon after, Taylor underwent an "ugly duckling" transformation—ditching the glasses for contact lenses, adopting the ruffles and sashes of the fashion that would become known as the New Romantic style, and learning to wear eyeliner and lipstick. He stopped using the name "Nigel", and has been known throughout his professional career as John Taylor. Taylor played guitar when Duran Duran was founded, but switched to bass guitar after discovering the funky rhythms of Chic, and learned to enjoy playing in the rhythm section with Duran's newly recruited drummer Roger Taylor. He has frequently cited Chic's Bernard Edwards and the Clash's Paul Simonon as his strongest influences, in addition to Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, and Roxy Music players Graham Simpson and John Porter. Duran Duran released their first album in 1981, and went on to worldwide success in the early 1980s. In 1985, after recording the theme song to the Bond movie A View to a Kill, Duran Duran split into two side projects. John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor joined forces with former Chic drummer Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer, who earlier met at Duran Duran's charity concert at Villa Park 1983, to form the band the Power Station. With the guidance of producer Bernard Edwards, they released one album, The Power Station, which produced the hit singles "Some Like It Hot" and the T. Rex cover 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 to the movie 9½ Weeks starring Kim Basinger. He also wrote some instrumental music for the movie's score with collaborator Jonathan Elias. When Andy and Roger Taylor left the band, the three remaining members reformed Duran Duran for the 1986 Notorious album, and continued to record and tour throughout the 1990s with new guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. On 24 December 1991, Taylor married Amanda de Cadenet, who was already pregnant with his daughter Atlanta (born 31 March 1992). He moved from England to Los Angeles to help further his wife's acting career, as well as to escape constant attention from the British tabloids. Taylor's marriage declined even as Duran Duran's star rose with the success of 1993's Duran Duran, also known as The Wedding Album. He and de Cadenet separated in May 1995. Duran Duran's success rapidly waned with the widely derided 1995 covers album Thank You. Following that album's supporting tour, Duran Duran spent part of the summer of 1995 in London working on the album Medazzaland. Concurrently, Taylor devoted time to the side project Neurotic Outsiders, recording and touring with that band from the end of 1995 through the start of 1996. 1997–2001: Solo music career In January 1997, Taylor announced at a Duran Duran fan convention that he was leaving the band. During 1997 and 1998, Taylor built and toured with a band called "John Taylor Terroristen" (Gerry Laffy on guitar, Michael Railton/Tio Banks on keyboard, Larry Aberman on drums, John Amato on sax and flute) which played numerous shows in Southern California before touring the East and West Coasts of the United States. Terroristen released a live EP 5.30.98 and the accompanying video Better Off Alive through the Trust The Process website. After 9/11, Taylor said he would never use the band name "Terroristen" again. Taylor also began making forays into acting. His long friendship with Allison Anders led to a starring role in her independent film, Sugar Town, in 1998. He also appeared in small roles in several other movies and TV programmes over the next couple of years. In 1999, Taylor released two albums of earlier material. The first, Résumé, was made up of unreleased music that he and Jonathan Elias had worked on together during the 1985 sessions for the 9½ Weeks movie soundtrack. The second, Meltdown, was a collection of tracks Taylor had laid down in 1992, during the extensive delays in Duran Duran's recording of The Wedding Album. Later in 1999 Taylor signed a recording contract with the Japanese record label Avex Trax, and released an album labelled simply John Taylor on the cover, but listed in his official discography as The Japan Album. He continued recording for Avex in 2000, and early in 2001 released Techno for Two (featuring the international hit "6,000 Miles" co-written by Matthew Hager), a decidedly non-techno album filled with very personal songs. Shortly after, as talks began for a potential Duran Duran reunion, Taylor decided to create a retrospective package called Retreat into Art demonstrating his development over the previous five years. Taylor's final solo release, completed after the Duran Duran reunion was under way, was the collection MetaFour released in 2002. It features a 17-minute Q&A interview with fellow bass player Christopher Maloney at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. In October 2012, Taylor released an autobiography called In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran. In 2013, the Writers in Treatment organisation awarded Taylor with the "Experience, Strength and Hope" award for his work. 2001–present: Duran Duran reunion In 2000, Taylor was approached at his home in Los Angeles by singe.... Discover the John Taylor popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Taylor books.
Best Seller John Taylor Books of 2024
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A Distant Shore
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Baxter Family novels and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passi...
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Storm Christopher
Jodi TaylorPreorder a brand new Frogmorton Farm short story, from the bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's. With their children off on a school trip Russell and Jenny are contem...
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Two Weeks
Karen KingsburyAN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Baxter Family novelsnow a TV seriescomes a heartwrenching and redemptive story about a cou...
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The Civil War of 1812
Alan TaylorIn the early nineteenth century, Britons and Americans renewed their struggle over the legacy of the American Revolution, leading to a second confrontation that redefined North Ame...
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Truly, Madly, Deeply
Karen KingsburyINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER In love for the first time, a son’s decisions about the future divides his family in this fearless and thoughtprovoking novel from the #1 New York ...
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The Baxters Take Two
Karen KingsburyWill the price of fame be worth the cost?Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of tha...
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Someone Like You
Karen KingsburyNow a major motion picture starring Sarah Fisher! Science raises questions only hope and faith can answer in this instant New York Times bestselling “tale of forgiveness and love” ...
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The American Story
David M. RubensteinCofounder of The Carlyle Group and patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein takes readers on a sweeping journey across the grand arc of the American story through revealing con...
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Coming Home
Karen KingsburyThe emotional and touching conclusion to the Baxter family series!The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in year...
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Blowback
Miles TaylorINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe author behind the “eyepopping” (CNN) #1 New York Times bestseller A Warning presents an urgent look at how our deeply divided nation is setting...
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From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya
Ruth A. TuckerThis is history at its best. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is readable, informative, gripping, and above all honest. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya helps readers understand the life a...
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The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal
Jodi TaylorFrom the globally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's and Time Police series the origin story of bounty hunters extraordinaire: Smallhope and Pennyroyal.Meet Lady A...
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They Found the Secret
V. Raymond EdmanExplore the lives of twenty Christian figures whose powerful testimonies and lives of service will inspire you to embrace Christ as the secret to abundant living.Written by V. Raym...
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In the Pleasure Groove
John TaylorWith a new introduction by Nick RhodesThe talent. The charisma. The videos. From their 1981 hit "Planet Earth" to their latest numberone album, All You Need Is Now, John Taylor and...
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All American Boys
Jason Reynolds & Brendan KielyA 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature. In this New York Times bestselling novel, two teens...
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Wrestling With His Angel
Sidney BlumenthalThe “magisterial” (The New York Times Book Review) second volume of Sidney Blumenthal’s acclaimed, landmark biography, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, reveals the future pre...
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Blood Lines
Nelson DeMille & Alex DemilleIn this “highly entertaining” New York Times bestseller from Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille, Army CID Special Agents Brodie and Taylor “are the modern warriors the world needs” (B...
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When We Were Young
Karen KingsburyFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a classic story about second chances, featuring the beloved Baxter family and a young father who finds his whole wor...
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Night Fighter
William H. Hamilton & Charles W. SasserFor readers of American Sniper, the stirring account of a life of service by the “father of the US Navy SEALs”One month after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, when President John F. Kennedy...
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All the Powers of Earth
Sidney BlumenthalLincoln’s incredible ascent to power in a world of chaos is newly revealed in this “compelling, original, and elegantly written” (Michael Beschloss, New York Times bestselling auth...
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It Ended Badly
Jennifer WrightA history of heartbreakreplete with beheadings, uprisings, creepy sex dolls, and celebrity gossipand its disastrously bad consequences throughout timeSpanning eras and cultures f...
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Brian May
Laura JacksonAs the lead guitarist of Queen, Brian May is one of rock's most recognisable stars. Brian May: The Definitive Biography charts his life from his childhood, through his years studyi...
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The Conservative Mind
Russell Kirk"It is inconceivable even to imagine, let alone hope for, a dominant conservative movement in America without Kirk's labor." WILLIAM F BUCKLEY "A profound critique of co...
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I Am Pilgrim
Terry Hayes“I Am Pilgrim is simply one of the best suspense novels I’ve read in a long time.” David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author“A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense.”...
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The Baxters Take One
Karen KingsburyTwo unknown producers struggle to fulfill their dreams to change lives through the power of film. With millions of investors’ dollars on the line, everything starts to fall apart a...
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Smoke Burns
John TaylorThis book is a reflection on my 26 years as a serving firefighter and fire officer. My observations are exactly what I've seen, whilst firefighting in real fires and my explanation...
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John Taylor
Harold PeaseOutside the Standard Works there is no assemblage of words that better expresses the mind and will of the Lord than those spoken by the prophet of God in General Conference. Never ...
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Forgiving Paris
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of lifechanging fiction brings her signature “emotional, hearttugging” (Woman’s World) prose to this wise and worldly novel of forgiveness ...
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Just Once
Karen KingsburyThe #1 New York Times bestselling author “known for her deeply heartfelt novels” (Woman’s World) and the Baxter Family novels writes a sweeping World War II love story about a youn...
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The Shores of Bohemia
John Taylor WilliamsAn intimate portrait of a legendary generation of artists, writers, activists, and dreamers who created a utopia on the shores of Cape Cod during the first half of the twentieth ce...
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The People Code
Taylor HartmanMotive matters! "Give me five minutes and I can predict your life success. I can help you understand why you do what you do by identifying your Core Motive." Dr. Taylor HartmanIn h...
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Love Story
Karen KingsburyThe instant New York Times bestseller featuring everyone’s favorite familythe Baxtersin a deeply emotional novel “faithful fans will no doubt relish” (Publishers Weekly). When John...
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The Maze
Nelson DeMille#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille returns with a “genuinely thrilling” (The New York Times) suspense novel featuring his most popular character, former NYPD homic...
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The Curve of Binding Energy
John McPheeTheodore Taylor was one of the most brilliant engineers of the nuclear age, but in his later years he became concerned with the possibility of an individual being able to construct...
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Empire of the Summer Moon
S. C. GwynneFinalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award A New York Times Notable Book Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book AwardThis New York Tim...
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The Year of the Locust
Terry HayesTerry Hayes, author of the #1 global bestseller I Am Pilgrim, returns with this terrifying and eagerly awaited instant bestseller.If, like Kane, you’re a Denied Access Area spy for...
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Race Against Time
Jerry Mitchell“For almost two decades, investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell doggedly pursued the Klansmen responsible for some of the most notorious murders of the civil rights movement. This...
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The Deserter
Nelson DeMille & Alex DemilleNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn “outstanding” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) blistering thriller featuring a brilliant and unorthodox Army investigator, his enigmatic female partn...
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Like Mother, Like Daughter
Elle Croft'Utterly absorbing and thoughtprovoking' Caz Frear'What a premise, and packed with suspense' Victoria Selman'A dark, delicious triumph' Niki MackayIf what they said was true, then ...
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The Essentials
Jeremy Arnold, Robert Osborne & Turner Classic MoviesShowcasing 52 Essential films from the silent era through the 1980s, Turner Classic Movies invites you into a world filled with stirring performances, dazzling musical numbers, and...
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The Kennedy Heirs
J. Randy TaraborrelliFrom New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes The Kennedy Heirs, his most revealing Kennedy book yet.A unique burden was inherited by the children of President...
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The Baxters
Karen KingsburyNow an original series on Prime VideoThis warmhearted prequel to the “hearttugging and emotional” (RT Book Reviews) #1 New York Times bestselling Baxter Family Seriesnow a televisi...