Career
Debbie Taylor first came to the attention of Decca records through her church singing. Her first recording with the Decca label in 1968 produced the tracks “I get the blues / The last laugh is on the blues” (Decca 32090) and Check yourself / Wait until I'm gone (Decca 32259). Neither track achieved much in the way of commercial success at the time of their release however today both are much sought after releases which give the earliest indications of a vocal talent that would beguile listeners worldwide.
She parted company with Decca and moved to the New York based GWP label Research: Label Discography, http://soulfulkindamusic.net/gwp.htm which ran its affairs from 150 East 52nd Street. Her 1969 debut single with GWP “Never gonna let him know / Let's prove them wrong (GWP 501) was also the launch single for the label. In that year she also recorded the uptempo “Don't let it end / How long can this last” (GWP 510) and a flip side to the Hesitations single “No brag just fact” titled “Mamma look sharp” (GWP 512) which saw her showcase her vocal diversity in a style very reminiscent of the great Billie Holiday’s interpretation of Strange fruit.
Despite having released three records in 1969 between then and 1972 she recorded and released only one further recording - "Don't nobody mess with my baby" / "Stop" on the GWP subsidiary label GWP Grapevine.
In 1972 she left the GWP label and was brought to the Perception / Today label by its then Vice President Boo Frazier and David Jordan. It was during her brief stint at Today that she recorded the seminal soul / funk album "Comin' down on You" with Vice President of A&R Patrick Adams and songwriter producer David Jordan providing not only musical direction in the shape of songs but also with Adams infusing the recordings with a soulful vibe that was to become his trademark.
Taylor's tenure with Today was another short stint. It resulted in the album Comin' down on You, and one single released from it. Many regard this as her most productive / prolific period as a singer. Her collaboration with Adams, the then manager / producer and co-writer for label mates Black Ivory, resulted in her covering the track "No if's, and's or but's".
In 1973 demo / promotional recordings on the Polydor label of the Mavis Staples track "I have learned to do without you" released on Volt Records in 1970 began to surface. The track was released that year with the flipside "Cheaper in the long run". Commercial success still eluded her and by 1975 she had moved to and was recording with Arista Records.
It was during this period with Arista that she recorded what many consider to be the soul single - a track in the classic Northern Soul style. "Just don't pay" backed by a phenomenal vocal performance of "I don't wanna leave you" - both tracks penned by David Jordan.
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