Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa

While bluegrass listeners are becoming increasingly familiar with the music of Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, which formed in 2008, newer fans may be unfamiliar with Wayne’s background.

With his earliest recollection of music occurring at the American Legion where his father used to take him to hear music on the weekends, it seems that Wayne’s life in music has simply fallen into place over the years. At the mere age of nine there is no way Wayne Taylor could have known what lay in store for him when he learned his first guitar chords at the Legion Hall from a guitarist named Clyde Costner. Now 50 years later, and having served almost 25 years in the Navy, Wayne is just beginning a new chapter in his life’s story.

Taylor has always found his passion in music. Early in his career, Wayne studied music therapy, earned a music degree from The Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, worked within a Community Readiness Training Program, and was also employed with Probation and Patrol at a minimum security prison in Catawba County, North Carolina. As a CRT instructor, he began teaching music to groups of inmates (who graduated every six weeks), with an end goal of them performing as a part of the graduation ceremonies. While seeking to continue a career which involved music, it wasn’t long before he obtained a position within the Navy bluegrass band Country Current, where he served as guitarist and lead singer.

For the past four years, Wayne has performed with his band Appaloosa. Besides having success with their latest project, It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Day, Wayne and company are now excited to perform for the first time at events such as the 10th annual Bluegrass on the Beach at Lake Havasu State Park in Arizona, and the Steve Kaufman Guitar Kamp in Maryville, TN, where Wayne will appear as a guitar instructor.

Perhaps the most exciting upcoming event for Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa is their new festival, fittingly taking place over Veteran’s Day weekend (11/10) at the Maiden High School auditorium in Maiden, NC. This one day festival, which will get underway at 10:00 a.m., will feature five acts: Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band, The Bluegrass Brothers, The Cockman Family Band, the US Navy Band Country Current, and Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa. As the festival is hosted by Cindy Baucom of Knee Deep in Bluegrass, there’s even the potential to see her hubby, the Duke of Drive, make an appearance.

With the recent release of their third album and a holiday release planned for this year as well, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa are doing quite well for themselves. As a matter of fact, they plan to begin recording again this next month and will be making their third tour of Europe in July 2012 where they are scheduled to perform in Norway and Holland, and will complete the 13-day tour with several performances at The Guildtown Bluegrass Festival in Scotland.

For more information regarding Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa or Wayne Taylor’s Homecoming Veteran’s Day Weekend Bluegrass Festival, visit them online.

Share this:

About the Author

John Curtis Goad

John Goad is a graduate of the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music program, with a Masters degree in both History and Appalachian Studies from ETSU.