It is with great sadness that we report the passing of one of Philadelphia’s most talented vocal group singers, Billy Taylor.  Billy died last night (Aug. 4-5, 2009).  Billy Taylor is best known for his recordings with the Castelles, like “My Girl Awaits Me,” “Over A Cup of Coffee,” “This Silver Ring” and “Wonder Why” (which he led).  He also sang with the Dreams, Spaniels, Sonny Til’s Orioles, Billy Ward’s Dominoes, the Cobras, the Modern Red Caps and the Clovers.

Billy Taylor was born and raised in West Philadelphia.  He attended Sulzberger Junior High where he was in the choir with other singers who would go on to form the nuclei of the Philadelphia R&B groups, the Castelles, Dreams, Angels, Cherokees and Larks.  Also in the same choir were Lee Andrews and Solomon Burke.

Billy Taylor learned harmony by listening to groups like the Orioles and Dominoes on the radio.  The Castelles formed from members of the Sulzberger choir in the early 1950’s.  They appeared on the Parisian Tailor Kiddie Hour, a local radio show talent showcase.  Taylor was an integral part of the Castelles on the Grand label, singing first and second tenor as well as baritone depending on the song.  Though Billy led only one of the Castelles’ recorded songs (“Wonder Why”), his ability to imitate the vocal stylings of everyone from Sonny Til to Clyde McPhatter made him a more frequent lead in the Castelles’ live appearances.

Billy Taylor also sang baritone on the Dreams’ recordings of “Darlene” and “Letter to My Girl”.  Following the Castelles, Billy Taylor became the Spaniels lead during Pookie Hudson’s absence.  This led to his being selected as a member of Sonny Til’s Orioles on the Charlie Parker label.  In the early 1960’s Billy Taylor recorded with the Cobras (Swan) and Modern Red Caps (Swan).

By the late 1960’s, Billy Taylor was singing with Billy Ward’s Dominoes, including a tour with them through the Far East.  He also was part of Sonny Til’s last group of Orioles, shortly before Sonny’s death in 1981.  Billy sang with George Grant on several Castelles reunion concerts.  He performed with the Clovers for a one week gig in Atlantic City.  Billy Taylor’s last vocal group performance was with the Philadelphia “super group” at the 2008 Black Swan Concert.

Billy Taylor was a deeply religious man and one of the nicest guys in the Philadelphia music scene.  He was also extremely talented, able to sing different parts and sound like almost any singer that he wanted to.  Billy Taylor was a good friend to us and to all who knew him.  He’ll be greatly missed.

Charlie & Pam Horner