Not to be confused with the famous pianist, this Billy Taylor (whose son Billy Taylor, Jr. was also a fine bassist) was best-known for his period with Duke Ellington's Orchestra, directly preceding Jimmy Blanton. Taylor started out playing tuba in 1919 and switched to bass by the early '30s. He moved to New York in 1924, worked with Elmer Snowden (1925), and played regularly with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten (1927-1929) before joining McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1931-1932). Taylor spent a period back with Johnson (1932-1933), recorded with Fats Waller, and was with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in 1934 for a short time before it broke up. Taylor was a regular member of Duke Ellington's Orchestra during 1935-1940, making many recordings with both Duke and with small groups led by Ellington's sidemen. When he first came into the band, Taylor and Wellman Braud were both employed as bassists. After Braud left, Taylor was the main bassist although, for a period, Hayes Alvis was hired to play second bass. In 1939, Jimmy Blanton became Duke's second bassist and Taylor quickly recognized Blanton's genius and voluntarily quit Ellington's Orchestra. Taylor then worked with Coleman Hawkins' Big Band, Red Allen's Sextet, Joe Sullivan (1942), and then did studio work at CBS and NBC. Further associations included the Cootie Williams Big Band (1944), Barney Bigard's Combo, Benny Morton, and Cozy Cole. After a period freelancing, Taylor moved back to Washington D.C. where he was semi-retired but still playing into the '70s. Billy Taylor, who was on many records in the '30s and '40s, led two record dates of his own, one apiece for Keynote (1944) and H.R.S. (1947). ~ Scott Yanow