Roger Taylor | |
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Taylor performing with Queen + Paul Rodgers in Vienna, 2008.
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Background information | |
Birth name | Roger Meddows Taylor |
Born |
King's Lynn, Norfolk, England |
26 July 1949
Genres | Rock |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1968–present |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Website | rogertaylorofficial |
Notable instruments | |
Drum Workshop drums and hardware Zildjian cymbals Remo drumheads Vic Firth sticks |
Roger Meddows Taylor (born 26 July 1949) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Queen. As well as a multi-instrumentalist, he is also a singer and songwriter. As a drummer, Taylor was recognised early in his career for his unique sound. He has since been acclaimed by the Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins as one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as being voted by radio listeners as the eighth-greatest drummer in classic rock music history in a poll conducted by Planet Rock in 2005.
As a songwriter, Taylor contributed songs to Queen's albums from the very beginning, composing at least one track on every album, and often singing lead vocals on his own compositions. He wrote or co-wrote three UK number 1s ("These Are the Days of Our Lives", "Innuendo" and "Under Pressure") and contributed a further five major hits ("Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind of Magic", "Heaven for Everyone", "Breakthru", and "The Invisible Man"). He is also commonly known to have been the main writer on the international top-ten hit "One Vision", although the track is credited to the whole band. He has collaborated with such artists as Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Phil Collins, Genesis, Jimmy Nail, Elton John, Gary Numan, Shakin' Stevens, Foo Fighters, Al Stewart, Steve Vai, Yoshiki, Cyndi Almouzni, and Bon Jovi. As a producer, he has produced albums by Virginia Wolf, Jimmy Nail and Magnum.