THE JIMMY TAYLOR STORY PART 3

                                                Still Rockin'


 After the fire at the Whiskey, Jimmy took the band to another nightclub Centrefold, formerly the old Motor club, owned by that famous medico and entrepreneur Geoffrey Edelstein. With the return of Ken Brown the lineup was now Taylor piano/vocals, Brown bass, Brady guitar and Hank Davis drums (ex Bakery). When the Centrefold closed down in 1976 Taylor went the full circle and teamed up again with his old Squares mate Warren Williams.The Taylor Williams Duo took to the club circuit managed by booking agent Jan Murphy whose son Mark a little later was to make much more money with INXS than she did with Wocka and Jimmy! The duo opened for Del Shannon at his Revesby Workers Club shows in 1977. Then in September 1977, after Elvis Presley died Jimmy staged the Elvis Presley Tribute Special compered by Ward Pally Austin. The show featured Barry Stanton, Johnny Devlin and Eddie Youngblood, and a Young Elvis lookalike Roy Hawkins, who Jimmy had seen pulling beers at the bar. Roy stole the show and Jimmy became his manager.

Through 1978 Jimmy also played piano for visiting rockers Chuck Berry (pictured left) and Bo Diddley (pictured right).   In December 1978 he played the Music Expo with the Drifters. In June 1980 he toured the capital cities with the Coasters. In 1981 Jimmy was the piano man for the Bo Diddley tour and for Chubby Checker in 1982.
In November 1983 Jimmy was again musical director for Chuck Berry on The Great Rock'n'Roll Revival concert tour which also featured Bo Diddley, Ray Brown, (pictured) Hermans Hermits, The Mighty Guys etc. In 1988 and again in 1990 Jimmy played piano for US rockabilly legend, Sleepy LaBeef on his Australian tours. (pictured right)  

In 1991 he again teamed up with his protege Roy Hawkins in a show called Whole Lotta Shakin'. Roy had been managed briefly by Glenn A Baker while playing with his own band The Fifties. In between time Jimmy was back rocking with the Coasters on their 1994 tour.

Since then, Jimmy still wows his fans in shows like 'Whole Lotta Shakin', and continues to hammer pianos into the ground with all the rock'n'roll friends that he has made over his long career... the JIMMY TAYLOR story isn't finished yet.

(Australian Music Museum August 2000)