MarketRobert Taylor (Australian guitarist)
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Robert Taylor (Australian guitarist)

Robert MacLean Taylor was a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist who was best known as a member of the band Dragon during 1974–1984. Their top ten albums during his tenure are Running Free (1977), O Zambezi (1978) and Body and the Beat (1984). Dragon were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life
Robert MacLean Taylor, was born in Waipukurau, a small town on the North Island of New Zealand, the son of an ice cream maker and a housewife. He received a scholarship to study English at Victoria University of Wellington, but left his studies for a music career. == Career ==
Career
In the early 1970s, Taylor was a member of various bands including Mandrake, Chum (country rockers) and the Windy City Strugglers (acoustic, blues) as well as performing solo gigs. Mammal were managed by Graeme Nesbitt and were "playing basically dance-orientated music they soon got a reputation for being an arty band." Mammal attended the Ngaruawahia Music Festival in January 1973, where they "gave one of their better performances". With Taylor on board, the group "eschewed the art-rock trappings for raunchier dance music." The band relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. It had previously been recorded by Taylor with Mammal. He was a co-author of the compositions "Education", "Blacktown Boogie", "Street Between Your Feet" and "Magic". After Dragon's first breakup in 1979, Taylor participated in the successful 1982 reunion, which resulted in the album Body and the Beat (1984) and the related single "Rain", which reached number  2 on the Australian chart. Taylor participated in the recording of their acoustic album Incarnations (1995) and reunited with former bandmates on stage when the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008. He was also honoured when Dragon was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011. == Personal life and death ==
Personal life and death
Taylor married Carol, and the couple had two children. He died in Sydney on 4 November 2025, at the age of 74. His death was announced by former Dragon drummer, Kerry Jacobson. == Awards and achievements ==
Awards and achievements
• ARIA Hall of Fame (2008) – for his contribution to the music of the band Dragon. • New Zealand Music Hall of Fame (2011) – for his participation in the creation of Dragon songs. == Discography ==
Discography
With MammalBeware the Man (by Mammal and Sam Hunt) (1972) Red Rat Records • "Wait" / "Whisper" (1973) With Dragon Albums Singles == References ==
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