Musical upbringing Taylor was born in suburban
New Haven, Connecticut into a family of musicians, resulting in exposure to music at a very early age. He started by singing in local talent shows, which evolved into playing keyboards as well as learning how to listen to and understand music. Record executive
Timmy Regisford would subsequently buy out Taylor's contract, and sign him to
Motown Records. Taylor would subsequently place records from his unreleased debut album on other projects he was writing for at the time, with the remaining portion of his debut album being eventually released in 2021. Two previously unreleased Taylor tracks, "Just A Cover Up" and "Can't Be Liked", would later appear on a 2009
Cooleyhighharmony repackage. In the 1990s/early 2000s, Taylor was also a member of
The Characters alongside fellow songwriter/producer
Charles Farrar: a production collective that signed several acts to their production company Character Music Corporation, and worked with
Brownstone,
SWV,
Darius Rucker, and
Kenny Lattimore, among others. They also produced several remixes for physical singles during their tenure, including
Brandy ("
Best Friend") and
Babyface ("Chivalry"). Their work on song "Jezzebel" from 1994 Boyz II Men album
II won the duo a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Songwriter
Johnta Austin would later join the collective after his label delayed the release of his debut album, and together the trio created award-winning hit single "
Sweet Lady" for
Tyrese, as well as other songs for
SWV and
Jason Weaver.
2000-present: Songbook Entertainment and Trey Songz The Characters disbanded amicably in 2002, but would continue to work together to contribute to albums from
B2K and
Jhené Aiko, as well as appear on the
Barbershop soundtrack. Taylor would next create Songbook Entertainment, a multi-disciplinary firm meant to encompass songwriting, publishing, and the development of new artists. Taylor would also work with former
IMx member
Marques Houston on his solo debut. While developing Neverson over the next five years, Taylor would also be commissioned to work on projects from Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle,
Ginuwine, and the Isley Brothers, receiving recognition from the R&B wing of the Grammys for his contributions to 2003 Aretha Franklin album
So Damn Happy. Taylor would later reminisce about recording sessions in Franklin's home studio, Franklin's ability to record ten full songs without breaks, as well as recording his time producing for Houston for posterity in various interviews and publications. In 2016, Taylor was tasked with writing and producing songs based on scripted plotlines for
Lee Daniels'
Fox television series
Star. In 2020, Taylor worked with gospel artist
Koryn Hawthorne on her second album
I Am, contributing two singles ("Speak To Me", "Pray") that charted on the
Billboard Gospel Charts. He reunited with Characters collective member Austin to co-write his contributions to Hawthorne's album. == Discography ==