Robert D. Taylor @ Angeles Funeral Home a day before his service. Wearing his Sabbath suit that Uncle Peter bought for him to go to church. He cried when Uncle Peter bought him that suit. Uncle Peter found out  he was not attending church because he didn't have a nice suit to wear. My father cried telling me of the kindness that was shown to him by his Brother-N-Law Peter when he bought him that Sabbath suit.
But as fate would have it, this would be the First & Only time my Father got to wear his new suit. The red tie was provided by his younger brother Billy for his final service.
The eye glasses were provided by his niece Nampombe N.E.S.M. Taylor.  

BTW, two days before my Father died, when he was in the ICU unit at the hospital
he tried to climb out of the hospital bed because he said he needed to get his suit (This very suit) out of his apartment so he could attend his brother Leon's Memorial Service, for which he had planned to attend and sing for. We reassured him that we would get his suit for him and not to worry and that kept him from climbing out of the hospital bed attached to all of the IVs and O2 mask and other tubing. 

This week I finally picked up the rest of my Father's belongings that had
all of his research papers and photos. There was one laminated news paper article that was in his collection where he is holding a book called "Paper Trees" by Tony Mathews.  I found a copy on Amazon Books and ordered it Immediately. I can't wait until it arrives. 

My father Robert Taylor told me some years ago,that Grammy Award Winner Al Jarreau sang in a male youth chorus group with him back in the day when they were teenagers back in Milwaukee. Al told me that he remembered that when he was here in Sacramento singing at the California State fair.
So sad to hear that he has passed today in Los Angeles. 

"I Love You Porgy"_ A Night of Gershwin.
I found this broken cassette tape of a performance that I recorded when I was about 16 or 17 years old,
found in the pile of tapes in the Lost Shoebox Recordings.
Its a concert featuring Soprano and Pianist Ernestine Walker. She and my Father did a duet on the Gershwin tune, I Love You Porgy" from the musical "Porgy & Bess". This was a hidden lost treasure for me and I cried when I heard it because it was so beautiful. What a gift for my birthday September 25th.
My Father & I shared that September 25th birthday and this was a pleasnt surprise and wonderful gift that God allowed my father to have here on earht and to have it resurface just in time for our birthday.
How Amazing is that?

My Father was playing an old piano in the Church basement for the A.Y evening program and the piano had a broken sustain pedal so the song sounded kind of choppy on the piano.  Not to mention  Daddy was trying to play an EVIE, Contemporary Christian song.  He was more at home with the Old Time Religion songs.  But he tired. This song made me smile.

I put together another video for one of the songs from the 1986 Sacred Concert
that the Gospel Trio "MESSAGE" performed.  They explain how my Father, Robert Taylor organized their group after hearing their voices blend in our youth choir at the University Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Los Angeles. (On Budlong & MLK Blvd).
I used various video clips of Old Jerusalem, The Red Sea, The Tomb on Gallgatha.
I cried many times while putting this together. IT broke my heart watching & knowing
"THEY COULD NOT" understand.

I found a shoebox full of old cassette tapes when I was looking for something else.
But what a blessing and pleasant surprise when I came across one of the tapes that had a song my Father loved called "SOMEDAY".
He was the youth choir Director of the University Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Los Angeles, CA in 1982 and he taught this song to the kids there.
The Mercer Sisters, The Harroway Sisters, The McAlpin Sisters and the Taylor Sisters were some of the individuals that were part of this group at one point in time.

Remembering my Father thru his music ministry. 

More music from the  Gospel Trio _ "MESSAGE" that my Father organized and formed. Songs from the Shoebox Lost Recordings 1984.

Please click on the Youtube link below.
Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egPVKFJ19ss  

I stumbled across an old rehearsal tape that I made back when I was 16 years old. It was with my Father rehearsing a new Trio group  named "MESSAGE" that he put together comprised of Shellie & Margaret Mercer and Desiree' McAlpin (Webb) back in 1984.
We were at the University Seventh-Day Adventist church in one of the Sabbath school rooms and my Dad was playing for them and singing along as well. I grabbed a tape recorder and started recording.

Fast forward 35ish years and I found the tape was broken and had to super glue it back together several times.  Once when I was playing it to see what was on the tape, the tape recorder mangled the tape up in the machine and I had to hand rewind and clue it back together again.

You can hear at the beginning where the tape got mangled up. Sorry bout that.
Also, for some reason I cut the tape off abruptly at the end back in the day. 
Well, it is what it is and Here is the lost time capsule.
Hope you get THE MESSAGE.
(CLICK ON THE HYPERLINK BELOW TO HEAR THE LOST TAPES).
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7SU3Kqr4rM 

My Father told me once that his Mom, My Grandmother Taylor used to always 
insist that he practice his piano lessons no matter what.  But My Dad said he hated to practice the piano. But little did he know that his youngest little brother was there in the shadows learning from him unawares in those practice sessions.
And now, today that little brother is an accomplished pianist named
Dr Calvin M. Taylor.

I put together this Media Arts project of my Uncle Calvin playing a song that was recorded on one of his album cassettes in 1981. Recorded on his record label Master Disc Records.  
I barrowed the cassette from my Grandmother way back in the day, and I'm sorry to say, Grandmother, I forgot to give it back. (Opps).

Howerver, Please enjoy, 'LET US BREAK BREAD TOGETHER" with me.

Mountain Dew? 

The Los Angeles City Council Extends sympathy in honor of RDT Jr.
All members stood in tribute and reverence in memory of Robert D. Taylor Jr. 

"OUT OF THE TRASH CAME TRUTH"_Robert D. Taylor Graduates Andrews University

"OUT OF THE TRASH CAME TRUTH", RDT Jrs experience at Andrews University in 1964. Robert D. Taylor Jr is mentioned in this book.

Attached is a document that discusses a letter that my father sent to the staff at Andrews University back in 1964 regarding race relations in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Understanding that, in the United States the Civil Rights Movement was taking off.  He addressed racism in the SDA Christian church.
This letter was later included in a Book called "OUT OF THE TRASH CAME TRUTH" by Dr Frank W. Hale Jr.  

Attached is a document that discusses a letter that my father sent to the staff at Andrews University back in 1964 regarding race relations in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Understanding that, in the United States the Civil Rights Movement was taking off.  He addressed racism in the SDA Christian church.
This letter was later included in a Book called "OUT OF THE TRASH CAME TRUTH" by Dr Frank W. Hale Jr. 

I created this video from one of the songs arranged, produced and directed by my Father, Robert D. Taylor Jr. 
I always loved his sweet and humble song arranging style. 

Please enjoy with me his version of, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands". 
By The Inland Empires own, "The Choraleers"  

Origianlly recorded in 1960 something...You can hear the "crackling" of that orignal vinyl album.  

In Loving Memory of my Father. 

Dear Uncle Robert,

One of my FONDEST and recent memories of you was singing Babu's favorite song while you accompanied me on the piano in my parent's home.  For many years I had no idea that Auntie Jo hated that song and it is the one song I always loved hearing her sing.  I remember us talking about how wonderful it would be for she and I to sing a duet with your talented fingers supporting us in your own remarkable style on the piano.  

Unfortunately, our dreams remain unfulfilled at this time.  

I can still hear your voice.  I must find a picture of you and I at the piano when I was a very little girl, and you were teaching me how to play the piano.  When I find it, I will scan it and post it to your website.

I continue to be in awe of you.  I admired your viligant efforts to trace our family history tirelessly throughout the years.  I was always impressed by your ability to play the piano effortlessly with or without sheet music.  

I continue to hear your voice and recall our conversations.  

I remember hosting you for campmeeting one year in Huntsville, Alabama after I had graduated with my Bachelor's Degree.

I remember that you enjoyed the food I had prepared for you and I couldn't be more pleased to have had you as a guest, even if only for a short while.

I love and miss you Uncle Robert. I'm glad for the time I had to spend with you and all of the things that you taught me throughout the years.

I realize that you are gone in the flesh, it hurts, but I must trust that it will get easier with time.

Loving you always,

Your Niece,

Nampombe

THE FINAL CUT.
I had a class project for my Desktop Film Editing Class and I chose to focus on Music of America.  Music has been a big part of our family so it seemed right to pick this topic.  I included a snippet of one of my Father's songs in the film to represent the Negro Spirituals that he loved so much. I also included a snipped of our family friend, Little Richard who was the Father of Rock N Roll.  Elvis may have been labeled the King of Rock N Roll but every King has a Father and Little Richard was the originator.  Had to make that point in my film.

I Dedicate this to the memory and music lessons that my Father taught me.

THANK YOU DADDY FOR YOUR GIFT OF MUSIC. 

Your birthday gift,
Jan 

*KEEPING THE LEGACY ALIVE! 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Class Project for my "DeskTop Film Editing" class.

Janis M. Taylor: 
Week 6 W6 Assignment 1 Final Project
Numeric Grade: 90 / 90 pts
Letter Grade: A
Comments: 
"Jan,
Great job on your final project titled "Music of America", inspirational, and done with a keen interest in music; your extra effort to record an audio interview with the wonderful Native American leader really made this project amazing. It's a visual and audio treat you should be proud to have produced...maximum points for you (deserving)!

Other details:
Creativity of concept (use of editing in a way that tells a story, use of cinematic storytelling). Outstanding, historical based with a local Native American element with your voiceover clips weaved throughout - outstanding!
Technical aspects of edits (use of clean video and audio components, clean audio/video edits, within time allotment). 
Solid technically
Use of editing aesthetics (appropriate use of transitions, establishment, and maintenance of a style). Yes, and great use of titles, flashy and interesting graphics, etc.
Use of audio (appropriate audio, with effective enhancements). Music, sound effects, voiceover audio recorded during an interview...outstanding audio!
Your video is OUTSTANDING in virtually all categories, 
one of the best in the class! (WOW).

All project documents accounted for.
2 required Critiques for classmate projects - completed, 
well written!

Assignment 1 Grading Criteria 
Maximum Points
Comprehension. 20
Craftsmanship. 20/20
Creativity. 20
Presentation. 10
Critical Analysis. 10/10
Writing. 10/10
Total: 90/90
Grading Rubric: A
Exceeds all criteria. 

The Title Tract song of the album that my Father, Robert D. Taylor Jr produced for EDNA WILLIAMS_singing "I MADE IT!"

Edna Williams singing, "WIND BENEATH MY WINGS"
MY Father hand picked these songs that Ms Edna sang.

MY FATHER once sang this song live FOR US and dedicated it to his children and this is priceless to us now... I can't listen to it thru not even once without shedding many tears.

So many words left unsaid, like, I Love You and I'm sorry and I forgive you and thank you and you're welcome and .........>

EDNA WILLIAMS_ singing "THERE IS A FOUNTAIN" with my Father Robert D. Taylor Jr on keyboards.

This song truly is a Sermon in song. And the words ring so true in what my Father believed in and placed his hope in, in the belief that this song talks about.
And he instilled this belief in me as well.  
My Father is playing the different parts on this song. It's ALL Him  :) and it makes me smile.
I'm thanking God for this gift today. 

My Father on the keyboards makes me smile.  This too is a gift now that he
Rest in Peace.

EDNA WILLIAMS_"MOVE ON UP A LITTLE HIGHER"
My Father introduced several of Mahalia Jackson's tunes to Ms Edna and she took to them like a duck to water.
My Father's country accumpaniment is priceless to us right now at the end of the day. It makes me smile.  :) 

My Father Produced THIS album by Vocalist EDNA WILLIAMS.

My Father and Brother Robby and Edn'as Daughter are all singing background vocals on this song as well.
All in the family  :) 

My Father Produced an album by Vocalist EDNA WILLIAMS
Singing, "JESUS LED ME ALL THE WAY".

MY FATHER IS PLAYING THE ACCOMPANIMENT FOR MS EDNA. 

My Father Produced an album by Vocalist EDNA WILLIAMS  I wanted to share several songs from that album with you.
He is playing in his sweet and gentle country manor.
This is a priceless jewel to us now that he is gone.

I LOVE THE LORD_EDNA WILLIAMS-Vocs,
Organ-Robert D. Taylor Jr. 

Here is a portion of another cassette tape that I found that includes The Music Ministry that my Father participated in at the Bethesda Church in SoCal featuring Soprano Philura Williams.

In this exerpt my Father shares several stories in his introductions as he did very often. He was one of the old school story tellers.  He is also playing piano on several numbers. He shares one of his favotie Bible texts as well from Psalms 150.
The stories are what We sure do miss about him as well as his music.

I'm thanking God for these precious tapes that have been preserved all these years.
They are gold nuggets that are priceless to our family.

Thank you God for your gifts in many forms and fashion. 

I found a little cassette tape called: "An Evening of Music Ministry with Robert Taylor and Friends." Bethesda Church Ministry 1990.

I've selected a few clips from that evening to share with you.
My father is playing for the Bethesda Trio and sang a little in the background of one of the songs. He is also one of the old school story tellers and he shares a few thoughts as he announces the Trio as well as the Pianist Ferdie Westry playing
"To God Be The Glory".
 

This is an audio clip that I took from a cassette tape that I found by my Father entitled: "Evening of Music Ministry-Robert D. Taylor and Friends" 1990.
(Part I) Bethesda Church Tape Ministry.

Unfortunately I don't have Part 2 of the evening concert.  We are trying to track that church down and see if they have the full service recorded.

Stay Tuned.
 

I was looking for something a couple of weeks ago and found this box of rehersal tapes that I made of my Father rehearsing songs with his four kids and first born grandson Anthony Williams.
My Father loved his kids and his grandchildren and you can hear him expressing how proud he was that his grandson was willing to sing "Jesus Loves Me" for a program that we were all singing on.
This is a special little gold nugget that has been preserved for the past 20 + years.
It is very special to me and I wanted to share it with you all.

Hopefully Anthony won't kill me - his Ant Jan  :)

Love you Anthony & Jesus does too  :D

ENJOY a walk down memory lane!!! 

IN THE STUDIO with ROBERT D. TAYLOR JR (Take one).

My Dad was Blessed to know vocalist Edna Williams.  And together they produced an album called, " I MADE IT".  This song, "THERE IS A FOUNTAIN" is from that album recorded a number of years ago. 

The "B" side of the 45 album that my Dad Robert Taylor produced for the lovely PHYLLIS TRUSS in Birmingham, Alabama.
This song showcases the multi-octave vocal range that Phyllis has. 

The "A" Side:
I WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD WHEN MY FATHER TOOK ME INTO THE RECORDING STUDIO WITH THE THEN, 17 YEAR OLD VOCALIST MS PHYLLIS TRUSS. WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. MY FATHER ARRANGED, PLAYED AND PRODUCED THIS 45 OF PHYLLIS SINGING.

The first part of the recording is from one of Daddy & Phyllis's rehersals.  I recorded that on a hand heald tape recorder.  I was 10 at the time and didn't realize the value of that original recording and subsequently taped over it with a copy of the 45 that they made. You can hear my father saying, "Thank you very much" at the end of the rehersal recording. The ring in the photos was given to me by Phyllis the night before we moved away from Birmingham, Alabama. I've had it for about 40 years or so, give or take a year or two. Kids dont track time.

The song title "CHANGE MY NAME"  is on side A of the 45.
We first heard Phyllis singing at one of the Talent shows during The Big Gospel Tent Revival that my Father heald there in Aniston, Alabama BACK IN THE LATE 70'S.
 
I FOUND THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL 45 ALBUM LAST WEEK IN MY VINYL COLLECTION AND DID A PHOTO SHOOT OF THE 45.  WHATCHA THINK? 

This Performance was  recorded @ the Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Jackson Tennessee @ my Father 's (Robert D. Taylor Jr.s) 70th Birthday celebration that his wife Linda Torrence Taylor organised for him. 

My Father had been having serious health issues at the time (2008) such that the family feared that we almost lost him at one point. So we flew down to Tennessee, some as a surprise visit and this program was a tribute to my Dad and his music ministry. My Uncle Calvin performed on the program and my uncle Billy (who is a freelance photographer) took photographs as well.  You might see him in the audience with his camera. 

Edna was the one that got away.....sigh we love her and thank her from the bottom of our hearts for her help and love during this time of our loss including her loosing someone she loved and admiried as well. She is like a 2nd mother and we love her as if she was a mother. She means the world to us.
Thank You Edna for your love and Support!!!! 

Daddy playing for Church on a random Sabbath morning in Tennessee at Maranatha SDA Church where he was a memeber for 18 years.

Sophia & Sydney Taylor sing for their Grandfather, Robert D Taylor Jr for the last time July 6. 2014_ wearing their green ICU visitation wrist bands

Jan Taylor, Little Richard, and Robert D. Taylor Jr @ University Seventh-day Adventist church in Los Angeles, CA. Budlong & Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

Joy Johnson, Rev Gardner, Bro. Robert Taylor, Cora Lee Williams, Cora Mackey,
Ollie Lou Pearson, Sarah Taylor Clifford and James Campbell were at Lexington Manor Nursing Center to sing Negro Spirituals for Black History Month, February 2012.
We are standing behind the Black History Display for the Lexington Manor Nursing Center for February, 2012.

This Bro Robert Taylor at our first Kennedy Family Reunion in Maryland.  Bro. Taylor spent most of his time at the The Library of Congress looking up geneology. This was in the 1990's.

This is our Everett Horn Library sign for the Display in 2007 in Lexington, TN. 
This was the year that Bro. Robert Taylor participated in the Display.

This is a picture of our Black History Display at the Everett Horn Library for the year 2007.  Bro. Taylor in the last picture on the end at the right. The Display includes the biographies or autobiographies of each person which you will see is in front of each picture.

Sarah Taylor Clifford, Bro. Robert Taylor, Ms. Verta Ree Mosley and Ollie Lou Pearson are standing behind a Black History Display at Lexington Manor Nursing Center that was arranged by Joy Johnson at the request of the Nursing Center.

Bro. Robert Taylor, Cora Mackey, Sarah Taylor Clifford, Ollie Lou Pearson and Joy Johnson sang Negro Spirituals at Lexington Manor Nursing Center in February 2011 in Lexington, TN.

Bro. Robert Taylor was always willing to share his time and talents for the programs at Everett Horn Library in Lexington, TN.

Bro. Taylor plays and sings Hymns and Negro Spirituals at the Everett Horn Library, Lexington, TN

Bro. Robert Taylor presented a program for Black History Month about Quilts that were made by the slaves and the meaning of each quilt piece at the Everett Horn Library, Lexington, TN.  The presentation was very informative and inspiring.