Dulcie Taylor

 
Dulcie Taylor learned a hard music lesson at an early age — don’t leave your ukelele unattended in a porch chair at the beach. — Some clueless teenager will carelessly sit on it and smash it to bits. That tough moment for ten-year-old Dulcie turned out to be a blessing – her Mother bought a guitar for her that Christmas to replace the broken ukulele and so began Taylor’s lifelong love of playing, singing and songwriting. Her musical journey has led her to share the stage with a long and impressive list of artists including Jerry Lee Lewis, John Gorka, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason, Livingston Taylor, Raul Malo, Asleep At The Wheel, and Kathy Mattea.

Taylor launched her recording career in 2000 with the self-released, Other Side of the Bed. Immediately, her work was praised by her peers and Other Side of the Bed earned Dulcie a Wammie (Washington Area Music Award). Her second release, Diamond & Glass (2002 Black Iris/MesaBluemoon Recordings) received substantial national airplay and charted at Album Network‘s non-commercial AAA format. Critics embraced Taylor with numerous outstanding reviews including “It shines exactly like its title.” – Music Row; “Dulcie Taylor is a gifted writer. She also has a compelling voice which she employs with nuance and emotion.” – Dirty Linen; “Mesmerizing” – Barnes & Noble; and “Taylor is a poet, a romantic.” – The Washington Post. Like Other Side of the Bed, Diamond & Glass won a coveted Wammie Award.

Taylor delivered her third recording Mirrors and Windows (Black Iris/MesaBluemoon Recordings) in March of 2004. It was no surprise that this anticipated release also got significant airplay nationwide – climbing to #7 on the Roots Rock Chart at Roots Music Report. Like Diamond & Glass, it was a TOP PICK MP3 at The Washington Post MP3 site. It too received a powerful critical response. “Throughout, the writing is smart, witty, and heartfelt.” – No Depression; “This album has it all.” – Sing Out!; “She writes from the heart, for the heart.” – The Washington Post MP3; and Soundstage picked it as one of the Best Recordings of 2004, alongside CDs by such artists as Brian Wilson, Los Lobos and Wilco. Taylor recorded the album at the Signature Sounds studio in Palmer, Massachusetts. Mark Thayer produced the CD with Dulcie and her long-time guitarist, John Landau serving as co-producers. Dulcie is featured on vocals, guitar, dulcimer, and harmonica and is accompanied by several of the best musicians around — Rounder Records recording artist Duke Levine (Mary Chapin Carpenter) guitars and lap steel; Richard Gates (Suzanne Vega, Richard Thompson, Patty Larkin) bass; Lorne Entress (Mighty Sam McClain, Susan Tedeschi) drums and percussion and Michael Bellar (Art Garfunkel) Hammond B3 organ.

Her latest recording Free of This Sorrow was released in March 2012 on MesaBluemoon. It has been nearly eight years since her Mirrors and Windows success and Taylor’s fan base has grown exponentially since then. She has played to enthusiastic crowds at nearly 60 venues from Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center to Austin’s Cactus Café, Alexandria’s Birchmere to The Living Room in New York City. Free of This Sorrow could be called “Good love, bad love, life lived and lessons learned,” says Dulcie. “The sessions were wonderful from the minute we started. The feeling was just easy and natural. Everyone had a great time.” (…and of course, that “everyone” she’s talking about would include guests, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) guitar, mandolin, banjo; Tim Pierce (Crowded House, Christina Aguilera, Seal, Santana) guitar; Denny Fongheiser (Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks) drums; Rick Braun (Boney James, Kirk Whalum) trumpet; Scott Breadman (Jose Feliciano, Lindsey Buckingham, Macy Gray, Paul Simon) percussion; Brian Mann, accordion (Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Larry Carlton); Tony Recupido (The Witcher Brothers) guitar, vocals).

Free of this Sorrow was produced by George Nauful who also appears on the recording (guitar and vocals) with Grammy winning producer, Keith Olsen, doing us the honor of mixing.

In addition to crafting song lyrics, Dulcie Taylor is a writer of poetry and prose. She is an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Poetry Series at Washington, D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library. The Folger attracts scholars from around the globe, and is also home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, as well as magnificent collections of other rare Renaissance books and manuscripts.