Last updated on July 1st, 2025 at 11:15 am
Steve Taylor is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, filmmaker, assistant professor, and actor.
A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed a successful solo career during the 1980s, and also served in the short-lived group Chagall Guevara. In contrast to many Christian musical artists, his songs have often taken aim at other Christians with the use of satirical, sardonic lyrics.
He has produced and written for numerous musical acts, one of the most consistent being Newsboys. As a filmmaker, Taylor co-wrote, directed, and produced the feature films Down Under the Big Top, The Second Chance, and Blue Like Jazz.
He was born on December 9, 1957, the eldest of three children, in Brawley, California. Taylor’s father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to Northglenn, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.
He graduated from Northglenn High School in 1976. While there, he attempted to learn the bass guitar, piano, and trombone.
Full Name: Roland Stephen Taylor
Nickname: Steve Taylor
Date of Birth: December 9, 1957
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: He got married to Debbie L. Taylor in 1985
Nationality: American
Genre: Christian alternative rock, new wavepost-punk
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, music executive, actor
Record label: Sparrow, MCAWarner Alliance, Myrrh Splint, Sounds Familyre
Instruments: Guitar
Net worth: $3 Million
Career:
In 1983, Taylor recorded his first full-length album. Released in 1984, Meltdown included some of the demo material that was not on Clone, along with some new material. His video single of the title track, “Meltdown (at Madame Tussauds),” was played on MTV, which was unusual for a Christian artist at the time. The video featured an appearance by actress Lisa Whelchel.
The album also included “We Don’t Need No Colour Code”, which was critical of Bob Jones University and its anti-interracial dating policy, a policy that was not abandoned by the university until 2000.
Taylor received his first Grammy nomination in the “Best Male Gospel Performance” category, while also being nominated for Dove Awards as “Gospel Artist of the Year” and for Meltdown as the “Best Contemporary Album of the Year”. Taylor and “Some Band” performed at the Dove Awards ceremonies in Nashville in April of that year, where they were introduced by Pat Boone.
June 2011 saw the release of “Closer” (featuring Steve Taylor and Some Other Band), a collaboration with Peter Furler on his first solo album, On Fire.
The group consisted of Taylor on vocals, Jimmy Abegg on guitar, John Mark Painter on bass, and Furler on drums. According to Furler, an entire album was recorded from these sessions, the material consisting of Taylor/Furler songs unused by the Newsboys.
One track from the group, “A Life Preserved”, was released August 7, 2012, on the Blue Like Jazz Motion Picture Soundtrack album and credited to Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil. An “official remix” of “A Life Preserved” also surfaced at pastemagazine.com, and Taylor returned to the stage forthe Creation 2013 festival.
“Only a Ride”, the debut single from the album, was released via streaming and mp3 download on September 16, 2014, only to Kickstarter campaign supporters. The music video for “Only a Ride” featured scenes from the film trailer for Stunt Rock, a 1980 film by director Brian Trenchard-Smith. Music videos for “Standing in Line” and the title track to Goliath followed. The album, distributed independently through Taylor’s own Splint Entertainment, was released on November 18, 2014.
In June 2015, Taylor and the Perfect Foil entered Electrical Audio in Chicago with Daniel Smith of Danielson and engineer Steve Albini.
Along with new music making, Taylor also had the honor of becoming filmmaker-in-residence at Lipscomb University’s cinematic arts program. His roles would include assistant professor of film & creative media and director of the School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts.
He would also begin development on another feature film, a political comedy: The Independent.
Songs:
- “Meltdown (At Madame Tussaud’s)”
- “We Don’t Need No Colour Code”
- “Lifeboat”
- “What Is the Measure of Your Success?”
- “I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good”
- “A Principled Man”
- “Jim Morrison’s Grave”
- “Babylon”
- “Svengali”
- “Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better”
- “Only a Ride”
- “Standing in Line”
- “Moonshot”
- “Ecstatic Delight”
- Meltdown
- On the Fritz
- I Predict 1990
- Squint, 1993
- Goliath (with The Perfect Foil)
Major Movies
- Joe’s Distributing
- Nothing To Lose
- Baby Talk
- Greenbelt ’88 on Super 8
- Rich Mullins: Pursuit of a Legacy
- Strong Hand of Love
- Down Under the Big Top
- Homeless Man: The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins
- Adventure Now
Awards: N/A
Social Media:
- Facebook – Steve Taylor
- Instagram Steve Taylor
- Twitter- Steve Taylor
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