Joseph Garfield Taylor

Music is a gift from the creator, and blessed are those who have theability to share its beauty with others. Through the symphony that was his life, Joseph Garfield Taylor, Jr.provided us all with the music of the world and his spirit. Joe’s opening performance was in Richmond,VA on September 10,1944. We have to thank Joseph Garfield Taylor,Sr.and Elizabeth Wood Taylor for providing Joe with his first instruments.Joe’s performances certainly were influenced by his brothers Theodore,James and Robert Kenny,and John Taylor,each one blessed with symphonies of their own.Teachers in the Richmond public school system helped Joe devise better forms for his compositions.Professors at Virginia State and Virginia Commonwealth Universities mentored Joe so that he could refine his musical style.Perhaps it was through these early collaborations that Joe foundjazz so compelling,spellbinding even,yet so very familiar.Through a multitude of experiences,with the Armstrong High School Band,Virginia State University Marching Band,the U.S. Air Force Band,and a host of fellow musicians throughoutVirginia,Joe experimented with and improvised his symphony.He shared his musical expertise and compositions with thousands of appreciative listeners and performed with those well known and unknown.His musical break spent with the U.S.Postal Service, allowed him to articulate the rhythms of life’s daily journeys by performing with Standing Room Only Band & Show;Ban Cribé;Renaissance Band;and D-Lite.Joe was only happy to oblige them all. However,there was one listener who stood out.She had a rhythm of her own. As a student of jazz,Joe recognized that Faye Bettina Walker could help him compose an entirely new symphony.One rooted in the African ancestral past,a past that really was prologue to both.This new performance debuted on October 23, 1982,and the world rejoiced. For nearly six years, they performed,studied and riffed together.Their finest collaboration debuted on June 6, 1988, and they named her Mayah Olaniyi Walker-Taylor. It was through these two women,where Joe could show the world his reward for all of his hard work in sharing his music with the world.Following a long desired sojourn to Africa, where his African and American spirits were reconciled, Joe was able to prepare for one more performance. Sadly, for all of us who grew to love Joe’s symphony, his final performance played on March 19, 2008. It was as beautiful as his debut.We were blessed by him in Richmond,VA.For 63 years,the creator could rest assured in the fact that Joe shared his gift with all he encountered. We celebrate Joe’s symphony and his performances in the way that is only natural through music.Those of us left in this physical world are devoted wife Faye B. Walker;loving daughter, Mayah O. Walker-Taylor; brother, Rev. Dr. John O. Taylor, Sr. and his wife, Patricia, all of Richmond, VA; loving mother-in-law, Hazel Walker; sister-in-law,Frances Kenny of Indianapolis, IN and a host of nieces, nephews,great-nieces,nephews,and other relatives.Special friends who will miss those“philosophical sessions” include Khaliq Akers and Larry Boone. All of Joe’s musical and performing families are loved and acknowledged.David Brown,the music collaboration and ventures you shared were Joe’s passion.

Tributes

Joseph Garfield Taylor

September 10, 1944 - March 19, 2008