LORD HE CAN’T GO BACK HERE
Perhaps the most notable white artist under the classic Motown umbrella has died. Canuck R. Dean Taylor experienced mild success in his homeland before heading to Detroit to further his career. He wasn’t the first white artist to have a charting single with Motown – Debbie Dean did so in the early 60s with an unremarkable answer song to “Shop Around” that peaked at #92 on US charts – but would be the first to properly make his name with the groundbreaking label.
He first honed his craft with Motown as a songwriter and composer, having been part of the team behind classics for The Supremes (“Love Child”) and The Temptations (“All I Need”). He went on to record his own music with the label, most notably “Indiana Wants Me” in which he portrays a convict on the run as the police close in on him. It made him a one-hit wonder in the US, but in the UK he followed up with the thematically-appropriate “There’s a Ghost in My House”. Shame it wasn’t a success around here, now that I’m giving it a listen! 82-year-old Taylor was in hospice for a while after catching COVID in late 2020, and leaves any remaining inhabitants of the Taylor residency inclined to stop putting off hiring a ghost hunter.
Though a word of warning to those who never heard “Indiana Wants Me” before – while a fine song, listen at home and not in the car. Hearing the police bit while driving scared yours truly shitless the first time she heard it!
70s musicos assemblage Dead and Dusted 2 score the unique points with a belated Yahoo obit.
R. Dean Taylor
11 May 1939 – 7 January 2022, aged 82
💀💀💀💀💀💀 + 👻 = 10 POINTS