Robert Taylor (Australian guitarist)

Robert Taylor
Taylor in 2008
Background information
Born
Robert MacLean Taylor

(1951-04-16)16 April 1951
Waipukurau, North Island, New Zealand
Died4 November 2025(2025-11-04) (aged 74)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock, country rock
OccupationMusician
Instrumentselectric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocals
Years active1970–1985, 1995

Robert MacLean Taylor (16 April 1951 – 4 November 2025) was a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist. He is best known as a member of the band Dragon during 1974–1984. Their top ten albums during his tenure are Running Free (1977), O Zambezi (1978) and Body and the Beat (1984). Dragon were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life

Robert MacLean Taylor,[1] was born in Waipukurau, a small town on the North Island of New Zealand, the son of an ice cream maker and a housewife.[2] He received a scholarship to study English at Victoria University of Wellington, but left his studies for a music career.

Career

In the early 1970s Taylor was a member of various bands including Mandrake, Chum (country rockers) and the Windy City Strugglers (acoustic, blues) as well as performing solo gigs.[3][4] After leaving Victoria University he joined Mammal on lead guitar in 1972 alongside Tony Backhouse on keyboards, Rick Bryant on lead vocals and tambourine, Steve Hemmens on bass guitar and Jeff Kennedy on drums.[4][5] Mammal were managed by Graeme Nesbitt and were "playing basically dance-orientated music they soon got a reputation for being an arty band."[4]

Mammal teamed with local poet Sam Hunt to jointly release a studio album, Beware the Man (1972).[4][6] For the album the group's line-up was Taylor on guitars, slide guitar and vocals, Bryant on vocals and washboard; Patrick Bleakley on bass guitar and violoncello; Mike Fullarton on drums; Bill Lake on harmonica, guitars and vocals.[6] They were joined by the Alex Lindsay String Quartet (Alex Lindsay, violin; Mrs. A. Lindsay, violin; Ken Burward-Hoy, viola; Wilfred Simenauer, violoncello).[6] Mammal attended the Ngaruawahia Music Festival in January 1973, where they "gave one of their better performances".[4] In June of that year Kerry Jacobson joined on drums.[4] Mammal disbanded after a farewell performance at Wellington Opera House in September 1974.[4][3]

The guitarist joined Dragon in December 1974 after that group had recorded their second album, Scented Gardens for the Blind (1975).[3][7][8] With Taylor onboard, the group "eschewed the art-rock trappings for raunchier dance music."[7] His first songwriting credit for the group, "Education", was issued as a non-album single in early 1975, but it did not chart.[7][9] The band relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975.[7] Another Taylor-penned track, "Wait Until Tomorrow", was recorded as their next single, by ex-pat New Zealander Peter Dawkins, who had signed the group to CBS.[10] It had previously been recorded by Taylor with Mammal.[10] Dragon's rendition "made little impression on the charts".[10]

Taylor provided the "powerful two-chord riff" that underlies their first top ten hit "April Sun in Cuba" (November 1977).[7][11] He was a co-author of the compositions "Education", "Blacktown Boogie", "Street Between Your Feet" and "Magic".[1][9] After Dragon's first breakup in 1979, Taylor participated in the successful 1982 reunion, which resulted in the album Body and the Beat (1984) and the related single "Rain", which reached number  2 on the Australian chart.[3][7][12] Taylor participated in the recording of their acoustic album Incarnations (1995) and reunited with former bandmates on stage when the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008. He was also honoured when Dragon was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

Personal life and death

Taylor married Carol, the couple had two children. He died in Sydney on 4 November 2025, at the age of 74. His death was announced by former Dragon drummer, Kerry Jacobson.[13][11]

Awards and achievements

  • ARIA Hall of Fame (2008) – for his contribution to the music of the band Dragon.[14]
  • New Zealand Music Hall of Fame (2011) – for his participation in the creation of Dragon songs.

Discography

With Mammal

  • Beware the Man (by Mammal and Sam Hunt) (1972) Red Rat Records
  • "Wait" / "Whisper" (1973)

With Dragon

Albums

Year Title Label Catalogue No. Peak chart position
AUS
[12][15] 		NZ[16]
1977 Sunshine CBS, Portrait SBP234946
JR35068 		24 —
1977 Running Free Portrait, CBS 6 16
1978 O Zambezi Portrait PR33010 3 17
1979 Power Play CBS SBP237352 64 —
1984 Body and the Beat Polydor 817874-1 5 —
1995 Incarnations Roadshow Music 14251-2 55 —

Singles

Year Title Album Label Peak chart position
AUS
[12][17] 		NZ[18]
1975 "Education" Single only release Vertigo — —
"Star Kissed" — —
1976 "Wait Until Tomorrow" CBS, Portrait — —
"This Time" Sunshine 26 —
1977 "Get that Jive" 13 —
"Sunshine" 36 —
"April Sun in Cuba" Running Free 2 9
"Konkaroo" 40 —
1978 "Are You Old Enough?" O Zambezi Portrait 1 5
"Still in Love with You" 27 35
1979 "Love's Not Enough" Single only release CBS 37 —
1982 "Ramona" Polydor 79 —
1983 "Rain" Body and the Beat Polydor 2 —

References

  1. ^ a b "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Blacktown Boogie'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  2. ^ Cashmere, Paul (4 November 2025). "Robert Taylor, Dragon Guitarist, Dies Aged 74". noise11.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Holmgren, Magnus; Miller, Chuck. "Dragon". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 18 February 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Sergent, Bruce. "Mammal". sergent.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Bollinger, Nick (3 August 2013). "Mammal - Person". AudioCulture. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Hunt, Sam; McDonald, Ian; Backhouse, Tony; Lindsay, Alex; Mammal; Alex Lindsay String Quartet (1972). "Beware the Man / Sam Hunt/Mammal | Items". Red Rat Records. Retrieved 5 December 2025 – via National Library of New Zealand.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Dragon'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2025. n.b.: Incorrectly gives Taylor's middle name as Macklin.
  8. ^ Laing, Doug. "The call that recruited Dragon guitarist during visit to Waipukurau hometown". The New Zealand Herald. Hawkes Bay Today.
  9. ^ a b "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'Education'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Bollinger, Nick (6 November 2025). "Dragon - Person". AudioCulture. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Longtime Dragon guitarist Robert Taylor dies". Radio New Zealand. 4 November 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Robert Taylor, Ex-Guitarist with Dragon, Dies at 74". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Legendary Dragon rocker dead: 'Unexpected and devastating'". 4 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)". Australian charts portal. australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  16. ^ "Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)". New Zealand charts portal. charts.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  17. ^ "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  18. ^ "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
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