Taylor Mitchell – Artist Biography - http://www.myspace.com/taylormitchellband

Taylor Mitchell, 1990 - 2009, was a singer songwriter whose engaging vocal style and captivating lyrics belied her young age. Praised by such Canadian luminaries as Lynn Miles, Justin Rutledge, and Michael Johnston, Taylor recently finished work on her debut full-length recording - a collection of mostly original songs that showcased a range of styles, from folk to country-rock to pop, and reflected the diversity of her talent.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, she studied music and dance from an early age, graduating in 2008 from the prestigious Etobicoke School of the Arts with a major in musical theatre.

In 2006, Taylor met Suzie Vinnick, a Maple Blues award-winning artist. The two forged an instant connection, and went on to co-write two songs that would appear on Taylor’s full-length debut album.

In 2007, Taylor was invited to participate in the Youth Mentoring Program at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) Conference. Taylor mentored one-on-one with Juno award- winner Lynn Miles. Miles was so impressed by the young singer-songwriter that the two went on to write another song that will appear on Taylor’s debut recording.

Taylor also collaborated and studied with Michael Johnston, who recorded her first EP in 2007. When Taylor approached Michael about recording an album’s worth of original material, Johnston enthusiastically agreed to produce.

Johnston enlisted an all-star cast of musicians to serve as Taylor’s band in the studio, including John Dinsmore (Kathleen Edwards), Anne Lindsay (Jim Cuddy Band), Jason Mercer (Ani DiFranco, Ron Sexsmith), Justin Rutledge and Noel Webb (Skydiggers). Both Vinnick and Miles also appear on the recording.

In August 2008, Taylor began recording at Dinsmore’s Lincoln County Social Club studio, in the heart of Parkdale, in downtown Toronto. Taylor’s album was recorded over 5 days, in an organic, live-off-the-floor fashion. Engineered and mixed by Chris Stringer (Rush, Jory Nash), the 10 songs include a haunting duet with Miles on “Diamond and Rust” by Joan Baez, and a Crazy-Horse style take on Gordon Lightfoot’s “Love and Maple Syrup”.

Taylor was also a Canadian youth finalist in the 2008 Mountain Stage Newsong contest, and performed two songs at the finals held as part of the Ottawa Folk Festival. She toured folk clubs and festivals across Canada in 2009, coinciding with the release of her full-length recording.

Taylor died tragically from injuries suffered in an attack by coyotes while hiking alone in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada in October 2009. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.