Born Cambridgeshire, England. First band A Special Moment signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records while still at school, one unreleased single 'Let's Socialize'. Formed bubblenoise powerpop troup Advertising with Cambridge graduate guitarist Simon Boswell, one album 'Jingles' released on EMI, (single 'Lipstick' written and sung by Taylor). Solo album 'Playtime' recorded for GTO/CBS followed by a series of seven albums in as many years including 'The Inside Story', 'Box Office Poison', 'Menswear'. His music veered from Tin Pan Alley wordplay with full orchestra to basement studio eight-track instrospection ('Menswear' 1988). Several film and theatre assignments followed including 'Absolute Beginners'
1986, and the National Theatre production of 'Picasso's Women' 1992 (soundtrack). Also compiled soundtracks for Mike Leigh's 'Career Girls' 1988, and Mike Newell's 'Dance with A Stranger' 1986, and write hit singles for Virna Lindt (1981) and Mari Wilson (1982) other soundtrack albums include the Italian cult mafia movie 'Shatterer' 1986. Instrumental albums 'Waterland', 'PopFolkJazz' and 'Music For The Left-Handed' (with Mick Bass) followed, along with Shakespeare soundtracks, 'The Tempest' 1996, 'Macbeth' 1998 (film starring Greta Scaachi and Sean Pertwee, d. Michael Bogdanov) until Taylor suddenly stopped recording in 2004 to found an art space - Riflemaker - in the West End of London. All albums re-issued as extra-track digipaks by Sony Japan 1998. A novel 'The Story of John Nightly' is due to be published in 2010. www.johnnightly.com
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