
Gary John Taylor – Heal and Grow
Gary John Taylor’s new EP, ‘Heal and Grow’, is a taste of great things to come from this artist.
It features the single ‘Rhino Skin’ which Gary wrote after feeling he’d lost his identity. The singer’s honest, heart-warming lyrics help the listener see life in a new light.
He combines heartfelt lyrics with life experiences and stories and says it like it is, in a way you’ve never heard it before.
The 34-year-old has two young kids to keep him on his toes and has spent half of his life as a mechanical engineer.
He said: “When I left New York Tourists to concentrate on my family, I lost myself and felt like I didn’t really know who I was anymore.
“After some reflection I wrote Rhino Skin, which is a song about having to have thick skin, dealing with people around you who seem to be friends, but at the same time aren’t.
“It’s a song about putting your arm around the people that need it, even though you are going through your own problems.
Gary finally feels he has found his passion and he feels at home with music for the first time in years.
The father and husband grew up in Whittle-le-Woods in Chorley and joined his first band when he was 19-years-old.
In Gary’s words they were a “terrible punk band but it was the start of what makes [him] who [he] is today.” He moved on to join New York Tourists in April 2009, where he wrote and sang all of the songs. He has been in the support bands for the likes of Status Quo, Kaiser chiefs and the Buzzcocks, to name just a few. Francis Rossi of Status Quo once told Gary, he thought he was the best songwriter he’d heard in a long time.
The EP is now available on all streaming services.
Article – Gemma Nettle