Today we’d like to introduce you to London Taylor.
Hi London, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My musical journey began at 3 years old when I started playing piano. My Dad had was a semi-professional Dixieland Pianist so I grew up with the sounds of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and New Orleans Trad Jazz. I also started playing clarinet, flute and church organ as well as singing. I played with local orchestras and also a dance band for a holiday camp my first professional engagement was at 13 playing for a funeral. I grew up on the Isle of Wight which was an incredible place for music. I competed in many high level music competitions including Young Musician of the Year UK. In my teens I got accepted to the music school at Leeds University where I graduated with a BMus and also Royal Northern College of Music where I got a performance Diploma. During this time there was an explosion of music in the Northern scene with Joy Division, Human League, Heaven 17, Teardrop Explodes. I got to play Keyboards with Sisters of Mercy and also Shriek back. Music was exciting in the Eighties. I became interested in the emerging Jazz scene with Miles Davis and I become a Jazz DJ – no one else was doing it I even got to work at Ronnie Scotts in London. I hauled big boxes of vinyl and my 2 record players , amp and speakers to gigs traveling on public transportation. After college I graduated and started working in high end Piano Bars and Casinos on cruises and hotels all over Europe and the Middle East. I met my husband (now deceased) in a casino in Gibraltar where I was performing.
I ended up coming to the US where I got married and started performing in Houston at Hotels including the Cattlemans, The Rivoli – I also worked at Disney in Florida (carousel pianist at Epcot) for a short while and Pat O` Briens. Somehow in 1998 I fell back into the DJ World where I worked for many years at various nightclubs, I was the first woman to DJ for the HSL&R Cook Off NFL and a Super Bowl, Astros also for the Dome Closing, Recently I picked up the Saxophone (Alto, Tenor and Soprano) and so the DJ Sax chapter began – I started performing in Ibiza where this genre is very popular. It is a lot of fun to combine live music with dance beats. I just performed at Freedom over Texas for the City of Houston DJ Sax and 75,000 people were dancing having fun. I am also in the DJ Jane Top 100 DJs 2024/2025. My day job is working as an Entertainment Booker for Show Business Entertainment for over 15 years where we book the Kemah Boardwalk, (I perform there on a regular basis just did the FIFA World Cup activation – so much fun) , Towne Lake, Moody Gardens, Margaritaville and lots of other venues for local musicians. I am proud to work with a company where we have supported so many performers careers. I am still performing Vocal Piano Bar with a Diana Krall tribute. Having lived in the States for over 36 years I have been a dual Citizen for over twenty years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest struggles with being a DJ in the Eighties was hauling extremely heavy equipment and boxes of vinyl.
In the nineties and 2k it was boxes of CDs, The technical revolution for DJs did not really start until 2005 when computers started being used and controllers become more stream line. Speakers became self powered and the need for Amps became redundant. Now everyone is a DJ because there is so much lightweight product anyone to start a DJ Career. Younger DJs stream and have no concept of organic music. That`s what excited me about integrating the Sax into DJ Music as it gives that live, unquantifiable element that people respond to. I
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Starting music from a very young age allowed me to explore many genres.
As a Global DJ I have travelled to many countries and have incorporated music from many cultures.
I trained as a dancer and love to incorporate that in my performances. I really like people to have a great experience and dance the night away. Having a panoply of musical experiences in from being a DJ in front of thousands of people at a festival or to playing piano and singing in an intimate Jazz Club you learn that an audience wants you to give them a 100 percent and they will give you that back.
I think as a female DJ from the Eighties you had to work harder to prove yourself as there were so few women in this world at that time. I embraced the challenge and have performed over 5000 gigs in my career. from everything from Festivals, major sporting events, Corporate Conventions, Robot Competitions, Social, Weddings, Pagents, Mitzvahs, Retail, Fashion Shows, opened up for Katy Perry and other artists, Teens, Country Clubs, Proms you name it I have done it. Back in the early 2000`s spinning on a private plane for some Enron Execs.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Being in the music industry for so long everyday is a risk.
Covid really proved how vulnerable our profession was.
A lot of musicians have not really recovered financially or emotionally from this time.
You have to be your own fan club and be tenacious as well as prepared to take a leap of faith.
If you don`t really love this career you will not last long – the highs are the highest and the lows soul crushing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www,showbusinessonline.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlondonhouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/DJ-London-Houston/100063753630301/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sian-taylor-a4702937
Image Credit:
DJ London
