Shooby Taylor

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William "Shooby" Taylor (a.k.a. "The Human Horn") (September 19, 1929-June 4, 2003) is 'a little bit famous' for scat singing over various records, including the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats and country gospel in a baritone voice. He is noted for his highly idiosyncratic scat style, using sounds and syllables quite unlike those used by other scat singers.

Shooby Taylor was born in Indiana Township, Pennsylvania, on September 19, 1929. Shortly thereafter he moved with his family to Harlem, where he spent the majority of his life. Besides Shooby's several decades of pursuing a career as a scat singer, he also worked 21 years as a New York City postal worker.

He is most famously known for the 14 tracks he recorded in the early 1980s, at the now nonexistent Angel Sound Studios in Manhattan. These recordings began circulating among tape and file-swappers and are now available at the official Shooby Taylor website.

In 1992, Shooby moved to a senior complex in Newark, New Jersey. Tragically, a 1994 stroke had silenced the scatman's musical prowess, and he no longer recorded or performed.

Shooby was "re-discovered" in spring 2002 by producer Rick Goetz. On August 28, 2002, Shooby appeared for his first (and tragically, last) radio interview on WFMU.

Mr. William Taylor passed away on June 4, 2003. Mr. Taylor was 74 years old.

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