Join the Oxford American magazine at South on Main at 7:30 p.m. tonight for the free Local Live music series, featuring Charlotte Taylor & Gypsy Rain! Call ahead and make a reservation to ensure your seat.

Little Rock singer-songwriter Charlotte Taylor has been performing since an early age. Born and raised in Heber Springs, AR., Taylor formed her first band, Project Blue in 1994 after getting hooked on the blues, and went on to record on the famed Memphis label, Hi Records. Her CD entitled “Taylor and Martinez” featuring guitarist George Martinez, was released in 2000, and received many great reviews and airplay on blues formatted radio across the U.S. and Europe, and was the first release on Hi in over 20 years. Produced by Roy Orbison band alum (drums on “Pretty Woman”) Oliver Warren, Stevie Ray Vaughan producer Danny Jones, and with performances by the Memphis Horns, the album features 10 original songs written by the duo of Taylor and Martinez, with the cover song “Cry Me A River” produced by Hi Records founder and Al Green producer, Willie Mitchell.

Taylor has been compared to blues legends Etta James and Bonnie Raitt, as well as being influenced by rockers, Janis Joplin, and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and even British Soul singer Annie Lennox. With many musical influences, including her mother whom Taylor says “was a great singer“, she has described her style as eclectic, but always with soul. “I want to make you feel something when I sing” she said. The songs I write are usually about something that happened, and can be very personal, others might be about something I heard someone say, or just a hook that wouldn’t get out of my head. A lot of the blues songs are about relationships, love, and lost loves, all the songs are about life. 

Taylor and her band Gypsy Rain have won numerous blues competitions across the mid-south, and have played on Beale St. in Memphis at B.B. King’s, The Rum Boogie, The Hard Rock Café, King’s Palace and Blues Hall and competed in the International Blues Challenge. Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain have performed at many blues festivals including Riverfest in Little Rock, The Riverwalk Blues Festival in Ft Lauderdale, Fl., The Spa City Blues Festival in Hot Springs, AR., Blues Eureka in Eureka Springs, AR., and the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, AR.

Gypsy Rain features multi-instrumentalist Matthew Stone on guitar and pedal steel. Originally from Chicago, Matt plays with great skill and passion and excels in many genres of music. Stuart Baer is a Little Rock born piano player and keyboardist with roots in rock and blues, Stuart has performed with some of the greats in blues including Michael Burks, Guitar Shorty, and many more. Searcy native, Berkley School of music graduate, and one of the original members of Project Blue Dr. Bruce Johnston plays bass. Johnston received his doctorate in musical composition from the University of Miami, and currently teaches jazz guitar and bass at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. Dr. Bruce is a master in many styles and genres and instruments, but has focused mostly on blues and jazz on the bass. John Roach has been a member of Gypsy Rain for over 10 years and attended the University of Central Arkansas in Conway where he played in the big band. John has many influences from percussion especially the hard-hitting Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and always plays with great passion and soul.

Dave Williams II plays saxophone and is a University of Central Arkansas grad and a phenomenal jazz, blues, and funk brass player. Dave regularly performs at the rep and with several groups around Little Rock and brings a wealth of musical knowledge and masterful chops to the group.

Taylor and Martinez is available at www.cdbaby.com, www.itunes.com/taylorandmartinez

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