Dr. Billy Taylor encompasses that rare combination of creativity, intelligence, vision, commitment and leadership. Playing professionally since 1944, Dr. Taylor got his start with Ben Webster's Quartet on New York's 52nd street and then moved on to be the house pianist at Birdland where he performed with Jazz masters, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. Since the 1950s, he has been leading his own Trio, as well as performing with the most influential jazz musicians of the twentieth century. During his career, which has spanned nearly six decades, Dr. Taylor has composed over three hundred and fifty songs, including "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," as well as works for theatre, dance and symphony orchestras.
In addition to his performance career, Dr. Taylor is a regarded educator, receiving his Masters and Doctorate in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and serving as a Duke Ellington Fellow at YaleUniversity. Dr. Taylor holds over twenty- two honorary doctoral degrees, is the recipient of two Peabody Awards, an Emmy, Grammy nominations and a host of prestigious and highly coveted prizes, such as the National Medal of Arts, the Tiffany Award, a Lifetime achievement Award from Downbeat Magazine, and, election to the Hall of Fame for the International Association of Jazz Educators.