Roots Music Report

An old soul hailing from Macon Georgia USA, Hughes Taylor was immediately drawn to the blues when he first picked up the guitar. Two decades later, he’s become an acclaimed guitarist and songwriter playing a fiery brand of blues-rock whose power trio lineage stretches back to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cream and Jimi Hendrix.

His latest studio album, Modern Nostalgia, is a showcase not only of his signature style as a guitarist but of his overall evolution as a musician, songwriter, and producer. Written during the pandemic and recorded at the legendary Capricorn Sound Studios, it’s a sweet mix of blues, blues-rock, and southern rock; a modern successor to the great music that put Capricorn on the map many years ago. Modern Nostalgia was released on CD in July 2021 and has been on the US Blues-Rock Top 50 Album Chart every week for the past 16 months. A limited-edition double vinyl edition was released in June, 2022.

From age 13, locked away in his bedroom, Hughes practiced for hours on end playing along with his favorite guitar heroes. By 14 he was writing his own material and recording demos in his parents’ basement, while simultaneously developing his live act by playing anywhere anytime with anyone. He was performing professionally before he could legally drive, and by the time he started college, creating and performing music was his primary source of income.

He self-released his first full-length album of original songs, Hear My Melody, in the spring of 2016. Restless followed in early 2018, sandwiched between graduating with honors in marketing from University of North Georgia and marrying the love of his life. By the summer of 2019, The Hughes Taylor Band’s sound began to coalesce, combining his spin on the blues-rock power trio format with the inescapable influence of his hometown heroes, the Allman Brothers. Good Blues, Fast, an album of classics lovingly arranged and interpreted by Taylor was his first release to gain acclaim beyond Georgia and paved the way for the next chapter in his music journey.

In January of 2020, Hughes and his band toured the United Kingdom supporting the Heather Findlay Band. Gaining immediate popularity and positive music press reviews, the trio returned stateside just as the pandemic halted all tours and local performances. Fortunately, the last few shows of the tour were recorded, affording enough good material for the Live in the UK album he released in early 2021.