laurataylor.com

By Bob Shemeligian

rom the very beginning, Laura Taylor was destined to become a singer and composer.
Her first name was inspired by
the song ‘‘Laura,’’ written by Johnny Mercer and David Raksin. The song was the title theme of the late 1940s mystery ‘‘Laura,’’ starring Dana Andrews.
     ‘‘That was long before my time,’’ Taylor said with a laugh between shows at the Stars’ Desert Inn’s Starlight Theatre.
     For several months, Taylor’s silky vocal stylings have mesmerized late-night audiences at the Stars’ Desert Inn.
     Taylor offers her audience a mix of standards, torch songs, ballads and her own compositions. Taylor also loves jazz, and adeptly mixes and improvises to deliver her own special brand of music.
     ‘‘Jazz is basically interpretation and improvisation,’’ Taylor said, ‘I don’t think I ever sing a song the same way twice.’’
     Many of Taylor’s listeners agree that the singer’s most remarkable quality is her voice, it’s not uncommon to see listeners captivated by Taylor’s vocal range as if they’re floating in a dream.
     Some of these listeners include the likes of Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds and Tony Bennett. All three superstars like to relax in the Starlight Theatre and enjoy Taylor’s music after their own performances.
     If you attend one of Taylor’s performances and you think you recognize the voice, you‘re probably right. She has sung several catchy themes in numerous commercials, including ‘‘Wouldn’t You Rather Have a Buick’’ and ‘‘Fly the Friendly Skies of United.’’ 
     One of her most memorable performances was singing the national anthem to 60,000 people at a recent Miami Dolphins game. In order to give the song more feeling, Taylor visualized a Civil War battlefield and the American flag.

     Although Taylor’s formative musical background is classical - at 17 she won a scholarship to study opera at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music - her first love is jazz.
     ‘‘When everyone was listening to the Beatles, I was listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson,’’ she said.
     Taylor's biggest fan is her mother, Lillian, a concert pianist, who lives in Northern California and travels frequently to Las Vegas to hear her daughter perform.
     Some of Taylor's favorite songs are by composers such as Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parrish, Duke Ellington and Rogers and Hart. Her favorite numbers include ‘‘Sophisticated Lady,’’ ‘‘Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry’’ and ‘‘I'm Beginning to See the Light.’’