On May 11, 1939, R. Dean Taylor was born.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

That's tomorrow, but his best known tune is quite relevant today.

R. Dean Taylor

R. Dean Taylor


Background information
Birth name: Richard Dean Taylor
Born: May 11, 1939; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: January 7, 2022 (aged 82); Los Angeles
Labels: Rare Earth/Motown Records
Website: http://www.rdeantaylor.com

Richard Dean Taylor (May 11, 1939 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian musician, most notable as a singer, songwriter, and record producer for Motown during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Jason Ankeny, Taylor was "one of the most underrated acts ever to record under the Motown aegis."

As a singer, American audiences know Taylor best for his chart-topping 1970 hit "Indiana Wants Me", which hit No. 1 in Cash Box in the United States and was also No. 2 in Canada and No. 2 in the UK. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He became well known in the United Kingdom for other hits, including "Gotta See Jane" and "There's a Ghost in My House".

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Indiana Wants Me

"Indiana Wants Me"


Released: August 1970

"Indiana Wants Me" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter R. Dean Taylor. It was released on the Rare Earth label, a subsidiary of Motown Records, in 1970, and was a top ten hit in both the US and UK. In Cashbox magazine, the single hit #1. The song spent two weeks at #2 in Canada.

The song is written from the viewpoint of someone who has murdered a man who insulted his woman; he is missing his family and hiding from the police, who eventually catch up with him. Taylor wrote and composed the song after watching the movie Bonnie and Clyde. In addition to writing, composing, and originally recording the selection, Taylor produced the record and arranged it in collaboration with David Van De Pitte. It was released on the Rare Earth label, formed by Motown in an attempt to establish itself in the rock music market. The police siren sounds at the start of the record were removed from some copies supplied to radio stations after complaints that drivers hearing the song on the radio had mistakenly pulled over, thinking that the sounds were real.

The sirens are also heard during the instrumental section in the middle of the song. At the climax of the song, soon after the narrator has sung, "Red lights are flashin' around me,/ Yeah, love, it looks like they found me," and the chorus, a voice on a bullhorn is heard, commanding: "This is the police. Give yourself up. You are surrounded." The sound of gunfire ensues, implying the narrator declines to surrender and instead perishes in a shootout with the police. An alternate version of the song fades out at the end without the gunfire.

The record became Taylor's only hit as a performer in the US, where it rose to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to #1 on Cashbox in late 1970. Taylor appeared on the TV show American Bandstand to promote the record. In the UK, where Taylor had had an earlier hit with "Gotta See Jane", it also became his biggest hit, reaching #2 in May 1971.

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American Bandstand 082970 - R. Dean Taylor

Charles Davis
14 subscribers

Interview with Dick Clark and "Indiana Wants Me" performance

AntMan201490 | 3 months ago

R. Dean Taylor made his network debut on American Bandstand on Saturday August 29,1970 singing “Indiana Wants Me” sadly we lost R. Dean Taylor on January 7,2022😞🎶🎸🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[Tikki]

1. This: "(There's A) Ghost In My House"

written and recorded by R. Dean Taylor

Tikki