- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Dean Taylor
- R. Dean Taylor was born on May 11, 1939 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was a producer, known for Last Night in Soho (2021), Phenomenon (1996) and Striptease (1996). He was married to Janee. He died on January 7, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- SpouseJanee(? - January 7, 2022) (his death)
- Taylor wrote songs for other Motown artists, including the Four Tops, the Temptations, and TV actor Paul Petersen ("A Little Bit For Sandy").
- Signed by Motown as a songwriter where he worked with the label's famed Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team.
- Was part of the Motown collective known as The Clan that teamed to write and produce songs including The Supremes, "Love Child" (a #1 single in 1968) and "I'm Living in Shame" (#8 in 1969).
- He established his own record company, Jane Records, in 1973.
- His first Rare Earth single, "Indiana Wants Me", became a No. 2 hit in his native Canada and No. 1 in Cash Box magazine in the US, the first Motown record by a white performer to reach that position. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and at No. 2 in the UK. Later it was featured in the opening minutes of the 1980 American movie, The Ninth Configuration.
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