The American singer, songwriter and musician Chip Taylor has had an extraordinary career during which he has written some rock, pop and country classics which have etched themselves into modern contemporary music. He was born James Wesley Voight in Yonkers, New York on March 21, 1940, and is the brother of actor Jon Voight. As a young man his chosen career was that of a professional golfer but when his sporting career didn't work out he turned to songwriting. A measure of the appeal of Chip Taylor's songs can be gauged by the wide range of artists who have recorded his compositions and also by the fact that a number of his songs have been recorded by multiple artists. An example of this is Chip Taylor's iconic track "Wild Thing": it was recorded in 1965 by Jordan Christopher and the Wild Ones, a year later The Troggs released what was to become the definitive version and in 1967 Jimi Hendrix recorded it in a live set at the Monterey festival. Years later it was even recorded by the Muppets. Chip Taylor's best known composition is possibly "Angel of the Morning" which again has been recorded by multiple artists with the country singer Juice Newton's version going on to sell over a million copies. The list of artists who have recorded Chip Taylor's compositions includes Waylon Jennings, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, The Hollies, Willie Nelson and many more, and he is considered to be one of the most influential pop songwriters to emerge in the latter half of the 20th century. As a solo artist, Chip Taylor recorded over thirty albums for various labels, including Buddah, Warner Bros., CBS, Capitol, Gadfly, Lone Star, Back Porch, and Train Wreck Records, which he launched in 2007. On March 23, 2026, he died from throat cancer at the age of 86.
