Julian Taylor Band

After 25 years in music, building an unimpeachable reputation as a truly independent artist and entrepreneur, Julian Taylor now owns his legacy. From the formative rock of Staggered Crossing to the genre fusion of Julian Taylor Band, and now his revered work as a solo singer-songwriter, Julian owns the right to it all, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

Julian’s ethos, work ethic, and artistry have always had a timeless quality to them. And so, he’s built things slowly in a DIY fashion, withstanding highs and lows along the way, ultimately reaching the peak of his powers with his latest solo work. Fans and critics have noticed, granting Julian the Solo Artist of the Year honor at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and nomination in the English Songwriter category, plus two Juno Award nominations in 2021, as well as a Polaris Music Prize nomination.

Growing up in Toronto on a combination of soul music, hip-hop, blues, and Americana, along with ‘90s alternative, Julian was still a teenager when he co-founded the alt-rock band Staggered Crossing in 1996.

Within three years, the band signed a publishing deal with industry icon Frank Davies and a record deal with a major label, Warner Music Canada.

Following years of turbulence in the music business, in 2007 Staggered Crossing split up, leaving Julian and the rest of the band feeling burnt out and fed up. For Julian, that meant stepping back completely from commercial music and working a bunch of bar gigs. During his under-the-radar years working bars, running the open stage, and playing in a covers band, Julian was crafting the new songs that would form his first big post-Staggered Crossing release, 2014’s Tech Noir by the Julian Taylor Band.

For the band’s 2020 breakout album, The Ridge, although written and recorded before the pandemic, it was the balm for the soul that so many needed that year. Through the most personal songwriting and soulful singing of his career, Julian found a whole new audience that fell in love with him. The album earned Julian his first two Juno Award nominations (Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year), along with a Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist and nomination for English Songwriter of the Year, five Native American Music Award nominations, plus a nomination for Canada’s most prestigious music accolade, the Polaris Music Prize.