About

Wandering roots troubadour Shawn Taylor, weaves music from many colored threads of Americana. His fourth original CD “Balance,” wanders from Appalachian to island groves, rock to pop, sparse folk ballads to finger-style time twisters and gut busting blues. “Shawn Taylor is one of the finest traveling troubadours performing on the circuit these days. Boasting world-class guitar chops, soul enriched vocals and an uncanny knack for capturing life in a song,” wrote Brian Owens, of Metronome Magazine - Boston in June 2018. “His lyrics dabble in a wonderful gritty naturalism that's uncommon around here,” wrote Dan Barry of the New Haven Advocate. "Shawn Taylor has a mellowness to his voice that works well against the frenetic flash of finger-picking that is the foundation of his songs. The songs crackle with the guitar work," declared TheAlternateRoot.com

Taylor has won and placed in, performing songwriter competitions up and down the east coast, including the Towne Crier in New York and Infinity Hall in Connecticut, and has also been awarded internationally for his short fiction.  He’s played some of America’s most treasured listening rooms such as the Blue Bird Café in Nashville, Tennessee and Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia, and has shared the stage with legends and notables including Maria Muldaur, Peter Mulvey, Vance Gilbert, Pat Wictor, Scott Ainslie, Spuyten Duyvil, Garnet Rodgers and Sarah Potenza. He’s released four solo CD’s and in 2017 produced a ‘pay it forward’ charity compilation CD ‘Songs For Hope,” in honor of the innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook School, where his wife Amy taught until recently.

His wandering roots grow deep. He was born in Ohio and raised mostly in Massachusettes, but lived in five different states before turning one. He’s been an oysterman, a custom cabinet maker and has thru-hiked (end to end), the Appalachian Trail (GA-ME), the John Muir Trail (CA) and The Long Trail (VT). He’s spent the past decade relentlessly performing (267 shows in 2017), travelling, exploring and developing his wandering roots sound and philosophy. Summer 2017, Amy and their two children (seven and nine) joined him on the road for the first time. Their six-week tour touched down in eight states, included wild ponies and their car getting caught in a flash flood, and ended with Taylor’s appearance as a 2017 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival “Emerging artist.” The family will join him again on the road in 2018 for 6,ooo miles, growing their roots wider and deeper, and planting and harvesting future seeds of wandering roots.   

Accolades: 

• Falcon Ridge Folk Festival “Emerging Artist”- 2017
• 2nd PLACE – Infinity Hall ‘Big Stage Competition - 2016
• FINALIST – Lizard Lounge Open Mike Songwriter Competition - Cambridge, MA - 2016
• FINALIST – Eddie’s Attic Open Mike Bi-Annual Shootout - ATL, GA – 2016
• FINALIST - CT Folk performing Songwriter Competition - 2015
• WINNER - Town Crier (NY) performing Songwriter Competition – 2014
• THRU-HIKED (end-to-end) the John Muir Trail (CA) 2005
• 1st PLACE “Reliance” - Gulf Stream Literary Magazine (FL) “Firsts” short story Contest - 2004
• 2nd PLACE for “Reliance” CT State University Literary Short Story Competition- 2004
• THRU-HIKED (end-to-end) the Long Trail (VT) 1997 
• THRU-HIKED (end-to-end) the Appalachian Trail (GA-ME) 1996

Has shared the stage with:

• Maria Muldaur
• Peter Mulvey
• Sarah Potenza
• Vance Gilbert
• Pat Wictor
• Sloan Wainwright
• Caravan Of Thieves
• Amy Speace 
• Garnet Rodgers 
• Kevin So
• Scott Ainslie
• Danielle Miraglia
• Whitney Monge
• Brian Dolzani
• The Levins
• David Jacobs-Strain