Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville - Taylor Dayne Unveils Her Path to Success

Episode Date: September 4, 2024

Ever wondered what it takes to transform from a budding artist in New York to a global music sensation? Join us as the iconic Taylor Dayne shares her incredible journey, revealing the heartfelt moments that shaped her career and her determination to stay grounded amidst her monumental success. Taylor takes us back to her early days, reminiscing about the golden era of radio and the eclectic mix of 70s music that fueled her passion. Her stories provide an authentic glimpse into the inspirations that molded her musical taste, from the influence of legendary radio personalities to the diverse genres that colored her childhood. But that's not all—Taylor reflects on the exhilarating challenges of breaking into the 1980s music scene before the age of the internet. She opens up about her grassroots beginnings, impactful encounters with industry icons like Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, and the whirlwind of sudden fame that carried her across continents. Through her personal anecdotes, Taylor paints a vivid picture of the triumphs and trials of rising to stardom, including the significance of her girlfriend and fellow singer, Diane Jones, as her unwavering support. Looking forward, Taylor hints at exciting future projects, from potential TV ventures to ongoing collaborations with the esteemed songwriter Diane Warren. This episode is packed with inspiring tales and insider insights that any music enthusiast will not want to miss! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My career in the entertainment industry has enabled me to work with a diverse range of talent. Through my years of experience, I've recognized two essential aspects. Industry professionals, whether famous stars or behind-the-scenes staff, have fascinating stories to tell. Secondly, audiences are eager to listen to these stories, which offer a glimpse into their lives and the evolution of their life stories. This podcast aims to share these narratives, providing, information on how they evolved into their chosen career. We will delve into their journey to stardom, discuss their struggles and successes, and hear from people who help them achieve their goals. Get ready for intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the fascinating world

of entertainment. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville. Today, we are privileged to have Taylor Dane join us. Taylor's debut single, Tell It to My Heart, propelled her to fame globally in 19, followed by six U.S. top 10 singles, two Grammy Award nominations, an American Music Award, and multiple New York Music Awards, along with several New York Hall of Fame honors, ranked 18th on Rolling Stones list of the best female dance artists of all time. It's definitely an honor to have her here today. Welcome to the show.

Not at all. I love it. Thank you. Oh, it's my pleasure. So have you ever been sitting around just talking with your friends, talking about your careers and then you just realize with your body of work that you've done, you just sit back and go, wow, I've done that. It's a funny thing being an artist, isn't it? It is. No.

I think life is a very interesting ride. And I think the more you experience and the more you put into it and the more you get out of it, it allows you to have those moments of maybe perhaps sitting back and saying, wow, look at my, look what I've achieved. Look what I've done so far. But those are far more rare if you're living in the moment, if you're living in the now. So there have been moments when I was on tour.

And there's always been moments. I remember looking out at a plane and going, Jesus, girl, you know, or being on that tour bus. And wow, sure I'll have that moment in September when I'm back on tour and it's Paula and I and, you know, Tiffany. And it's just there are moments. where you can take it away, but I'm still so living in the now. There's dreams come true all the time.

Yeah, that's true. Hint yourself, but then I never look at myself like I'm the person. Yeah, I get that. Pretty graphic that way. I don't know. So you graduated high school, joined some bands, went to college, was in a few bands. Then all of a sudden you started becoming yourself as a singer. So who inspired you to pick up that mic and start singing?

Well, you know, if you asked me at five years old, I told you I'm going to be a rock and roll star. Okay. It was the radio. I grew up in New York. I was born in the city, raised in the Bronx a little bit, and then we moved into Long Island. So that was the early 70s.

Loss of great music back then. When you remember turning on WABC radio, because see, those are some of the jocks that in our time were like the great biggest radio jocks in the world. Cousin Brissy, I just remember all these sounds. Oh, yeah, great sounds. Cousin Brousie was all part of that. Talked with them a few times.

Great guy. And I got my dad, it was a Sony. like kind of like cube. It was this coolest thing. Like think of the late six early 70s. Like it was a cool little modern. He goes, this is a radio. And I'm like, okay. I know I was five. I know I was four. Because music always way through the house. It was always my parents were very, um, were avid, um, theater goers. And, uh, they exposed me to music and the arts very young. And my family. And that was their thing. Whether it was like Manna La Muncha playing on or the fantastics. Sunday was the one day. Sunday was the one day. Yeah.

Where at least the family was together, and my father at least, we knew we could see him and maybe I could walk to the bakery with him and pick up more pleasant memories and music would be playing. And the first records I ever got were Crosby, Sills, and Nash, the Beatles and stones from my parents. I remember hearing Nyshria Moore. And I just said, who is that? What is that? And my ear. And then I just started seeing what these people look like. And they were obviously stars and music.

And I said, I want to be that. Yeah, because the way that we looked at the stars back in the 60s and the 70s is completely different than the way the stars have looked at today. In the 70s, you could have anything from Karen Carpenter, Billy Preston, exactly. Arrow Smith broke, Three Dog Night. Think about the pop artist. Oh, yeah.

And what was on the radio, there was such an allegation of so many artists, rock and pop, if you will. The great thing is you could hear all those artists on one station. One station. Yeah, I remember you could hear Joni Mitchell in the morning. Then later on, you could hear Aerosmith. Yeah, those days were just great at radio. Right. Or Billy Preston, I mean, it just, or the Beatles.

I'm not really the Beatles. I'm talking about early 70s is where I started really tuning in. Yeah. But everything and anything that was played on there was quite, you know, earthwind and fire. Exactly. And I started getting vocal choices changed, but that was time. So how much had you been involved in music in high school? Because when you got out, that's when you really started to expand.

Like, in high school, I've already been. been in a band or two during people and then obviously singing and doing solos and really focusing on my voice and, you know, the guitar player boyfriend and the whole thing. Yeah, sure. I just don't join a cover band. I kind of strike out there and say, I'm in New York. I'm in the playground of it all. It's where everything's happening. And now you're talking about 1980. Yeah. 81. I'm already hearing a pop station that breaks 82, 83 and that's Kiss FM. That's for for me, I had KTU in the city. We had the rock stations, L-I-R, and, you know, that's what I gravitated towards the Depplins and the bad companies and the singers that had more rhythm and blues influence. But rock was a big thing, and then Southern Rock came along.

And then me saying, I don't want to be in one more band and one more person. And then New Wave was just the hugest thing in the world. And I was in this band called The Next. Okay. Well, that I was in a band called Felony. And every club you can imagine, I mean, live music was how you played. Yeah, I love those times. You went live band and an art.

There was no, it was my brothers that went schooling, going out with lighting designing degrees. Yeah, so when did you start writing? It seems like when that happened, everything started to change for you and it was upward from there. Well, also more of a producer, like my partner. So I met Rick Wake probably in 1986. All right.

And now I'm out of high school like four years. So now I'm 22. And by then I was like, I don't want to do a band ever again. I don't want five opinions. And right then you started seeing I was really in the club and culture scene in New York. Like I was going down to 8th Avenue. That's St. Marks. And everything you see kind of like where Madonna kind of got that street stuff and everything

that was going on in the cat club. And my brothers were DJing and also now VJing. And that was just like from private eyes to dance ateria to the saint and these clubs in limelight that were like the epitome. Yeah. And what drove. But there were even bigger clubs that were happening. happening in the middle of the night through six of the morning.

And that was like Paradise Garage. Right. And so I started getting into house music and really going there in the middle night after I was doing my sets at a Russian nightclub down in Brighton Beach, we go into the city afterwards. And so tribal house, that stuff. And then I met Rick Wake. Rick came in.

He was 19. He was from Birmingham. He's like, this is what we did. Yeah, I get it. It's like all cylinders were on. I'm like, I need to do a single. And that's what started breaking through. And we could get on those mix shows.

those 12 o'clock midnight mix shows. Yeah, great plan. I had a single. And then I was like, well, it looks like it's easy to break out. And now the DJs might support you in the clubs because the clubs were the biggest thing then. Yeah, that's right. You get the clubs, you have a chance to get on radio.

Absolutely. Radio, not was dictated by the clubs, but so Rick was very, once we started collaborating, he was like, we need a crossover record, a record that can go right from the clubs. We can get the pools, the dance pools. I mean, it was a whole strategy. And that's how I went, how Leslie started with 12 inches and, I'm the one you want. So this is the writing. This is the producing. It was far more than that.

Producing writing and really honing in on my craft, your 10,000 hours, they were built like nobody's business. Yeah, a lot of work. You know, singing in session singers were some of the greatest guys we were bringing in from Trenton and things like that. And that was like the Billy T. Scots. They taught me arrangements. Definitely a need to know. When Mariah broke, I mean, she just took them on the road. But I mean, I'm just trying to tell you, these were these sections. Yeah, they were great rhythm sections for sure. It's all growth, like 19, you're 20, you're 21, 22.

I just knew I didn't want to be in a band anymore. I felt like it was counterproductive to getting right to the heart of the matter. So make your own and build your own and they will come. Oh, yeah, absolutely. So you'd been writing for a while and then all of a sudden you got a Tina Turner cut. That must have felt really good. Oh, later on, sure. Well, I was writing for myself.

That record's called Whatever You Want, and that was during my second album. I was really more adamant about getting my co-writes on there and pushing for that. And it's a song I wrote with the, oh my God, yeah. See the writers on that. That's one of the great producers of the time, Arthur Baker. Arthur was such a great promoter, but at the same time, Arthur was like took the first Stones remix and put it in the clubs.

Yeah, that was cool. You don't take the stones and then remix them into a 12 and you put them in the clubs, but that was what Arthur had done. And then once I had a fame with Tell It to My Heart, then the Diane Warrens were coming. Yeah, that's great. I met and I was working with him and we wrote this song. yeah, whatever you want.

Or me, and from my record, my album, my label passed on it, Clive, and those guys just didn't think it was it. But I guess Tina did. Yeah, she sure did. So there's a lot of people out there that try and do different things. How did you put the writing into it, the production into it, and all of the development that it took to create that one project that made the difference for you? This is me saying, Bravo to two 21, 22-year-olds, Rick, myself, knowing that,

to invest in yourself is the greatest thing you can do. Absolutely. When you have that small amount of money, if you keep trying to wait for something to happen to you, you'll be waiting a long time. Yes, that's so true. So we built it. Rick was adamant.

We went to my dad. We drew up a contract for $5,000 to tell it to my heart. That was a song at Rick A. and R'd. I went to high school with this kid that I saw on the West Side Highway because I was in the city all day and night. And he was all working at Warner Chapel. Let me see if we can send a tape over.

And that's when he was like, we need something that is a crossover appeal. Let's put our money into that. And so it was the production aspect, not just writing. It was being a producer knowing that this is what was to be funded. And then knowing the pools and the promo people to get to. And like, it wasn't just an artist sitting in a room and figuring out my craft. This was a science to the music business. And that's the part that I never want to take away.

And I still look at things today. And sometimes people say, well, you micromanage. and you're thinking like that. And I go, but that's how I'm here today. Nobody handed me on a plate. Nobody discovered me. And all those clubs I sang in, nobody walked and said, you're the singer. You're it.

You're the best. They did not. Yeah, a lot of people think that it's like the movies. Someone walks in, sees the person playing on stage, and then just hands them a million dollars and they got it made. They don't realize the countless hours that it takes in production, development, radio, promotion, and all the chain of people that it takes to make a hit record. Oh, for sure.

And I mean, in those days, we didn't go on the voice. We didn't go on. I mean, there was Star Search, I guess. Yeah, I guess. TV was this miraculous thing where you went on. I mean, but these kind of showed, the formulaics, like, it always had that. But when I broke in the 80s, I mean, I opened up how I found Rick Wake was through the Village Voice and you saw ads.

So true. There was no Internet. There was no phones. There was nothing like that. You actually had magazines and papers. And for me, the artists and the people that I wanted to work with were in the Village Voice or And that's how at my first audition with Jive Records, that was a nothing label. Tommy boy, nothing.

You think of them later, 10 years later when they were in sync and coming together. But these were how we all, we all were grassroots and started. That's how a lot of acts in those years started. Really putting our money. Either they were UK-based. Where I broke first, makes sense. I broke in Europe first. Yeah, that makes sense.

So they took that single and they tell it to my heart, put a Taylor Dane on the cover and didn't even put my image. And I said, let them figure it out for themselves. And that's where dance has always really kind of been embraced European, from even from that to EDM and how it really is built. Right. What I saw in the clubs was more tribal, was more R&B, was more urban, what was going on, which later, what they called the speed of tell me,

can you love me, the first songs I put out, one, two beats per minute. So that did, this is 85, that was considered hip-hop. Yes, yes. It was kind of crazy. That was this genre. Now we call it freestyle. Right.

That was Alicia, all my passion and all these songs that were breaking. And then I said to Rick, and then you start hearing, I'll never forget saying to Rick. And he goes, well, we need a crossover song. And I remember hearing all of a sudden this art, I heard Aretha Frank could come out with a record all of a sudden. I was like, who's zoom and who? I heard all of a sudden classic vocalist from the 70s that we knew. Aretha, of course. but Natalie Cole with like Freeway of Love for Aretha, then paint Cadillac.

And I'm like, who is doing this? What is going on? And then, of course, Whitney broke, probably 85. Yeah, I think you're right. And then Charday. And these were the voices I was like, all right, somebody's getting this. And it was Clive and it was Arista Records. That's who ultimately signed us with the single, my heart.

So I'm always interested in hearing the differences in which the way that singers handle that sudden burst of success. I've worked around some that had been so busy and so scatterbrained that they didn't know where they were from one day to another. That's true. When you broke with your single and then all of a sudden the world just went crazy over it, how did that affect you and your perception of what you thought it would be and then to the reality of how it actually affected your day-to-day life? Oh man. Nobody can prepare you for that. Yeah, so very true. True. Because it's not really overnight stardom. It's something you dream and build and build and now I'm 22 and 23 and I've got to quit the Russian club. I got to make sure I can support myself

and Rick because basically Rick was living in the bottom of the studio. And this has happening so slowly and then so quickly because suddenly you're wanted in another country. It's not like it happened in the States first. I was wanted in UK. I was wanted everywhere. And I was separated from Rick. And then it's like, Rick, you sit in the studio here in America, in the U.S., and then I'm off everywhere being the front of this. And I'm just the girl from the Russian nightclub that was hanging out with all these mobsters and they had throwing me in and out of Europe. So I hate to say it. But that's where I learned my Versace, my Gaudier, all those looks, my hair. Everything you saw was a product of hanging around people that had a lot of money

real quick, real fast. Yeah. All bets were off. And they showed me like, and that's how I learned. Europe real fast, going shop, three suits in Gaudier, and then Alia. And I knew it was fashion. And that's the first Taylor Day. And you saw with the powerful, with knowing where my song came from, who it came from, how it derived. And that was tell it to my heart. So it was this fierce, like, explosion that took place. How do you deal with that? You have a lot of boyfriends in different countries and you try to find, you anchor yourself. My one biggest anchor was my girlfriend, Diane Jones, who was a singer as well in the club that I said, I'm going to get famous. And she goes, okay.

And she was eight years my senior. And she was an incredible singer. Diane Jones was my winger, my rock. Yeah, it's great to have someone in our life that has our back. I'll never forget. I wouldn't even know a song. Like, if you ask me to sing Amazing Grace, she was black, she was a fierce.

She was just my sister, my soul sister. And I'll never forget, when I looked at it and I was going on the wine and she goes, you draw all this out. I go, what does that mean? She goes, you go to church on this. And I was just every club, every, every radio station I went into, Diane was by my side. Until the record company started catching up to what they had, they signed me for a single, single option album.

They had no idea. Yeah, that happens. Tel-Tomara started going number one throughout all of Europe and Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia, South America. Yeah. We didn't even have an album ready. Really? Just records that I, same writers did prove you love.

What a shocker. Yeah. Don't Rush. It was a song that I was doing. I sang as a demo singer. I heard of the writers. It was mind-blowing. Some of those songs,

one of them upon the journey's end, and another writer, another on that song is somebody that I worked with in the Russian club. I always said, wow, you're a great writer. I'm going to put you on. I mean, it's astounded. Yeah, it is. But a great collaboration, and it worked. How it comes together, but it was Rick and I,

and then Diane was my anchor. Yeah, that's great that you had her. And we all over the world together, that first two years at 87, 88, until they really understood them. We could put a full record together. I mean, it was wild. Yeah, it is.

So I understand that you're getting ready to go on tour now. That's a fast forward. No, well, now go by, let's go 35 years later, you know. Yeah, that's the beauty of my time machine. Many years later, many incarnations later. And I hit the streets with Paula Abdul. We do our Canadian run. We start September.

Kind of full circle, isn't it? Sure is. There is. That girl was my choreographer. I mean, she was just phenomenal. Obviously, Janet broke before me in control and watching that and Paula. And then Paula was my choreographer for Prove Your Love. Yeah, how good is that?

Like, well, that's it. She's the top of the game, you know? I'll never forget when she came down to set and we were working on it. And then when she broke ultimately, like, I think a couple of years later was straight up. It was pretty amazing. Yeah, it sure was. So when you look back, is there anything that just stands out to you? You. It can be an award, a performance, someone you met, someone you performed with, just anything.

What stands out to you that if anyone asks you, that's one of the top few things that comes to your mind? It's so interesting a question. Like, I don't know, there's been those joyful moments where you meet people, you know, where you're in the backstage and where you walk out and you're getting your throat looked at. And there's Tom Petty and there's Stephen Tyler and you get to talk. We're just in the same office. Yeah. moments and they're like, hey, what's going on, Taylor? And then there's just been those sweet, gentle, more gentle moments or bigger moments, Prince. I mean, there's always been moments.

Yeah, that's the great part about this music business is you have those moments where you meet those stars, those iconic stars. It's just great. Those are those moments that I guess if I think about them, I'll cherish them because they're so simple. But there's been euphoric moments where that last note of the show, you know, every night a show is different. Yeah, that's a beauty of the road. so in sync with the band. Yeah, that's a great thing. It's just a feeling.

It's an energy. It's a zest. I can say moments like that, and I can tell you the antidote of that story and Prince walked down the stairs and then we screamed at each other. Yeah, those are awesome moments. There's a million of those,

but that doesn't take the, it's the feeling. Yeah, those live events can give you such a great thrill and feeling. Accomplishment. I think that's that first question you asked, like, when do you get feelings? Those feelings come and go.

Yeah, they do. You know, you work on them every day, to actually be able to receive that. Right. And sit on Benny Laurels because I feel I have so much to do. Accomplish and prove still, for whatever reason, that's that little girl and that voice inside me

that still got a lot to do. So you say you've got more to accomplish. So what's in your bucket list? What is it that's still there that you want to try and do and continue with your life? Bigger marks, bigger things, bigger territory soundtrack. I've had a lot of songs and soundtracks,

Now I want to, you know, the accolades and also actually sitting on things, more accomplishments that way. Right. You know, Diane Warren and I have another song in us. Nice. Let's get her the Oscar. I'd like that myself. Yeah, why not?

Certain things like that, moments like that and touring. Sure. You know, it's just more creative, things that creatively, you know, and even a TV is, I think I have a series in me. Yeah, that'd be nice. Just something, yeah, where I'm really, I get to really, like, say, wow, this character and I like really, we really blend. And this is my voice and her voice. And I think that's, that would be an appropriate thing to say, yeah, I could see that coming together real nicely.

There'd be a lot of, a lot of creative fun and also finding another home. I love, what I love about touring is you're with your family. Really, the energy, you're all for the good and for the good of the one project. And the project, and this is your family. It's like any team, and you can ask any athlete, they'll tell you the same thing. When the team and athlete and, you know, we, We've trained. I'm training before I go out there. I'm training before this tour. I'm in the studio now. We're putting together. So when we're all targeted, it's like R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, we, we, we, us, us, us. It's an incredible energy. That's what you see when you take this audience and you put your arms around them. Yeah, there's nothing better. They get you, you get them, and there's nothing, no greater energy. Yeah. And when the band and you are just perfectly in sync that special night, and everything is flowing, nothing seems to be wrong. And even if you do hit that off note,

it goes right and is just not a better feeling at all. Well, you just smile, turn around and go, Mother people are like, and you can laugh. Yeah. But it's all you're in this dream together. Yeah, there's nothing better than that. So let's lighten it up a little bit. Favorite movie?

I got to tell you, I have a few, but like, let's just start, like, Pulp Fiction. Or most of them are kind of sagas like that. Still Jaws because there was something so simplistic, and the characters were just mind-blowing to me. Yeah, we need to get a bigger boat. I just love that line. Okay, favorite song? Well, I have the ones that I hold on to

because they are the soundtrack of that little girl and what I hear. And those songs would be something like Wild World from Kat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, I would say albums. I couldn't even give you one song because it's not fair to say, Is it just blue or case of you? I know where I was the first time I heard Black Dog, and I was just like, or where I was when I first heard bad company. And I mean, this was a 13-year-old or a 12-year-old,

but like, males around me, what the girl was wearing, she was wearing Love's Baby Soft. I remember that. Yeah, that's the power of music. And then the ones that took me to the next level. I mean, I can tell you, Al Green, Marvin Gay. Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, let us not forget the young Michael Jackson, like, just was,

when I had never can say goodbye, like, I well up. Yeah, I get that. With me, the first person I saw on TV, it goes back to Elvis. My mother introduced me to Elvis, and that's what led me to getting into music. And from there, I just kept on going. And then from that, every person that influences you just adds to the story. And that helps you build your story with your songs. And that's just great. That's why you're doing what you're doing. Absolutely. The love of music can bite us all. My parents bought me three records. So Crosby stills and Nash. Blue Eyes. I still see that cover. And from there, that led me to Neil and Joni's and people would listen to my music and go, there's no way, but believe me, there's way. Chaka Khan. Yeah, it's amazing how an influence of one or two singers that you hear can change one part of your song, and then that can turn it into something really, really special. Well, I always was amazed that people,

when they started responding to tell it to my heart, I was like, oh my God, I did a dance record. Like, this is so not what I thought I would be doing. That happens to so many different singers. But it allowed me to pull myself out of, like, again, that band scenario, like Deborah Harry, Patty Benatar, they were all Chrissy Hine, they were all in this band, but they were my, like, Annie Wilson, like, you know, these were my girls. And I was like, but I don't think I can do it with a band.

I need to come out. And so, what did I ever? I came out like a pop, like a, but I said, I'm not going to dummy down my voice. Like, that was the big thing. Yeah, sure. Keep all that wild power. Yeah, the great thing about that is that all the ones that you listen to influenced you to let you evolve into what you are now. 1,000 percent.

It just doesn't mean you have the time or you have the place to do it. Creatively, that's why when you watch these shows, it's amazing to me what Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood because they had a real sense of, obviously, what they were as artists and how they grew because there's no way. You really have to have a sense of yourself. I mean, their instrument is one thing, but like, to really be able to take any kind of music and turn it into like your bitch. That's really why people love Jimmy Hendricks. Absolutely.

It's no way that guitar had, he had no mercy on it. Yet when he wanted it, lilting, it's just the same thing with Greg. Like, I never understand what came out of Greg Allman's mouth. I couldn't even believe the ache, the song, the territory. Yeah. In our lifetime now, we have with Chris Stapleton. Like, it's hard to take a breakfast. when they're performing.

One of the bands I really liked was Marshall Tucker band. When they performed live, they were just so, so good. And a lot of rhythm guitar, yeah, they were pretty amazing live. You're right. You're right. Their live dynamics was so good. At one point, you're really struggling to hear them. And then the next moment, they're so loud, you're covering your ears.

Yeah. That's the beauty of music. You take all these nuances from all these other people and then pour them into that little kettle and then all of a sudden they all become you. You never could have imagined. Yeah, so true. Well, this has just been fantastic. I really appreciate you coming on.

Oh, thank you so much. You really had great questions. Thanks so much. It's been really great. Thanks for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed the show. This has been a Tony Mantor production. For more information, contact media at plateaumusic.com.