KCUR News
(2011-12-09)
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Myra Taylor was born in Bonner Springs, Kansas, but she moved to the 18th and Vine area as a child. She began performing as a dancer in the jazz clubs on 12th and Vine as a teenager in 1930s.
In 2007, Taylor told Steve Kraske on Up to Date about walking from gig to gig. "And we'd be laughing all the way because there would always be someone with you," said Taylor. "You'd just be laughing and looking in the windows, admiring things in the windows that you never could buy on your salary: $1.25 a night and they paid you in nickels."
Taylor became known nationally as a vocalist for Harlan Leonard's Rockets. She began touring internationally in 1949. In the 1970s, Taylor settled in Los Angeles, where she performed in film and television, including appearances on "The Jeffersons." Myra Taylor moved back to Kansas City in 1994, went back to recording music, and joined the Wild Women of Kansas City.
To hear past interviews with and music by Ms. Taylor, visit:
The Fish Fry, 6/21/2008: An Interview with Myra Taylor
NPR's Day to Day, 9/21/2007: The Wild Women of Kansas City Perform
Up to Date, 2/23/2007: Jazz Vocalist Myra Taylor
The Fish Fry, 2/23/2007: Happy Birthday, Myra Taylor!
Interview with Myra Taylor, 2/22/2006
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