Sherman Taylor the musician

Sherman Taylor was one of Vera's brothers.

The Taylor family was quite musically inclined, and Sherman picked up a bulk of the talent in playing musical instruments, namely the fiddle and the mandolin.

The following are a few photos and articles about his musical ability.

Local newspaper article:

SOURCE: Meeker Herald, 1982, Nov 25, p.?
Found in the personal albums of Gene/Della Nyberg

Local newspaper article transcribed:

Sherman Taylor's Musical Memories- They Don't Do The Two Step Anymore...

Looking Back... by Dolly Viscardi

Readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmetic may be some of the memories many have at the sight of an old country schoolhouse; but for 76-year-old Sherman Taylor, the sound of picking and fiddling are more vivid.

"We'd play till our arms were numb," recalls Taylor when he talks about dancing the night away to the sounds of the Yellow Creek Mockingbirds, the first band of which he was a member.  Playing for crowds in the schoolhouses at Bulford, Little Beaver, Piceance Creek, and out on the Mesa, the band became quite popular; and in their heyday, they entered a contest at the Odd Fellows Hall where regular dances were held.  Taylor remembers that "pretty little orchestras played there; well, we contested right alongside them.  We were a pickin' bunch... and we won."

Dancing till daylight, the ranchers would often invite the band back to the ranch houses for breakfast.  Taylor says that dances were not only more often in those days, they were very different as the two-step, the schottish, the Virginia reel, and the polka were still going strong.  He longs for the gracefulness of the old dance steps and says, "In those days, they used to put a little effort into their dance, now they just want to stand in one place."

Two years ago he met his friend, Bob Searcy, who plays guitar and sings while he plays the mandolin. They play well together and it was Searcy's interest that renewed his interest.  "Since Bob came, he's done a lot for me," notes Taylor' and in addition to playing for various gatherings, he and Searcy and some friends have played before the Meeker Massacre Pageant for the past couple of years.

Picking a tune not only involves keeping time, it involves passing time; and Taylor finds that his music keeps him from getting too lonely.  Playing for his own pleasure is his main reason for getting out the "old beat-up thing that only cost me $3."  But he maintains that it has a good tone and works well.  An interest in learning the piano and how to count time may generate his enrollment in a music class soon as he'd like to be able to apply what he learns in that area of music to his mandolin playing.

Playing by ear is what Taylor does best and he's picked up the chords and notes for a large repertoire of country tunes over the years.  He gets absorbed in the music as he is playing and he explains that, "I can't talk and play at the same time because my fingers are communicating.  If I interrupt the conversation between the brain and my fingers, I'm lost."

Taylor was born in 1906 and grew up on a farm west of Vernal.  After his contract expired here for delivering mail, he had a leather shop and then a grocery store before he retired to go back to farming.  He liked having his own business and remembers that his grocery store was the place where if people didn't buy anything, they'd just come to visit.  The shop was located on Market Street where Trendy Togs is today.  Although he still has a farm out on Strawberry, he says that he semi-retired six or seven years ago.

Getting out and meeting people is something that Taylor says he found hard to do after his wife passed away; and though his seven children and loads of grandchildren visit frequently, he found that going to the senior citizen luncheons was one of the best things that has happened to him.

The magic of Taylor's music lies not only in the sound but the enjoyment he gets while he gives to others.  He's discovering that old time country music is regaining popularity and that interest in the mandolin is growing.  He loves to share his knowledge of his instrument and the music and finds that music brings people together.  He's been meeting a lot of people he might not have had the chance to meet otherwise.

He admits that his 30 years of pickin' has him grinning; and for Sherman Taylor, that's saying a lot.  After all, as he puts it, "I'm not one to grin."

*Spelling & punctuation adjusted wherein I was aware.

 Newspaper article:

From the personal albums of Gene/Della Nyberg
Newspaper source & date is unknown, but assumed from a Colorado paper and written before Sherm's death in 2004.

Newspaper article transcribed:

Handful enjoy good old music now

Connie Clark- Religion writer

Whatever happened to music?

I found an answer to this question last week in Meeker when a small group of musicians brought back happy memoires of pleasant music during the warm-up before the Fourth of July annual Meeker Massacre Pageant.

Not rock, classical, hoedown nor jazz, but just good old music that has warmed the hearts of many, many down-to-earth folks over the years.  Songs included "Sweet Georgia Brown, "Tiger Rag," "Springtime in the Rockies" and "Melody of Love."  Undoubtedly an even marking of time and a lilting rhythm have become almost nostalgic in this day of electronic hard rock.

This music brought back memories of Saturday night get-togethers when entire families enjoyed the company of other families and friends.  No drin-in movies, television or other non-participating entertainment for them, but instead the warmth and companionship of sharing and knowing others for their true value as people.

Clean overalls or blue jeans and cotton gowns were the mode, not because of expensive fashion, but because of economy.  No $60 designer jobs where there.

I have always felt a certain thrill in the plink of a banjo.  As for a mandolin, we seldom hear its pleasant vibrato these days.  Hopefully, the guitar will always be with us, whether Spanish, classical or electronic.  All of these instruments combined in Meeker in a blend of notes and harmony leaving me feeling as though I had just consumed a smooth strawberry ice-cream cone.

I appreciate music, all kinds of music.  A concert in the park leaves me goose-bumpy.  Understandably, an evening with Pavarotti does the same.  Then what's a parade without 76 trombones?

Back to the classics, Bach comes out of the drawing rooms of the past into the synthesizers of present recording studios, and I understand it.  I'm actually beginning to understand hard rock, even though it is not music to me, but a sound and a beat.  Although I don't enjoy hard rock for several reasons it is a part of a searching society.  Some say it is Satan's magic baton.

The music I heart Thursday evening from our neighbors up the valley wasn't under the capable baton of a symphony director.  That happened with the Grand Junction Symphony, which presented an excellent concert there Sunday evening. The music I heard Thursday, however, was the creation of four people enjoying themselves on a simple stage set up in the bed of a truck.

Amplifiers were used to project the sounds of Bob and Eileen Searcy on their rhythm and bass guitars.  Banjo backup came froth from the nimble fingers of David Main while the beloved Sherm Taylor carried the lead on his mandolin.  Unaffected and non-pretentious, these four can easily hold their own in any group of musicians.

Taylor has delighted audiences for years with his easy style and mastery of the mandolin.  He paid three dollars for one back in the '30s.  A long-time farmer in the Meeker area, he will soon move to Clifton where he has purchased a home.

The Searcys also have lived in Meeker for years.  They were in the hunting and farming business and now operate a paint contracting firm.

Main, who also plays professionally with the Burro Mountain Boys, works at the Colorado Coal Co.

The group gets together on Tuesdays evenings just to "play up a storm."  Members have no plans to hit the big-time.  They're just four musicians doing what they enjoy.  Their music comes from the heart as they share each other's enthusiasm and companionship.  They especially enjoy doing gospel music and have played for church events.  They also play for senior citizens in Meeker.

Some know the musicians as The Strawberry Ramblers, so named because Taylor lived in the area known as Strawberry Road.

No matter what the name, or where they play, I predict heaven will have a special concert hall reserved for these folk, probably just a few doors down from the harp section.

From the Uintah County Library Basic photo series, online collection
Rex Taylor on guitar, Sherm Taylor on fiddle

Photos from the personal albums of Gene/Della Nyberg
LEFT PHOTO NOTES: "Sherman, Nov 8, 1986 at his home in Clifton, Colo.  With mandolin he got from George many years before"
RIGHT PHOTO NOTES: "Sherman and Della.  Toni and Joe took me to see Sherm.  I came to Grand Junction with Julie the day before.  Clifton is just a little ways from Grand Junction"