BORN: Newtown, NB, July 19, 1933 EDUCATION: Graduated Sussex High School 1950 2 year Art Program Saint John Vocational (now Harbourview High) Saint John, NB. Won 4 provincial first prizes and a Canadian second and third prizes in high school writing competitions and two poster art prizes in NB high school competitions from 1948 to 1950
Gerry Taylor was a prominent figure in the realm of music journalism since 1958, contributing to the provincial newspaper, the Telegraph-Journal. For over thirty-five years, his by-line and picture graced the pages of this publication, making his weekly music column potentially the longest-running in Canada. Gerry’s primary focus was on folk and country music in the Maritimes, though his expertise extended to various other publications including the Atlantic Advocate, Canada Folk Bulletin, Canadian Bluegrass Review magazine, and the Christian Science Monitor. He also served as the New Brunswick monthly columnist for the Canadian Country Music News for four years and contributed to the short-lived Maritime Bluegrass Magazine.
Gerry’s credibility and expertise in the music industry were well-recognized. He was invited to jury musicians for numerous local and TV talent competitions, including the East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs), Junos, Fredericton 200 plus vocal competitions, and Channel 7 Bangor, Maine’s Stacey Jamboree talent contests. In the early 1980s, Gerry hosted a two-hour program called Fundy Folk Night on CFBC-FM radio, broadcast simultaneously in Saint John and Halifax for five years. He later joined the CBC Radio Saint John Friday Entertainment Panel in the early 1990s and subsequently hosted a special bi-weekly program on influential traditional recording artists.
Beyond his journalistic endeavors, Gerry served as the entertainment organizer for the Saint John Exhibition Association, where he was also a member. He was the vice-president of the New Brunswick Country Music Hall Of Fame and wrote news releases for the organization. In 2007, Gerry received an artsnb grant to research Wilf Carter and his family years as New Brunswick residents. He continued to write a weekly half-page column on folk and country music for the Telegraph-Journal, which appeared in their Thursday editions.
Gerry Taylor died in 2023 at the age of 90. The Canadian Folk Music Awards sends our thanks to Gerry and condolences to his family, friends, and those whose lives and careers he affected.