Conversations with Paula Jo Taylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula Jo Taylor

Hi Paula Jo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, began playing lead guitar at age seven alongside my brother and my aunt, in my father’s band, Joe Taylor & The Red Birds. I performed both on stage as well as on my dad’s live weekly radio show and other venues. During the 1960’s my dad’s band was the house band at a famed music venue called Buck Lake Ranch in Angola, Indiana. I performed every Sunday with him opening for everyone including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, The Everly Brothers and even actors, Michael Landon and Jay North who played Dennis The Menace on TV. During high school I began performing with my own band for local dances, weddings, fairs and festivals. I always wanted to move to Nashville to better my craft of guitar playing, however it took getting married, divorced, remarried and raising three children to be able to do so. My daughter Amanda had begun singing with me in our local band and it was clear she was an awesome singer, so in 2005 we were finally blessed with the opportunity to move to Nashville. While my daughter Amanda attended Belmont University, I traveled with an all girl band called, broadBand. We played all over the country opening for many major label acts and making wonderful memories. After Amanda graduated college, we formed our mother-daughter duo, The Taylors.

We are featured performers on episode five of Chip and Joanna Gaines new television show, Second Chance Stage, currently streaming on HBO Max and Magnolia Network. We were honored to be on the show along with such celebrities as Heidi Gardner from Saturday Night Live, actor/dancer/Broadway star Taye Diggs and country music icon, Martina McBride. It has been a wonderful experience and we are grateful to have received a standing ovation. We will be performing a Second Chance Stage Live Show on February 21st at The Truman KC in Kansas City. The show will feature us along with the Second Chance Stage house band and various other performers from the HBO Max/Magnolia Network show.

Prior to moving to Nashville I started writing comedy songs and have had a few of them cut by major label comedy artists Cledus T. Judd, Clinton Gregory and a few others. I had the pleasure of performing with Cledus T. Judd on a TV pilot show for Comedy Central as well as the Warner Brothers Showcase stage in Nashville during CMA Fest. I have also played lead guitar for artists such as Georgette Jones, daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette and for Roni Stoneman of the famed television show, Hee Haw

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Sadly in 2015, the all girl broadBand would come to an end when we lost the leader of the broadBand, Shelly Bush, to cancer. On the day of Shelly’s funeral I received the devastating news that I was diagnosed with stage three-breast cancer. Following my double mastectomy, I returned to the stage and for the next eighteen months found myself undergoing chemotherapy by day and performing my gigs by night. Out of concern that the cancer may metastasize, I later underwent a complete hysterectomy. Most recently I broke my left arm at the shoulder and also had a follow up surgery from my previous cancer diagnosis. I have had twelve surgeries in all and to say the least, the recovery time has made it very difficult to work around our performance schedule. Another stumbling block is for women in general in this business. It’s no secret that if you’re not a twenty-year-old “hottie” in the entertainment industry, it’s going to be an uphill climb. However nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy and playing music in Nashville was something I had waited all my life to do. I was not going to let age nor cancer nor anything else stand in the way.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a songwriter and singer but most of all I am an electric-lead guitar player. I can “shred” on some rock and roll but I feel most accomplished in the style of “chicken picking,” a guitar technique that involves plucking strings to create a percussive sound. It is rare for an almost 69-year-old grandma to play lead guitar which I feel sets me apart from other guitar players. Since moving to Nashville I have received opportunities and accolades I would never have dreamed possible. I have so many things to be proud of and I thank The Lord for them. I am extremely proud to have been a part of the Second Chance Stage television show and especially proud of the compliments received from Heidi Gardner, Taye Diggs and Martina McBride. Following my daughter Amanda and my performance on Second Chance Stage, Comedian Heidi Gardner said, “I literally did not see that coming, you knocked me off my seat.” Country music icon Martina McBride said, “I can definitely see you on the Grande Ole Opry” and actor/dancer/Broadway star Taye Diggs said, “You guys can go anywhere, you deserve to be everywhere, you blew me away.”

I was featured by US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, as one of his “Huck’s Heroes,” a segment that aired on The Huckabee television show. I was named in Guitar World Magazine as their pick for top 10 female guitarists and I am honored to have represented them by performing live at the summer NAMM show in Nashville. A video of me playing there was shared by Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and has gone viral with collectively over 6 million views. I was a featured performer at The Country Music Hall of Fame and have performed live on Nashville’s legendary WSM radio station and RFD-TV ‘s 615 Hideaway.

Another major accomplishment for me was playing the role of a guitar-shredding granny in the Acclaim Films movie entitled “My Perfect Love” alongside actress/model, Brie Burke, actor Sam Bass and Pawn Stars actor/magician/Las Vegas headliner, Murray Sawchuck. Acclaim Films creates movies that raise awareness to child trafficking and 100% of funds they raise, go to the charitable organization, RescueTheKids.org.

I am proud to have had Nashville’s WSMV-TV’s Forrest Sanders feature me in a segment called Plans Change. The story was titled after a song my daughter Amanda wrote called Plans Change about me performing through my breast cancer journey. It earned reporter Sanders an Emmy and was also featured on WPTA-TV the ABC affiliate in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

My daughter Amanda and I are also featured artists endorsed by Vietti Foods. Our picture and bio appears on the back of Vietti Bar-b-que Pork cans sold in grocery stores throughout the south as part of their Vietti Vinyl Series. We share this honor with artists such as Chris Young, Restless Heart, Riders in the Sky and others.

I am very proud to have had all these wonderful opportunities and I pray God will bless me with many more.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
As it was for most people, 2020 was a very hard year. I lost friends and family members to COVID including my aunt Patty who was the last of the founding members of The Red Birds band, where it all began for me. I have learned as the world progresses it is necessary to reinvent yourself and keep up with the times to get where you’re going. Though change is never easy especially for someone of my age, I have learned that social media platforms appear to be the future and it’s now become very important for me to keep a presence on those. I strive to be an inspiration to women, especially older women. As wives, mothers and grandmothers, we often put aside our hopes and dreams to take care of our families. That in itself is very admirable and God bless all the ladies who have made that choice but when your children are grown, it may be your time to follow your heart. I hope that I can somehow inspire women to realize, you are NEVER too old to chase your dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thetaylorsduo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetaylorsduo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetaylorsduo
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-jo-taylor-b20340235/
• Twitter: https://x.com/paulajotaylor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTaylorsDuo
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/paulajo.taylor/