Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor was born in Brawley, California on December 9, 1957 and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He studied music, filmmaking and acting at Colorado University in Boulder, then began a career as a recording artist that spanned twelve years and garnered him two Grammy nominations for "Meltdown" (1984) and "Squint" (1993). In the process, he made history as the only artist to twice win Billboard Music Video Awards for self-directed music videos. He was also lead singer/co-writer in the MCA-signed modern rock band Chagall Guevara, who were first introduced on the soundtrack to the movie "Pump Up The Volume." Among his many credits as a music video director, his best-known is the Francois Truffaut homage he shot in Paris for Sixpence None The Richer's "Kiss Me." Taylor also directed and starred in the award-winning long-form video "Squint: Movies From The Soundtrack," shot in ten countries around the globe including Vietnam, Nepal, United Arab Emirates and Turkey. In preparation for his first movie, Taylor spent two years studying the Meisner technique under acting teacher Bill Feheely. The film that followed - "The Second Chance" - marked Taylor's debut as director/co-screenwriter. It was produced independently in Nashville and featured a number of first-time actors in prominent roles. The movie was subsequently picked up for a 2006 theatrical release by Sony Pictures Releasing. Taylor's follow-up feature, "Blue Like Jazz," is an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling memoir by Donald Miller.