Willie Taylor

A master Northumbrian fiddler, Willie Taylor is best remembered as one-fourth of a ’80s British folk group the Shepherds, also featuring piper Joe Hutton, harmonica player Will Atkinson, and squeezebox player Alistair Anderson. Although never a flashy player, Taylor accumulated a large repertoire that included such original pieces as “The Pearl Wedding Reel,” “Shirley’s Reel,” “Snowy Monday Jig,” “Tich’s Reel,” “Nancy Taylor’s Reel,” “Farewell to the Dene,” “The Shining Pool Hornpipe,” and “Kerry’s Welcome to the Dene.” ~ Craig Harris