He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on April 23rd, 1952 to Ervin W. and Thelma L. (McClaskey) Taylor.
Jeff is preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by brother, Steven (Elaine) Taylor of Collinsville, Illinois, niece, Teresa Huiras and grand-nephew, Jack Huiras of O’Fallon, Illinois, step-son, Jeffrey (Beth) Ortega, step-grandsons, Jeffrey, Justin, Jackson, Jacob, and Santi Ortega, and cousins, JoAnn (Richard) Wortman, Brooke (Joe) Dettmer and Family.
Jeff was a local musician with amazing talent.
He was the keyboard player for Faustus in the late 1970s and early 1980s and has been with a variety of bands since then.
Prior to joining Faustus in 1978, Taylor moved to Michigan in 1976 to play with a band called Airtight, which had two members go on to play with Ted Nugent.
In the 4 1/2 years he was with Faustus, the band got to meet and play with numerous musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Judas Priest, John Prine and Manhattan Transfer.
Other bands that Taylor played with include USA, Vision, Apple, Tales, DNA, Street Corner Symphony, Adam’s Edge, The Edge and Avery Hill Band. He played in a duo known as MC and the Doctor and did some solo gigs as well.
Taylor, who writes songs for Effic in addition to playing keyboards, has been teaching piano and tuning pianos for about 25 years. He taught at Schmitt Music in O’Fallon, Illinois and most recently he enjoyed performing at the Rajun Cajun Piano Bar in Alton. He also loved being the Choir Director at Signal Hill United Methodist Church in Belleville, Illinois.
Memorial Gathering will be Thursday, March 12th, 2020 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Lake View Funeral Home, Fairview Heights, Illinois.
Memorial Service will be Thursday, March 12th, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Lake View Funeral Home, Fairview Heights, Illinois.
Interment will follow in Lake View Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.9.6