Biography
Roderick Taylor is a multifaceted artist with significant achievements in literature, music, film, and television. He earned an MA from Stanford University, where he was a Stegner Fellow in poetry and later taught creative writing. Taylor is a Woodrow Wilson fellow and an award-winning poet, having received the American Academy of Poets Prize. His debut poetry collection, Florida East Coast Champion, was published by Rolling Stone Press to widespread critical praise. Esteemed English poet and critic Thom Gunn of Berkeley remarked, "Rod Taylor is simply the best poet to turn up in the last fifteen years...." Publisher's Weekly hailed him as "a man who writes like an angel." James Dickey, National Book Award-winning poet, novelist, and critic (Deliverance), endorsed Taylor's work enthusiastically, stating, "Taylor is going to be the salvation of all of us in American Poetry. I will read anything he writes with that growing excitement one is privileged to feel only in the presence of genuine talent." Taylor has presented readings at numerous universities, including Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, San Francisco State, Harvard, NYU, University of Florida, University of Missouri, University of Texas, and others.
During his time at Stanford, Taylor also performed as a singer in a rock band, becoming a prolific songwriter and contributing material to several well-known Bay Area rock groups. As his music gained prominence, he became the focus of a bidding war between Columbia's Clive Davis and the legendary David Geffen, ultimately signing his first record contract with Geffen. This launched a music career that produced seven albums, primarily under the name Roderick Falconer, a moniker he first used in the U.K. Collaborating with top rock musicians, Taylor's peak musical period spanned over two decades, overlapping with his involvement in the film and television industry. Many of his songs have been covered by artists such as Trisha Yearwood, José Feliciano, Linda Ronstadt, and other notable performers in the U.S. and Europe. More recently, Taylor has contributed music to film and television as both a composer and recording artist, including performing on the soundtrack of Warner Brothers' television series Witchblade. His recordings are available on iTunes and other major online music platforms.
In film and television, Taylor has written and produced across a broad range of genres, developing network series and writing independent and studio feature films and television movies. He has created pilots and movies for Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, Spelling Entertainment, Viacom, CBS, NBC, ABC, UPN, HBO, Showtime, MTV, and VH1.
