American singer-songwriter Chip Taylor, best known for his hits “Angel of the Morning” and “Wild Thing,” died Monday. He was 86.
Billy Vera paid tribute to the later Songwriters Hall of Fame member Tuesday, confirming his “friend and songwriting mentor” died in hospice care.
Taylor underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2023, an experience he wrote and sang about on his album “Behind the Sky,” which was released in February 2024.
The singer-songwriter is the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, and his niece is Voight’s daughter, Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie.
Taylor was born James Wesley Voight on March 21, 1940. He was a singer in his own right and released numerous singles and albums over his six decade-long career. He began his career in the late 1950s as a member of the Town Three and under the name Wes Voight before adopting Taylor as his stage name.
The artist also played guitar and recorded some two dozen albums during his career. Hailing from Yonkers, New York, Taylor then spent time as a writer and producer at April Blackwood Music, the publishing arm of CBS, where he signed Vera and James Taylor.
His expansive songwriting includes hits “Angel of the Morning,” “Wild Thing” and “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder).” Taylor’s greatest hits also include “I Can’t Let Go,” recorded by frequent collaborator Evie Sands, The Hollies and Linda Ronstadt; “I Can Make It With You” by The Pozo-Seco Singers and Jackie DeShannon; “Welcome Home” by Walter Jackson and Dusty Springfield; “Sneakin’ Up on You” by Peggy Lee; and two tunes performed by Vera and Judy Clay, “Country Girl City Man” and “Storybook Children.”
Taylor’s first big hit was the rock anthem “Wild Thing,” which the British group The Troggs took to No. 1 in July 1966. The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed the following June at the Monterey Pop Festival, where Hendrix famously set his guitar on fire following the performance.
The songwriter became a professional gambler briefly before returning to music in 1995. Taylor launched an independent label, Train Wreck Records, in 2007. He represented Americana artists including singer-violinist Carrie Rodriguez, guitarist John Platania, bassist Tony Mercadante and singer-fiddler Kendel Carson.
He is survived by his brothers Jon and Barry Voight; his wife, Joan, whom he first married in 1964 before they divorced and remarried; his children, Kelly and Kristian; and his granddaughters.
