When Ed Sheeran praised a rare find from a New York record shop, it sparked a long-overdue spotlight for folk veteran Allan Taylor. Sheeran shared his discovery of Taylor’s 1978 LP The Traveller on Instagram, calling it a “gem” he couldn’t find online. The endorsement prompted the album’s first official release on Spotify and rekindled interest in a musician whose career spans decades.
Taylor, now 80 and based in Leeds, began his life on the road in the 1960s busking in bars, sleeping on floors and in the back of a van, and honing a songwriting style that eventually earned him respect across the folk scene. Though mainstream stardom largely eluded him, Taylor toured internationally, played the Royal Albert Hall supporting Fairport Convention, spent time in New York with artists including Bob Marley, and has been covered by numerous performers in Europe.
Sheeran’s praise was unexpected and meaningful. “I find it flattering that someone of his stature has seen something in what I do,” Taylor said after the pair connected by phone. Their conversations revealed a mutual admiration and plans for a friendly meet-up over tea.
Taylor’s early life reads like a travelogue: leaving Brighton at 21 to seek work and music in Europe, surviving cold nights in Stockholm by playing in bars, and living day-to-day while touring Ireland and beyond. A breakthrough came when Fairport Convention invited him to support them at the Royal Albert Hall jumping from small club audiences to thousands overnight. A later U.S. record deal opened doors but also led to financial mishaps when he signed without legal advice.
Now retired from planned farewell shows because of health issues, Taylor received an unexpected late-career boost from Sheeran’s vintage-vinyl discovery giving The Traveller a new audience and reminding listeners of a quietly influential folk songwriter.
