Maria Taylor
Maria Taylor is a singer-songwriter from Birmingham, AL, She is also a member of the duo Azure Ray with Orenda Fink. Taylor has previously played or collaborated with Bright Eyes, Moby, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Daniel Johnston and more.
Taylor started her musical career at the age of fifteen in the band Little Red Rocket with what would be a long time collaborator, Orenda Fink. Taylor and Fink later moved to Athens, Georgia where they formed Azure Ray. The pair signed to WARM and released their self-titled debut in 2001, which included the hit songs "Sleep,” “Displaced” and “Rise.” Azure Ray released their second album, Burn and Shiver in 2002 and around that time, Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst invited the band on tour and introduced them to Saddle Creek, who released their following records, November EP, The Drinks We Drank Last Night, 2003's Hold on Love. Following the release of Hold on Love, Taylor and Fink began a 6-year hiatus.
Taylor released her first solo album 11:11 on May 24, 2005, featuring the hit “Song Beneath the Song,” and her second solo album, Lynn Teeter Flower, was released on March 6, 2007. "A Good Start," was subsequently named one of NPR's 10 best songs of the year for 2007. On March 31, 2009 she released her third full length, LadyLuck featuring the song "Cartoons and Forever Plans," co-written by and including guest vocals from R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe. LadyLuck reached number 48 on Billboard's "Heatseakers" charts.
Azure Ray reunited for a one-off reunion show in December of 2008 at Los Angeles's iconic Troubadour and in 2010, released their first album in six years, Drawing Down the Moon. Overlook, Maria's 4th solo album, was released August 16, 2011. After moving back to her hometown of Birmingham, Taylor was unable to write for nearly a year, eventually composing the entire album over two weeks during a break in touring with Azure Ray. This release marks the first time Taylor produced her own album, which Paste called "her best, most animated collection in years." In August of 2012, Azure Ray reunited for As Above, So Below EP. The next year, Taylor released her fifth solo record Something About Knowing on October 29, 2013.
After moving back to Los Angeles, Taylor wrote and recorded In the Next Life, released December 9, 2016 on her own label, Flower Moon Records. The album features guest appearances from familiar collaborators Joshua Radin, Conor Oberst and more. "If Only" (featuring Oberst) was prominently featured in NBC's This Is Us. NPR called it "her warmest and most affecting album... filled with gorgeous, touching songs about family, legacy, fear and the pursuit of contentment." Flower Moon Records has since re-released Taylor's earlier albums, 11:11 and LadyLuck, as well as Azure Ray's self-titled record and Burn and Shiver.
Taylor released her most recent record on November 11, 2019 produced and recorded at home featuring guest collaborations with Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) and Joshua Radin. In March 2021, Taylor was featured on Phoebe Bridgers cover of the John Prine song "Summer's End" for the Spotify Singles series and she appears on Bridgers' cover of "Funny Feeling" by Bo Burnham.