From the moment he was in sixth grade, a very intellectual Otis Taylor had always been aware of socialism and could recognize the trials and tribulations that the black community has faced since days as early as slavery. Having grown up in Denver and being raised by educated and enlightened parents, it was inevitable that Taylor would carry that with him throughout his music career.
“It was a shock to the blues world that I was writing and singing about such dark stuff,” said Taylor. “Blues is typically about ‘my baby this’ and ‘I want to party’”. The beginning of Taylor’s music career transpired from his attendance to the Denver Folklore Center—where he would discover Piedmont, Delta, Country music, and a variation of Chicago blues artists. While inspired by this introduction, Taylor felt it important to stick to his nature of being what a lot of people in the music industry deem to be ‘dark’.
“History does get lost,” said Taylor. “And I’m circling back.” Taylor’s repertoire is comprised of songs that tell a story of the past. His most popular song, Ten Million Slaves (2004), is a repetitive piece that depicts The Middle Passage. Taylor attended a film festival many years ago and was inspired to write Ten Million Slaves, after having an encounter with one of the festival’s film directors. The movie written by the director depicted the journey that slaves endured and the 25 million slaves that have lost their lives during the Middle Passage.
The Middle Passage was a route that allotted goods to be carried from Europe to Africa. By 1518, millions of enslaved Africans became the largest cargo to be carried across the Atlantic Ocean. During this forced voyage, captives were compulsed to be body-to-body and chained below deck. Due to tight space and unsanitary confinement, starvation, and diseases being transferred, many of the captives did not survive the entirety of this 21-to-90-day voyage abroad.
For Taylor, Ten Million Slaves is another one of his many songs that are unintentional. Most of his songs start as dreams or come to him when he’s waiting in line or even while he’s in the middle of driving; however, this specific song was different. After attending that film festival, Taylor felt compelled to tell the story of the black man’s endless tribulation. Not only has he made it a goal to talk about the hardships faced living as a black man in America, but he is also looking to challenge our ideas of what kind of music should be heard and accepted in today’s society.