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One of the brightest smiles you could imagine is worn on the face of Dena Taylor. A jovial spirit with a robust laugh is what
you will find if you're fortunate enough to spend any time with her.
Taylor spent twelve years abroad in the military, combining her years of service with a series of low-profile concert
and event gigs. She also accepted invitations to sing with touring USO shows whenever it was compatible with her military
schedule.
Taylor's road to success has been hard-won, even inspirational. Upon leaving the military, Taylor found herself in a violent
car accident that left her with a severe brain injury requiring a full two years to regain her ability to speak and walk again.
And, since that time, she has also waged her own personal battle against breast cancer.
As a way of returning to her music, Taylor established a music ministry and took her voice to many of the mountain churches
of North Georgia as a traveling guest singer. She was also one of the primary vocalists in her own home church.
Once relocated to Florida, she returned to the stage as one of the gold-star cast members of the Historic Cocoa Village
Playhouse appearing in productions of Kiss Me Kate, Meet Me in St. Louis, Fiddler on the Roof. From there, she went on to
establishing herself as a solid solo performer. Her pairings with some of the regions finest musicians resulted in her award
winning CD, Round Midnight, made with Ron Teixeira, Ron Pirtle and Dave Dunscombe.
Besides her own bands, Dena & Company (with notables Ron Teixeira, Dave Dunscombe and John Fitzgerald) and Troika
(with gifted Hammond B-3 artist, Kenny Clarke, and drummer Dave Dunscome), her reputation also made her a frequent guest vocalist
of regional jazz and blues groups.
Taylor was also named one of the Top Five Vocalists in the SingersUniverse "Best Vocalist Of The Month" Competition.
Dena relocated herself and her music to Austin, Texas in January of 2009. Once she got settled and established, she went
to work on her second CD, Certitude, which was released in March of 2010 and includes notables Redd Volkaert and Ernie Durawa.
Her current project includes assembling a new band and mapping out her next CD.
Taylor lends her personal support to a number of causes that support others who have endured adversity or are in the midst
of their challenges and it is a testament to Taylor's talent, however, that her sound never seems "preachy." Rather,
the adversity Taylor has faced personally lends her voice a hard, knowing edge - like that of a Gladys Knight at her prime
- that gives her music a ripened maturity so many pop stars lack.
NOTE: Ms. Taylor lost her mother on July 12, 2010. She will be dedicating her next CD to her mother and will be donating
part of the proceeds to The Alzheimer's Association (http://www.alz.org).
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