Payton Taylor
’Shine’

On Saturday, November 26th, two of Country Music’s biggest legends will be taking the stage at the Broadway Theatre in Pitman – Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan. But there will be a 3rd performer on the bill – a bright, young, up-and-coming Country Singer from Gloucester County named Payton Taylor. The Washington Township resident is only 14 years old, but she is already well on her way to making her mark on the Country Music industry.

“I’ve been singing since I learned how to speak,” says Taylor, “but, I didn’t start singing Country until I was about 12.”  As a child, she would perform in school plays, church choirs, and local theatre, but during a trip to Nashville in the summer of 2009, the then 12-year-old Taylor was invited to sing a few songs on stage at a local venue.

“That’s when I knew I wanted to sing Country Music for the rest of my life,” Taylor explains, “During that trip, I fell in love with Nashville – its music, history, and its culture.”

Now, only two years later, Taylor just released her debut CD, produced entirely in Nashville, she was a recent finalist for the 2011 Texaco Country Showdown, and she was invited this past summer to open for Country superstar, Collin Raye.

Her CD, entitled “Shine”, is receiving positive reviews on iTunes, and is attracting the attention of other media as well - Taylor recently appeared on CBS Philly’s daily program, “Talk Philly”, on local TV channel 3, where she got to meet and be interviewed by Ukee Washington. She also recently taped a segment for “The Shotgun Red Variety Show”, on national cable network RFD-TV. That show will air sometime in January.

When asked why she chose to title her CD “Shine”, Taylor says, “I took the name from a track on the project called ‘You’re Gonna See Me Shine.’ I thought it would be a great title for my first CD, because the song is about embarking on a journey and knowing that one day you’ll achieve your dreams.”

Taylor graduated from Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Sewell last spring, and would be attending Washington Township High School this fall, but she had to switch to Homeschooling to accommodate her busy tour and performance schedule here and in Nashville. She has already started taking some courses at Camden County College as well, to get a jump-start on her college education.

Despite her ever-growing list of achievements, Taylor is not ready to rest on her laurels: “I know I have a lot to learn, and a lot of time to grow and mature as a singer, a songwriter, and an artist. I want to do whatever I can and take as much time as I need to achieve my dreams and make a career out of doing what I love.” 

And now Taylor is excited to be opening for two of her favorite Country Music artists, right here in her home state, and only a few minutes from where she lives and grew up.  Taylor says, “I Love Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, and I’ve been such a huge fan of their music.  In the 90’s, Pam and Lorrie were opening doors for female artists long before Shania Twain.” Taylor also credits artists such as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Kitty Wells as sources of inspiration for her and for all female Country singers.

“I hope one day to have a career as great as theirs and with as much longevity,” Taylor says of her idols. “When I walk out on that stage on the 26th, I’m going to feel like an honorary member of their sisterhood.”

For more information on the Pam Tillis/Lorrie Morgan concert, visit the Broadway Theatre of Pitman’s website: www.thebroadwaytheatre.org or call 856-384-8381.  The show begins at 7:30PM and tickets range from $39 to $49.

For more information on Payton Taylor, visit her website at www.paytontaylor.com.

* Photo credit: Joe Caliva