He was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, and was the older brother of Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor.
After drumming with Boris Pickett and Herb Alpert, Taylor joined the Ventures in 1962 to fill in for Howie Johnson, who had been severely injured in an automobile accident.
In 1972, he decided to leave the Ventures to pursue a solo career, forming the band Mel Taylor & the Dynamics.
During this time, they released four albums: "007 James Bond", "Sand, Sea and Love", "Mel Taylor in Japan", and "Roll over Beethoven".
Towards the end of the 1960s, he expanded his kit to include multiple tom-toms and double bass drums; he eventually added numerous crash cymbals to his set as well.