William "Shooby" Taylor (September 19, 1929 – June 4, 2003[1]) was an American jazz vocalist famous for scat singing over various records, including those of the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Mozart, and Cristy Lane, in a baritone voice.

[2] Writing in The New York Times, Marc Ferris noted that "those who seek out music that swims against the mainstream have been entranced by [Taylor's] originality.

"[3] Music historian Irwin Chusid described Taylor as "the world's weirdest scat singer," "100 percent uninhibited and soulful, in a lovably demented way," and stated that "a joyousness permeates [his] performances, a celebratory quality that serves as an analgesic for temporary relief from existential pain.

[1] In March of 1931, at the age of 18 months, Taylor moved to Harlem, New York City, where he spent the majority of his life.

Bill of Rights, Taylor began studying at the Hartnett National Music Studio on 46th Street and 8th Ave in New York;[5] his major was saxophone and his minor was in singing.

[1] In 1983, Taylor briefly appeared on the show Amateur Night at the Apollo, but was booed off the stage after roughly twenty seconds.

"[9] Bradley later transferred the tracks to cassette and sent copies to WFMU manager Ken Freedman, who, with Irwin Chusid, began broadcasting and circulating them, leading to a growing cult following for Taylor and "generating a frothing fan base.

[11][5] Following the broadcast, Goetz and Chusid transferred a number of Taylor's home recordings to CD-R to preserve some of his legacy.

[3] As of 2002, he continued to attend church regularly;[6] his Newark nursing home held a service every Sunday and Tuesday night.

[12]In 2000, Irwin Chusid wrote that Taylor's scatting "echoes Mother Goose nonsense simmering in a rich Afro-Yiddish stew.

Some of his favorite scat syllables are 'Raw-shaw,' 'poppy-poppy,' and 'splaw,' sputtered in a virile baritone vaguely reminiscent of Dudley Do-Right, the chaos-prone Canadian Mountie," and "his lung capacity is staggering; he never pauses long enough to inhale as he spews out astonishing high-octane vocal runs.

"[3] In 2020, Allmusic reviewer Jason Ankeny described his music as "singular and eccentric... equal parts nonsense words, off-tempo vocalese, and saxophone-inspired squawks.

[15][16] During the 1990s, UK TV series Adam and Joe Show used the first 4 seconds of Taylor's version of "Lift Every Voice and Sing", at the start of their theme tune.

[9] In the 2000 song "Walk & Chew Gum" by the band Optiganally Yours, there is a mention of "Shooby Taylor" in the last line of their scat-like bridge.

[18] In the 2016 Illumination Entertainment animated film Sing, a recording of Taylor's rendition of "Stout-Hearted Man" is used for a hippopotamus's audition.

[19][20] In 2017, a posthumous compilation of Taylor's work, entitled The Human Horn, was digitally released under the Songs in the Key of Z label.