Steve Taylor is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and filmmaker from Brawley, California, born in 1957 and raised in Denver, Colorado. He works in contemporary Christian music, Christian rock and new wave, and is known for combining satire, humour and criticism of Christian culture in his lyrics.

Early solo work

Taylor begins recording in the early 1980s after writing for The Continentals. His debut solo EP, I Want To Be A Clone, appears in 1982 and is released in 1983. He follows it with Meltdown in 1984, a first full-length album that includes material from earlier demos and new songs. The title track’s video, filmed at Madame Tussaud’s, receives wide play on MTV, which is unusual for a Christian artist at the time. Actress Lisa Whelchel appears in the video.

He then releases On The Fritz, produced by Ian McDonald of Foreigner. In 1987, Taylor releases I Predict 1990, which includes “I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good”, a satirical song aimed at violent anti-abortion rhetoric. The song leads to some Christian record stores removing the album from sale. Taylor later contacts stores to explain the song’s intent.

Chagall Guevara and later solo recordings

After a break from music, Taylor returns in 1990 as lead singer of Chagall Guevara. The band’s first recording, “Tale o’ the Twister”, appears on the soundtrack to the film Pump Up the Volume. Chagall Guevara releases its self-titled album on MCA in 1991, and a second album is started but does not proceed after label restructuring. Taylor later releases the solo albums Squint and Liver in the mid-1990s.

A tribute album, I Predict A Clone, appears in 1994 and includes performances by Sixpence None the Richer, Fleming and John, Starflyer 59 and others. In the following years, Taylor focuses on running Squint Entertainment and producing for other artists. He works on Sixpence None the Richer’s self-titled 1997 album, which includes “Kiss Me” and a cover of The La’s “There She Goes”. He also works in production and songwriting with Newsboys.

Labels and collaborations

Taylor is associated with Squint Entertainment, Splint Entertainment and Soylent Tunes. He is also linked with several group projects, including Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil, Steve Taylor & The Danielson Foil, The Beaufort Twins and Chagall Guevara. Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil forms in 2014 as a quartet with Peter Furler, Jimmy Abegg and John Mark Painter. The group releases Goliath and later the Wow to the Deadness EP with Danielson.

Film work

Taylor moves increasingly into filmmaking and directs music videos for Fleming and John, Rich Mullins, Sixpence None the Richer, Newsboys and Guardian, as well as two video albums for himself. He co-writes, co-produces and directs The Second Chance, a film starring Michael W. Smith. He also appears in the documentary Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? in interview and performance footage.

His adaptation of Donald Miller’s memoir Blue Like Jazz becomes the subject of the 2011 documentary Steve Taylor is Not Dead. When conventional funding falls through, he launches a Kickstarter campaign that raises $345,000 and helps bring the film to a theatrical release in 2012. Taylor also serves as a Filmmaker-in-Residence at Lipscomb University.

Later career

In 2022, Chagall Guevara reunites and releases its second studio album, Halcyon Days, followed by a performance at the Ryman Auditorium. Taylor remains active in both music and film, and works as producer on the 2025 feature film Sketch.