Mike Taylor (guitarist)

Mike Taylor (July 21, 1948 – September 5, 2010) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and arranger. After a successful musical career, he became an historian, archaeologist and preservationist. He is widely remembered as a performer and co-writer on John Denver's song Rocky Mountain High.

Michael C. Taylor was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the son of Katie Steed and George F. Taylor. As a boy, he and his father collected native American arrowheads and similar artifacts around the area where they lived. As a teenager, he taught himself to play the acoustic guitar. By his late teens and early twenties, he had become the lead guitarist for folk singers in both Fayetteville and New York.

Mike rose quickly in the music world, serving as lead guitarist for Joni Mitchell and similar artists, all before his 21st birthday. Herb Metoyer was one of his early influences and mentors.

He joined The John Denver Band in 1969, and was involved in writing, arranging, and performing such songs as "Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine on My Shoulders", and "The Eagle and the Hawk". During these years his guitar technique often led to his being thought of as the best guitarist in the country.

Taylor was given songwriting and performing credit for this John Denver hit, which is one of the two state songs of Colorado. In an interview, Denver said of the song's creation "Mike sat down and showed me this guitar lick and suddenly the whole thing came together. It was just what the piece needed. When I realized what I had — another anthem, maybe; a true expression of one's self, maybe — we changed the sequencing of the album we'd just completed, and then we changed the album title."

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