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Richard Vacca Author

Fred Taylor was born in Boston and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Newton High School and Boston University. While at BU, he led his own group as a drummer. Upon graduation, he entered the family business selling Serta mattresses, where he worked for nine years. However, at night Taylor was in the music world, going to all the jazz clubs in Boston. With his first tape recorder, in 1952, he recorded Dave Brubeck’s group at George Wein’s Storyville nightclub. This led to Dave Brubeck being signed with Columbia Records. Taylor’s been working for 55 years with the greatest talents in the world of jazz, pop, and comedy. Coauthor Richard Vacca is the author of Boston Jazz Chronicles: Faces, Places and Nightlife, 1937–1962. He has worked with Fred Taylor as a coauthor and manager of Taylor’s extensive collection of art, photos, and artifacts.