Jeff Taylor (footballer)

In an eight-year career as a professional footballer, Taylor played in the First Division, Second Division and Third Division South of the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Brentford respectively.^[1] Taylor scored in double-figures in his first two seasons with Huddersfield Town.^[4] He moved to Fulham in November 1951 and scored a hat-trick in one of his early appearances against Middlesbrough,^[2][5] before his music studies began to take precedence and he dropped out of the first team picture.^[6] He was Brentford's second-highest scorer in the 1956–57 season, his last in football.^[1] Taylor finished his career having scored 84 goals in 204 games.^[1] Looking back in 1997 on his premature retirement, Taylor said, "singing won the day. I had no long-term ambitions in football and I realised that it was impossible to marry the two".^[6]

While still a footballer, Taylor was able to use his wages to pay for his studies in singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music.^[6] Taylor performed opera under the name "Neilson Taylor" and was a bass baritone. After retiring from football, he joined the Yorkshire Opera Company.^[6] Taylor moved on in 1962 to understudy Michel Roux in Pelléas et Mélisande and Walter Alberti and John Shirley-Quirk in L'incoronazione di Poppea at Glyndebourne.^[6] His time at Glyndebourne proved to be a breakthrough and he toured the world, spending time in Australia and a year at Mantua in Italy, which led to work at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and in Rotterdam.^[3] He appeared on the 1971 Unicorn recording A Peter Warlock Merry-Go-Down, subtitle "songs, catches and poems, sociable, amorous and bibulous", which was put together by Fred Tomlinson. It was reissued in 2024.^[7]

Taylor failed fully to deliver on his promise as a performer, but found fulfilment when he was made Professor of Singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow and he remained in the role for 18 years.^[3]

His younger brother, Ken Taylor also played football for Huddersfield.^[6] Ken was also a professional cricketer, playing three Tests for England and first-class cricket for Yorkshire.^[6] Ken's son (Jeff's nephew) Nick Taylor also played cricket for Yorkshire. While still a footballer, Taylor studied for a degree in Geography at London University.^[6] After retiring from teaching, Taylor retired to Yorkshire.^[3]