Vince Taylor – rockabilly rebel and cult rock’n’roll hero
RICK HARDY/REDFERNS
Vince Taylor wanted to be the King of Rock. For a time, in France, he was. However, he later became a character so fantastical, he would inspire David Bowie’s pop star creation, Ziggy Stardust. His larger-than-life persona left its mark on other musicians, too. Of the pioneer rockers who met him early on, Vince Eager thought him a “flash American” with talent but “illusions of grandeur that stood out a mile”. In Jukebox Heroes, the BBC documentary on Taylor (2001), Van Morrison mused, “He was an enigma. He wasn’t like any of the other rock stars. He didn’t have any commercial success but he had a lot going for him.” To Joe Strummer of