A former Milwaukee-area educator and founding member of a local blues band died on April 30 at age 64.
Jeffrey Taylor, a former principal at West Allis Central High School and previously at West Milwaukee Intermediate School, founded the Altered Five Blues Band in 2002, according to a press release from Blind Pig Records.
Taylor died unexpectedly and in his sleep, the band’s Facebook page said.
The band released eight albums; its most recent release was “Hammer & Chisel,” which came out Feb. 27. Multiple albums of theirs charted on the Billboard Blues Chart, Blind Pig Records said.
Taylor’s voice was reviewed positively, according to the Blind Pig Records. For instance, Downbeat magazine said, “Of all the voices in the modern blues arena, one of the finest belongs to Jeff Taylor,” and Blues Blast said Taylor possessed a “smooth, warm-toned voice as monumental and undeniable as Howlin’ Wolf with the finish and flourish of B.B. King.”
Taylor was listed in the “Eight best new Milwaukee music releases to check out for March 2026” in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and was described as “a classic, robust singer.”
Among the band’s most popular songs are “Great Minds Drink Alike,” “Holler If You Hear Me,” “Charmed & Dangerous,” “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t,” “Right On, Right On” and “I Got It Good.”
The band performed in 13 countries, according to Blind Pig Records, including a trip to Asia this year.
“Earlier this year, we traveled to India, came home, played some great shows to support our new album, Hammer & Chisel, and Jeff was still doing what he loved most: connecting with people through music,” the band posted on Facebook.
Altered Five Blues Band received multiple Blues Music Award nominations and earned recognition from the Blues Foundation, which named the band’s 2014 album “Cryin’ Mercy” as Best Self-Released Album at the International Blues Challenge, according to Blind Pig Records.
“There are no words big enough for a man with a voice like Jeff’s — and no words adequate for the hole his passing leaves in all of us,” the band posted on Facebook. “For more than two decades, Jeff was the soul of this band. His warmth, his generosity, his great big heart — those were just as much a part of him as his voice.”
Taylor is survived by his wife, Kristen.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
For more information on Altered Five Blues Band, visit alteredfive.com.
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jeffrey Taylor, Milwaukee bluesman and educator, dies at 64
Reporting by Cathy Kozlowicz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
