Lead Guitar
(1978-1985)

Full Name: Andrew Wilson Taylor

Birth Place: Cullercoats, England

Born/Birthdate: February 16, 1961 , Tynemouth Royal Infirmary

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'9"

Education: ?

Andy's parents are Ronnie and Sandra Taylor and he is the oldest of four children Ronnie, Anne, and Lynette.

Andy's Father was a fisherman, as was his grandfather, but as work got scarce he turned his hand to carpentry.

His family home in Cullercoats had an outside toilet and a tin bath.

His parents split up when he was 11 years old.

His dad encouraged him to take up the guitar at the age of five, he bought Andy an electric guitar for Christmas and Andy started to take lessons from a man across the road from him called Dave Black who was essentially a jazz guitarist, but it got him started at the cost of £1 per lesson, although it wasn't until the age of 11 that he really got into it.

Andy Started working as a musician after leaving school in 1976, at 16 he joined a punk band called "The Gigolos" who became "Motorway" in 1977 they landed a record deal with A&M and released a single called "teenage girls" it never charted.

He had played almost 600 gigs before he joined Duran playing Working mens clubs, strip joints, military bases.

He was also touring France, Belgium, Holland, Sicily often driving several hundred miles a day between gigs, he also did a ten week residency in Greece.

After trying to get £2000 owed in pay, he was met by a man with a gun at Luxembourg Airport who insisted that he wouldn't be paid after all.

Andy Met his wife Tracey Wilson while she was the bands hairdresser at her salon Wilson, Wilson and Wilson in Wolverhampton.

Andy proposed on his 21st Birthday, Tracey was Ill in bed, Andy held her hand and asked her to marry him, she never said anything, so Andy thought she hadn't heard him, until Tracey awoke at 4 am to say yes, Andy said "yes, what?" then he remembered!

There wedding was postponed several times due to work commitments, they finally tied the knot in Hollywood, California in July 1982 whilst on tour, they asked the dean of a nearby university to perform the service, They rented the Chateau Marmont and the group were formally dressed in Top hats, Morning suits, pearl tie pins, and pin stripe trews for the service John performed the duty of best man.

Andy said:

" John was shaking like a leaf!"

Tracey flew in from her home in Wolverhampton, unfortunately her parents were unable to join them.

Roger, John, Paul and Michael Berrow payed for the wedding, Nick gave the couple a light shaped like a Rizla cigarette packet. Simon gave a porcelain saki set purchased from the bands first trip to Japan.

Marital Status:

Married to Tracy Wilson

Children:

Andrew James (August 20, 1984)