3rd anniversary of death January 2, 2023 – Kingsize Taylor British musician Kingsize Taylor has died at the age of 83. His group, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes, was formed in Liverpool in the late 1950s and was one of the first beat groups on Merseyside. They are a famous and influential music group in the region, contemporaries and rivals of The Beatles. In 1962, Ringo Starr agreed to join Kingsize Taylor’s group in Hamburg, as Taylor offered to pay £20 a week, but Lennon and McCartney offered £25 a week, which Starr accepted.

REMEMBERING KINGSIZE TAYLOR — 3RD ANNIVERSARY (January 2, 2023): A MERSEYSIDE PIONEER WHO HELPED SHAPE THE BEAT ERA

Today marks the third anniversary of the passing of Kingsize Taylor (January 2, 2023), a towering figure of the Merseyside beat scene whose influence reached far beyond charts and headlines. At 83, Taylor left behind not only recordings and memories, but a foundational chapter in British popular music.

Formed in Liverpool in the late 1950s, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes were among the first beat groups on Merseyside—forging a raw, energetic sound that helped define the region before “beat music” had a name. In packed clubs and smoky rooms, the Dominoes built a reputation for drive, discipline, and musicianship, becoming contemporaries—and friendly rivals—of The Beatles at a time when Liverpool was learning to hear itself.

Taylor’s story intersects with music history in ways both famous and human. In 1962, during the Hamburg years that hardened many British bands, Ringo Starr agreed in principle to join Taylor’s group after Taylor offered £20 a week—a serious commitment in those days. The moment has become part of Merseyside lore: John Lennon and Paul McCartney countered with £25 a week, and Starr accepted. It’s a small arithmetic detail that speaks volumes about how close these paths once ran—and how formative the scene truly was.

Beyond anecdotes, Kingsize Taylor mattered because he set standards. He believed bands should rehearse, respect the song, and take audiences seriously. Those values spread through the circuit, lifting everyone’s game. Long before global success arrived for a few, Taylor and the Dominoes were proving that Liverpool bands could be tight, ambitious, and professional.

On this anniversary, the applause is quieter, but the gratitude remains loud. Kingsize Taylor helped build the runway from which others took flight. His legacy lives in the confidence of a city that learned it could lead the sound of a generation—and in the countless musicians who followed a path he helped clear.

We remember him today not just as a rival or a footnote, but as a pioneer.
A musician of stature.
And a Merseyside original whose beat still echoes.

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