Information/Write-up
Stephanie Taylor: A Canadian Voice of Grace, Strength, and Style
Stephanie Taylor (1943–2009) was a gifted Canadian singer, actor, and television performer whose career spanned more than four decades. Best remembered for her 1970 solo album I Don’t Know Where I Stand, Taylor’s voice exemplified elegance, warmth, and emotional intelligence, making her a standout figure in Canadian music and broadcasting.
Born in Toronto, Stephanie moved to the Leaside neighbourhood in 1954 with her mother Edith. From a young age, she showed a flair for performance—winning four gold medals at the Peel Music Festival at age 12 and soon landing acting roles on CBC television, including a key part in Guest Appearance (1957). Her high school yearbook in 1960 dubbed her a “CBC star,” recognizing her early visibility and talent.
She transitioned from acting to music in her teens, joining CBC’s Country Hoedown at 16, where she performed alongside Gordon Lightfoot. This opened the door to Music Hop, hosted by a young Alex Trebek, where Taylor performed as part of the vocal trio The Girlfriends. The group later became The Willows, scoring a national pop hit in 1966 with “My Kinda Guy,” produced by Tom Wilson and arranged by Benny Golson. The track rose to #15 on the RPM chart and topped Montreal’s CJMS-AM playlist, earning the group cross-Canada exposure.
Taylor’s solo breakthrough came in 1970 with I Don’t Know Where I Stand, recorded at CBC’s Studio G and arranged by Doug Riley. A remarkable blend of soft pop, jazz, and vocal finesse, the album has since become a cult favorite. It features covers of artists like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Paul Simon, and includes the first recording of “Marion’s Theme” from the CBC drama The Megantic Outlaw. Her voice on the album earned praise for its rare combination of control, warmth, and emotional resonance.
Her work in the decades that followed was prolific, though often behind the scenes. She recorded and toured with Hagood Hardy’s Montage (CBC LM 81), contributed to projects by Cliff Edwards, Larry Mattson, and The Sycamore Street Singers, and was a regular voice on Canadian television, appearing on The Tommy Hunter Show, The Bobby Vinton Show, Keith Hampshire’s Music Machine, and hosting CBC’s Canadian Express in 1978. She continued ensemble and studio work through the 1980s and ’90s, performing with The Laurie Bower Singers, the a cappella group Hampton Avenue, and The Canadian Singers into the early 2000s.
Stephanie also released solo singles in the 1970s and lent her voice to commercial jingles, including Bell Canada’s memorable “Saturday, Saturday” campaign. Her adaptability made her a sought-after studio presence in an era of growing broadcast and advertising music.
In parallel with her entertainment work, Taylor earned both a B.A. and M.A. in psychology from the University of Toronto. After working briefly with at-risk youth, she returned to music full-time but continued giving back—transcribing music scores into Braille for the CNIB and mentoring emerging artists.
She passed away from cancer in September 2009 at age 66. Over 40 heartfelt tributes from colleagues and friends followed, praising her “glorious voice,” “gentle and unpretentious nature,” and “heart of gold.” She was survived by her son, James Robertson, and former husband, composer Eric Robertson.
Stephanie Taylor’s legacy lives on in her recordings and in the memories of those whose lives she touched. Her singular 1970 album stands not only as a musical statement of its time but also as a testament to an artist of rare depth, versatility, and grace.
-Robert Williston
Liner notes:
This is a first album, a brand-new embellishment for the leisure-time hours.
It’s bound to be noticed, but not only for that reason.
It’s the 1970 Stephanie Taylor, a Toronto singer whose potential has been only too visible and noticed on various local TV shows with several rock groups and on various stages. That potential now has burst full.
Take the largest cut, I Don’t Know Where I Stand, a fusion of coloring and shading, swirling and whirling, tossing and turning, cymbals and plaintive expression and above all a peace-making but emphatic voice.
Or take Softly As I Leave You, hushed tones making their own time of times, again juxtaposing hard driving beats with softly spoken regret. Or a new song of loneliness, Marion’s Theme, the written expressly for the CBC-TV play the Megantic Outlaw and recorded here for the first time.
Stephanie Taylor takes most of this down home, always from the urban view, say a country point on one of those top floors of an apartment house with the heart in the voice.
There are 10 songs on this album, all arranged and conducted by Doug Riley. Riley refreshes some that have been flattened to death by others less expert. Witness his work on Suzanne and Work On A Groovy Thing.
The blending of Stephanie Taylor and Doug Riley is fortuitous. It makes for a first work. It’s a reputation-making. It’s a third for the leisure hours, a relaxation and, to be sure, a mixture of talents that are emerging.
Try a little of Stephanie Taylor and you’ll want more. There is more available on this album.
-Sid Adilman, Toronto Telegram
Produced by Dave Bird
Engineered by Larry Morey, assisted by Ray Sora
Arranged & conducted by Doug Riley
Recorded in Studio G CBC Toronto, Ontario, August 12th and 13th, 1970
All tracks remastered at The Warehouse Studio by Eric Mosher with Sidechain
Artwork remastered by Brent Lunney
CBC Production Coordinator: John Rahme
Photography by Herb Knot
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