Spencer Taylor Jr., a member of the veteran gospel groups Highway QCs and the Holy Wonders, has passed away.
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Per the Journal of Gospel Music, he died on Sept. 5 at the age of 97. No cause of death was given.
The Highway QCs have been active for over 70 years. Its members sing in the tradition of jubilee quartets, though they have also incorporated instrumental accompaniment. The group helped launch the careers of several secular stars, including Lou Rawls and Sam Cooke.
Spencer Taylor Jr. was born on March 6, 1928, in Indianola, Mississippi. Around 1947, he moved with his parents to Chicago, where he joined Greater Harvest Baptist Church and began singing with a quartet called the Holy Wonders.
Spencer Taylor Jr. Joins the Highway QCs
Taylor joined the service and, after returning to civilian life in late 1955, was recruited by the Highway QCs. In 1957, several original members left to focus on their families and careers.
Taylor took over as the group’s leader. He also brought in former Holy Wonders singers James Walker and Chris Flowers to replace them.
Led by Spencer Taylor Jr. and joined by guitarist Arthur Crume from the Swan Silvertones, the QCs produced a series of hits for Vee-Jay Records in the 1950s and 1960s.
The group moved to Peacock after Vee-Jay went bankrupt in 1966. Between 1975 and 1983, they recorded several albums for Savoy Records and later for Malaco/4Winds. Taylor appeared on Malaco Records’ Legends of Quartet DVD with Thomas Spann (Brooklyn All Stars), Jo Jo Wallace and Horace Thompson (Sensational Nightingales), Willie Rogers (Soul Stirrers), Clay and Cleve Graham (Pilgrim Jubilees), and Percy Griffin (Swanee Quintet).
According to the Journal of Gospel Music, Taylor continued to tour with the Highway QCs. The lineup now features a new generation of singers. In March 2017, Spencer Taylor was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Stellar Awards during their celebration in Las Vegas, Nevada.