Chip Taylor Dead: "Wild Thing," "Angel of the Morning" Songwriter Was 86 Chip Taylor, the singer and member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who wrote the songs "Wild Thing" by The Troggs, "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton, and "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" by Janis Joplin, has died. He was 86. Taylor passed away on Monday night in hospice care, according to an Instagram post from Grammy-winning singer Billy Vera, who confirmed the news with his children, Kelly and Kristian. In 2023, Taylor underwent treatment for throat cancer, which he addressed in his 2024 album Behind the Sky. One of Taylor’s older brothers was Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, and one of his nieces was Voight’s daughter, Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie. Over a six-decade career, Taylor sang, played guitar, and recorded more than two dozen albums, though he also spent time as a professional gambler. His early career began in a rockabilly band in his hometown of Yonkers, New York, before he joined April Blackwood Music, the publishing arm of CBS, where he signed artists like Billy Vera and James Taylor. Taylor’s songwriting credits spanned numerous hits, including "I Can’t Let Go" by Evie Sands, The Hollies, and Linda Ronstadt; "I Can Make It With You" by The Pozo-Seco Singers and Jackie DeShannon; "Welcome Home" by Walter Jackson and Dusty Springfield; "Sneakin’ Up on You" by Peggy Lee; "On My Word" by Cliff Richard; and two songs performed by Vera and Judy Clay, "Country Girl City Man" and "Storybook Children." In 2000, Taylor described his approach to songwriting as intuitive, stating, “I’m the kind of writer who doesn’t think too much about what he’s writing about.” His first major hit was "Wild Thing," which The Troggs took to No. 1 in July 1966.#angelina_jolie #chip_taylor #billy_vera #jon_voight #yonkers_new_york
