Robert Taylor

Robert MacLean Taylor (16 April 1951 – 4 November 2025) was a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist who was best known as a member of the band Dragon during 1974–1984. Their top ten albums during his tenure are Running Free, O Zambezi (1978) and Body and the Beat (1984). Dragon were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life Robert MacLean Taylor, was born in Waipukurau, a small town on the North Island of New Zealand, the son of an ice cream maker and a housewife. He received a scholarship to study English at Victoria University of Wellington, but left his studies for a music career.

Career In the early 1970s, Taylor was a member of various bands including Mandrake, Chum (country rockers) and the Windy City Strugglers (acoustic, blues) as well as performing solo gigs. Mammal were managed by Graeme Nesbitt and were "playing basically dance-orientated music they soon got a reputation for being an arty band." Mammal attended the Ngaruawahia Music Festival in January 1973, where they "gave one of their better performances". With Taylor on board, the group "eschewed the art-rock trappings for raunchier dance music." The band relocated to Sydney, Australia in May 1975. It had previously been recorded by Taylor with Mammal. He was a co-author of the compositions "Education", "Blacktown Boogie", "Street Between Your Feet" and "Magic". New Zealand Music Hall of Fame (2011) – for his participation in the creation of Dragon songs.

Discography With Mammal Beware the Man (by Mammal and Sam Hunt) (1972) Red Rat Records "Wait" / "Whisper" (1973)

With Dragon

Albums Year Title Label Catalogue No. AUS NZ 1977 Sunshine CBS, Portrait SBP234946JR35068 24 — 1977 Running Free Portrait, CBS 6 16 1978 O Zambezi Portrait PR33010 3 17 1979 Power Play CBS SBP237352 64 — 1984 Body and the Beat Polydor 817874–1 5 — 1995 Incarnations Roadshow Music 14251–2 55 —

Singles Year Title Album Label AUS NZ 1975 "Education" Single only release Vertigo — — "Star Kissed" — — 1976 "Wait Until Tomorrow" CBS, Portrait — — "This Time" Sunshine 26 — 1977 "Get that Jive" 13 — "Sunshine" 36 — "April Sun in Cuba" Running Free 2 9 "Konkaroo" 40 — 1978 "Are You Old Enough?" O Zambezi Portrait 1 5 "Still in Love with You" 27 35 1979 "Love's Not Enough" CBS 37 — 1982 "Ramona" Polydor 79 — 1983 "Rain" Body and the Beat Polydor 2 —