Childhood & Early Life
Taylor Dawes Goldsmith was born on August 16, 1985, in Los Angeles County, California, to Lenny and Kathy Goldsmith. He and his younger brother, Griffin, grew up in southern California.
Taylor attended 'Juan Cabrillo Elementary' and then moved to Malibu with his family. He graduated from 'Malibu High School.' Since his father was a successful singer and had even toured as the lead singer of the band 'Tower of Power,' Taylor developed an interest in music at a tender age. He began his guitar lessons at 3 and was subsequently trained in the piano, too.
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Career
Taylor’s music career began with the rock band 'Simon Dawes,' which was formed in 2002. He formed the band along with his one of his 'Malibu High' friends, singer and guitarist Blake Mills, and named it by combining their middle names. Over the years, the band included Grant Powell (bass) and Dylan Grombacher (drums) among others.
On October 11, 2005, 'Simon Dawes' released the EP 'What No One Hears' under 'Record Collection' and later signed a contract with the label. In September 2006, the band released their full-length album, 'Carnivore,' which received mixed reviews. 'Simon Dawes' disbanded after Blake left the band in 2007.
After renaming it 'Dawes,' Taylor and Griffin took over the band with the latter as the drummer and Wylie Gelber on the bass. They added Tay Strathairn as the new keyboard player. The music, too, shifted from post-punk sounds to folk-rock after the release of their first album, 'North Hills,' on August 18, 2009. The album received mostly favorable reviews.
The following year, Taylor and his band made their TV debut on the 'CBS' late-night talk show 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.’ Their subsequent albums were 'Nothing Is Wrong' (2011), 'Stories Don't End' (2013), 'All Your Favorite Bands' (2015), 'We're All Gonna Die' (2016), and 'Passwords' (2018). In all the albums, Taylor represented 'Dawes' as its frontman, lead singer, chief songwriter, and lead guitarist. For 'We’re All Gonna Die,' he extensively used technology to present 'Dawes' as an electro-rock band. Taylor and his band appeared in a 2012 episode of the 'NBC' series 'Parenthood.'
Meanwhile, Taylor formed the American rock band 'Middle Brother' in 2010. He was joined by Matt Vasquez of the band 'Delta Spirit' and John McCauley of 'Deer Tick.' The trio released their only album to date, 'Middle Brother, in 2011. It received positive reviews. In 2013, Taylor released his first record, 'Dad Country,' as a co-producer, with American country musician Jonny Fritz. Taylor also served as a guitarist and a background vocalist in the album, which marked Jonny’s third release.
Taylor was roped in by record producer T Bone Burnett for the 2014 project named 'The New Basement Tapes.' Along with Taylor, the musical supergroup included Jim James, Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Rhiannon Giddens. Their first album was 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes,' in which Taylor was the lead vocalist for the song 'Liberty Street.’ He co-wrote six tracks from the album. He was the bassist and also played the guitar, the mellotron, the organ, and the piano for many of their songs. Taylor also co-composed the track 'When I Get My Hands on You' from the album.
Additionally, Taylor has written (and co-written) songs for 'The Lights from the Chemical Plant,' the third studio album by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Robert Ellis. He has also served as a session musician and has performed in albums by musicians such as John Fogerty, Jackson Browne, Dave Rawlings, and Sara Watkins. Taylor has been credited for the track ‘Invisible Ink’ from the soundtrack of the TV series 'This Is Us.'
Family & Personal Life
Taylor is married to singer-songwriter and actor Mandy Moore. The two began dating in 2015, much before Mandy divorced her former husband, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams. Around the same time, Mandy regularly posted about the upcoming projects of ‘Dawes’ on her 'Instagram' account. In 2015, she posted a picture of their album, with a caption. Taylor replied to the post, and they later began exchanging messages and e-mails, and eventually began dating.
Initially, Mandy kept the relationship away from the media spotlight, as her divorce was not finalized. As their relationship evolved, the two got busy with their respective professional commitments. Taylor accompanied Mandy to the 2017 ‘Emmy Awards.’
Taylor and Mandy got engaged in September 2017, and had an intimate wedding ceremony on November 18, 2018, at Mandy's home in Los Angeles. In 2017, Mandy was featured in the music video for 'Roll with the Punches’ by 'Dawes.' Their most prominent collaboration was for the song 'Invisible Ink.' Co-written by Mandy and Taylor, the track featured Mandy’s character from the 'NBC' series 'This Is Us,' ‘Rebecca.’
Mandy and Taylor love to hike. The adventure-loving couple has even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together. The track 'Never Gonna Say Goodbye' from 'Passwords,' written by Taylor, is dedicated to Mandy. He composed the song and sent it to her to comfort her after she injured herself in the shower. She was at their home and he was out on a tour at that time. They now live in a mid-century house near Los Angeles.
