Creed Taylor: The Man Who Put Jazz on the Pop Charts

The life and career of a producer who sought to bring jazz to the masses

Creed Taylor was one of the most successful jazz producers of all time-and one of the most controversial. His career spanned five decades, in which he produced albums with legends such as John Coltrane, Ray Charles, George Benson, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Stan Getz, and Nina Simone. In 1960, he famously founded Impulse! Records and signed John Coltrane, and in later years he produced at Verve Records-where he introdu...