William Harry Taylor

William Taylor was born on January 5, 1899, in Bolton, Lancashire, England. He was the second of four children; an older brother, George, and two younger sisters, Mary and Doris. His parents were William Taylor and Elisabeth Bamford Whittle. Very little is known about William’s childhood. Although William was his birth name, most knew him as Harold. He grew up in Bolton and his family had a bakery, which he would work in.

In his youth William (Harold) learned to play the mandolin without ever having any formal lessons. He excelled at playing this instrument. His brother George used to say that William (Harold) was so good he could make the mandolin “talk.” He once explained how William (Harold) used to run the streets at night dragging his fingers tips along the rough rock walls to build up the thick calluses needed for playing the mandolin.