Crafters Of Tennessee

Mark Taylor Biography

Mark Taylor, the son of internationally known vintage instrument collector, craftsman, and world-renowned artist, Tut Taylor, grew up in middle Georgia.

His early introduction to music was in the 60’s when his dad would take him to bluegrass shows at schoolhouses to see groups such as Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. He grew up in the company of some of the world’s finest musicians.

Just as the masters had introduced Mark to bluegrass music, he was able to spend time with great craftsmen as well. His father was an early force in seeking out vintage instruments. I started doing work on musical instruments while dad was still in Georgia. Randy Wood and Bob Givens came up from time to time to work with dad. That’s when I was first introduced to the art of building instruments. I watched a lot, and they would at times let me do some sanding and other smaller jobs. I got heavy into the instrument building in the early 70s, explained Mark.

Mark and his dad started their first company together in the 1970s building the ‘Tennessee’ brand of mandolins, resophonic guitars, banjos and acoustic guitars. This was called "Tut Taylor Music" and continued for several years. In 1977, Tut decided to move to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to start a small retail shop. Mark continued to build instruments under the “Crafters of Tennessee” name.

During the next few years, Mark began building custom and special order instruments for many individual artists. The following artists are among those with Crafters instruments: Garth Brooks, Emily Robeson of the Dixie Chicks, Jim Mills, John Fogerty, Norman Blake, Larry Perkins, Terry Clark, Billy Walker, Rhonda Vincent, Porter Wagoner, Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio, James Burton (of the Elvis Presley band), Bill Anderson, Dolly Parton, Little Jimmy Dickens, just to name a few.

Along the way, Mark's "Tennessee" instruments have made their way into places such as the Tennessee State Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia State Museum, the Smithsonian, and even in the hands of a former United States President.

In the early 80s, Mark decided that he would continue to build custom instruments and focus on mandolins, banjos, resophonic guitars, and custom instruments, but he would forego the large factory route. “I continued building musical instruments dedicated to the artist. I had developed a pretty good market, and to date, I’ve built well over a thousand instruments.”

In 1986, he opened a small shop with one employee, specializing in repair work and special custom pieces. This continued until the spring of 1993, when he helped form the Rich & Taylor musical instrument company. Although Rich & Taylor banjos were widely and highly acclaimed, Mark feels he is now at the height of his creative powers - inspired by the genuine admiration and enthusiasm of his "Crafters" team, and spurred on by the appreciation of many satisfied customers.

Mark Taylors musical instruments have become world-renowned. He always has several custom projects in the works at any given time and the list of musicians and professional artists has grown beyond imagination.

While one-of-a-kind custom and art instruments will always be a special part of Mark Taylors life, he is still very aware of the individual musicians needs.

“Experience, knowledge, and pride are some of the keys to our success. We have a lot of experience within our walls, explains Taylor.

Mark has earned the reputation of being a master luthier, and his eye for detail and perfection in instrument construction as well as his ear for sound quality is second to none.

“We have a good group of people who are responsive to the wants and needs of our customers. I’m mighty proud to be a part of what’s happening. It takes a team, and we have it all together, noted Mark Taylor about his employees at the "Crafters" factory located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Artists who play Crafters Of Tennessee: Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Little Jimmy Dickens, Norman Blake, James Burton, John Fogerty,