VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL – Having been raised in Owensboro, Kentucky – home of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame – Chris Taylor always dreamed of making his mark on country music. After moving to Evansville, Indiana during his high-school years, his family knew that he would someday be a star and supported his aspirations along the way.
Now living in Liverpool with his wife, Jill, and two daughters, Taylor and his band have more than 5,000 Facebook followers.
Along with his group, the Custom Taylor Band, Taylor performs nearly 100 gigs a year.
This summer, the band has been showcasing at recent festivals staged at Sharkey’s Event Center on Route 57.
In October 2010, Taylor won a Syracuse Area Music Award for Best Country CD, “Down at the Honky Tonk.”  Before long, he followed up with another disc recorded in Nashville, “Good People.”
Central New York’s premier Top 40 country music combo, the Custom Taylor Band will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, at Johnson Park.
The band’s appearance here is part of the 38th annual Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Series.
Besides Taylor up front, the band features bassist Jake Capozzolo, drummer Jon Capozzolo, lead guitarist Marcus Larrabee, acoustic guitarist Brett Nelson and keyboardist Travis Reed.
Some of the tunes the audience may hear on Aug. 7 include “Young & Crazy,” “Ain’t My Fault” and “Swinging for the Fence.”
Over the last decade and a half, the band has opened for Nashville acts such as Big & Rich, Mark Chesnut, Diamond Rio and Joe Diffie, just to name a few.
When “Down at the Honky Tonk” was released in 2009, Post-Standard critic Mark Bialczak, wrote, “Taylor’s voice remains solidly in the spotlight — smooth and comforting as honey on the ballads, rugged on the rough-and-tough songs, radio-ready all the way. Taylor displays the chops to dig deep in a traditional style and the catchy melodies to fit in with contemporary country.”