David Taylor II

MUSIC & PRODUCTION

David Taylor II has built a distinguished career as a songwriter, musician, and producer with national commercial credits spanning McDonald’s and Disney, as well as original music for film and television. He has collaborated with music legends including Dave Koz, co-written for Justin Bieber and Usher, worked with the James Taylor Singers on his original Christmas song Magic Holiday, and produced a cover of Donny Hathaway’s This Christmas that returned Cuba Gooding Sr. to the charts after a 40-year absence.

In 2012, his self-produced originals I Wish That Was Me and Wonderful Day both broke the Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary charts. His gospel ensemble, Shades of the Cross — born from an inspiration received in 1998 — blends multiple genres into a unique multicultural gospel sound and continues to release music today.

He founded the Parkland Gospel Ensemble in 1991 and served as assistant conductor for the University of Illinois Black Chorus. In 2004, he authored the original worship curriculum A.C.E. Choir Builders and released a sample loop set, Gospel Keys, through P5 Audio. He was one of three songwriters for Eye of the Storm: The Bayard Rustin Musical.

He is currently working on a poetry collection, releasing readings of the poems on YouTube, and writing a stage musical based on his children’s book Dear God: Why Doesn’t Broccoli Taste Like Chocolate?

LITERARY WORLD

David Taylor II is the creator of The Realm — an expansive story universe anchored by his internationally bestselling novel Lucifer: Soldiers, Serpents and Sin Book 1. The world examines how the war in Heaven began, how Lucifer became Satan, and how mankind became involved. It extends across comic books (The Nephilim Wars), coloring books, audiobooks, and novellas (Too Many Wings).

He is the founder of Nucleus Comics, an independent comic imprint dedicated to all-new original comic book characters. He is also the author of several children’s books, including Diary of a Smart Black Kid: Sixth Grade, Dear God: Why Doesn’t Broccoli Taste Like Chocolate?, Grumpy, Lumpy, Frumpy, and Stumpy, and an alphabet learning series for beginning readers titled My Alphabet Is..., which uses unconventional subjects to teach the ABCs.

Award-Winning Theater

Three Black Theatre Alliance awards for Eye of the Storm: The Bayard Rustin Musical, on which he was one of three songwriters

AC Chart Success

Two original songs in the Top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts in 2012

Amazon Bestseller

Wayward Pines: Survival peaked at #2 on Amazon’s Science Fiction & Fantasy bestseller list (2015)

International Bestseller

Lucifer: Soldiers, Serpents and Sin Book 1

Legendary Collaborations

Co-written for Justin Bieber and Usher

National Commercial Work

Music produced for McDonald’s and Disney’s Brother Bear promotion