Before boarding the Titanic, Taylor had performed at various prominent venues, possibly including the Ritz Hotel, and was well-regarded within the music community. The only clear link to his early musical background was that he had once been a choirboy. He was the eldest of the eight musicians, the only one who was married, and the least known. Through the Liverpool-based music agency C.W. & F.N. Black, he joined the ship as a second-class passenger, travelling with his fellow musicians under group ticket number 250654. During the voyage, Taylor performed alongside his colleagues, providing entertainment for passengers in different areas of the ship. As part of the ship's musical ensemble, his role was to help create a serene atmosphere during the journey. After his death, no obituaries or personal entries appeared in newspapers for him, possibly because he was from London rather than a small, close-knit community like some of his colleagues, or because he became a musician later in life and lacked a significant reputation.