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Formed in Liverpool, England in 1958, Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes was an influential rock and roll group once considered one of the Beatles’ main local rivals in their early days. The group’s origins began a year earlier when several local Liverpool musicians came together to form skiffle group the Sinners. In 1958, the group brought in vocalist and guitarist Edward ‘Ted’ Taylor, who was nicknamed ‘Kingsize’ due to his height. By 1960, the group’s line-up had changed, and they were rechristened Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. They played the now-infamous Cavern Club for the first time in January 1961, one month before the Beatles made their debut there. At the time, the Dominoes also included a young singer by the name of Cilla White, who would later pursue a solo career under the stage name Cilla Black. Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes were hired in 1962 to play the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, yet another venue that became legendary in Beatles history. When the Beatles came to perform a residency at the Star Club in December 1962, Kingsize Taylor recorded one of their shows, which would eventually be released in 1977. Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes released a series of singles and several live albums including Liverpool Beat- Star Club (1963), Twist-Time im Star Club Hamburg (1964), and Star-Club Time Mit King Size Taylor and the Dominos, Vols 1 & 2 (1965). The group returned to Liverpool in 1964 and played local shows as well as supporting Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins on tour. However, the group ran out of steam and broke up before the British Invasion took hold of record charts all over the world. Kingsize Taylor returned to Hamburg and formed a new version of the group and recorded the single “Somebody’s Always Tryin’,” which featured Jimmy Page on guitar. Kingsize Taylor left the music business and returned to England, where he became a butcher. Ted ‘Kingsize’ Taylor died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 83.
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