Bobby Taylor was born in 1934 in Washington D.C. He moved to New York City as a young man and began singing in doo-wop groups, becoming a member of The Four Pharaohs prior to being a part of the Vancouvers. The Vancouvers formed in 1966 in Vancouver, British Columbia, after Taylor had met guitarist Tommy Chong (who would later become one-half of the comedy duo Cheech & Chong) in San Francisco a few years prior. The band consisted of Taylor on lead vocals, Chong on guitar, Wes Henderson on guitar, Robbie King on piano, Ted Lewis (aka Duris Maxwell,) on drums, and Eddie Patterson on bass. The band was a Black, white, and Asian American ensemble, as well as an international ensemble with three members (Chong, King, and Lewis) being from Canada. The Vancouvers gained popularity after being discovered by Supremes members Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson at the Elegant Parlour in Vancouver in 1965, who then alerted Motown CEO Berry Gordy Jr.

At the time, the Vancouvers were playing mostly Motown covers and were quickly brought to Detroit, Michigan, to sign with Gordy Records. The band released their first album, Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers, under Gordy Records in 1968. They saw success with a few songs from the album, namely “Does Your Mama Know About Me,” which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Top 100, and “I am Your Man” and “Malinda” reaching #5 and #16 on the U.S. R&B chart. During the height of this success, Chong and Henderson were fired by Motown producer Johnny Bristol due to a missed performance. Bobby Taylor, however, is largely credited for getting The Jackson 5 their first record deal after the family band had opened for the Vancouvers at the Regal Theatre in Chicago in 1968. Taylor arranged an audition for them with a Motown executive by the name of Suzanne de Passe.

Both de Passe and Berry Gordy were impressed with the group, and The Jackson 5 was signed to Gordy Records within a year. After Chong and Henderson were fired, the band broke up. Taylor would go on to assist in the production of The Jackson 5’s early singles like “I Want You Back” and “ABC” as a part of Gordy’s team but did not receive credit. He released a solo album, Taylor Made Soul in 1969, under the Motown V.I.P label, before leaving the label in 1971 due to a financial dispute. Robbie King passed away in 2003 in Vancouver, and Taylor in 2017 after a battle with cancer.