Bill Taylor got a message on TikTok in November from a talent scout for America’s Got Talent. Yes, he was interested, but he thought little of the outreach until two weeks later when the process began to have him and his Appalachian Heatherns fly to California for an audition in front of Simon Cowell, Sophia Vergara, Mel B and Howie Mandel.
The band recorded their audition in March. In June, it aired and the nation finally got to see and hear Taylor’s bluegrass and countrified version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” which instantly vaulted Taylor and the Heatherns to global exposure. The performance warranted not just four “yes”es from the judging panel, but standing ovations from everyone in the packed theatre.
The Facebook video of the audition alone stands at over 11 million views.
Taylor and Appalachian Heatherns drummer Joe Cox joined us on Roots Music Rambler this week to take a breath from a month of exploding in the wake of national TV exposure. In this segment, the pair talks about the band’s meteoric rise to national prominence, what’s next in AGT-land and a lot more.
Download the episode and subscribe here on YouTube, at rootsmusicrambler.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.
