Bill Taylor and The Appalachian Heatherns' Bob Dylan Cover Called "Musical Levi's"
Knockin' on AGT's door!
Nothing more American than a Bob Dylan classic, and that's exactly what bluegrass band Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns (pronounced line heathens with a Southern twang) brought to the America's Got Talent stage in Episode 5 of Season 20, playing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" in a performance that was all heart, no fuss.
"I live in a little town called Middlesboro, Kentucky," Bill Taylor explained, adding that he drives a truck hauling mobile homes to take care of his wife and two kids, but that music has always been a passion, so three-and-a-half years ago, he started a band. What began as himself and his father, Billy Taylor, playing covers in bars and restaurants soon became a large and popular ensemble, and they knew that if they didn't take their chance, they'd always regret it.
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"The big dream is to…it would be nice to see names in lights but as long as I can make a living for my family doing what I love, that’d be OK," he humbly told the crowd. With both Taylor men on guitars and backed by a bassist, a fiddle player and a percussionist, the Appalachian Heatherns launched into their song, but what was truly on display was Taylor's full-throated vibrato.
The Judges couldn't get enough of Bill Taylor's voice
"Braaaavooooo" yelled Sofía Vergara the moment the song ended. "Wow, what a great voice," remarked Simon Cowell, to which Judge Howie Mandel added, "A great voice and a great American sound." Funnily enough, though the show is America's Got Talent, none of the four Judges were born in The U.S.: Cowell and Mel B. are both British, while Vergara is from Colombia and Mandel hails from Canada! Host Terry Crews, though, is from Michigan. Nothing more American than the melting pot, though.
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Cowell called the group's sound "musical Levi's," referring to the iconically all-American blue jeans brand, "So American and so authentic. I loved it. Genuinely loved that. Your voice is so fantastic." Mel B. jumped in to spread the love around, telling the band, "that was really unexpected. You're all really good at what you do. I can see you're a really tight well-rehearsed band. I'm just really excited for you guys."
Vergara agreed, adding, "I'm excited too, because I think you guys made the best decision to come to AGT. The whole thing was perfect. This is the kind of stuff that deserves to be on this stage." Four yeses later, the band humbly celebrated backstage, where Crews told them, "America needs that authentic voice."
