Vernon Taylor died on July 12 at 88 after battling dementia for some time. The loss closes the book on a singer remembered as one of the last Sun artists, and it arrives with tributes that point back to the working relationships that defined his career.
88 is the age attached to his death, and July 12 is the date that now anchors the record. Kevin Booth posted a picture of Taylor on Facebook and wrote, “Rest in peace Vernon Taylor. He passed away a few days ago. One of the last Sun artists. I had the honor of doing a show with him and Ronnie Dove many years ago. He was a very nice man and a great performer. My prayers for his family and loved ones.”
Kevin Booth’s tribute
Kevin Booth’s note matters because it places Taylor in the circuit of live performance, not just in a memory lane biography. Booth said he had the honor of doing a show with Taylor and Ronnie Dove many years ago, a detail that shows how these names still travel through the same professional network even after the spotlight has moved on.
The family loss also lands with unusual speed. Vernon Taylor died a day after his brother, Luther Taylor, who also died after a long battle with dementia. The family said Vernon Taylor and Luther Taylor shared a close bond throughout their lives, turning two deaths into one compressed stretch of grief for Luther Taylor and Brenda.
The Fabulous Hubcaps recall 2005
July 17, 2005 remains a clear marker in Taylor’s legacy because The Fabulous Hubcaps said he inducted them into The Southern Legends Entertainment and Performing Arts Hall of Fame on that date. They said a long and lasting friendship followed between Vernon Taylor, Brenda, and The Fabulous Hubcaps, which helps explain why their tribute reads like a personal thank-you rather than a formal statement.
“Thank you, Vernon….for this great honor….for joining us on stage, and for always being there for us! Brenda…we love you; you’re in our thoughts and prayers! Vernon….we’re sure they welcomed you into Rock and Roll Heaven with open arms and big wide hugs! Rock on friend…..Rock on.” That message, paired with Booth’s post, gives the news its emotional and professional frame at once.
From The Nighthawks to TV
As a teenager, Taylor started his own band, The Nighthawks, and the group later gained moderate success, including performances on Saturday night TV shows. He also released songs like “I’ve Got The Blues,” then later left the industry to focus on his family, a pivot that explains why this death is being marked through memory and tribute rather than a current tour or release cycle.
The one complication in the reporting is the age: the story says he died at 88, while one headline attached to the coverage says 89. In practice, the body copy and the dated facts carry the stronger weight, and readers should treat 88 and July 12 as the operative record until a corrected age appears in the family’s own account or another direct statement.
What remains most relevant now is the human scale of the loss, not another round of legend-building. Taylor’s death, the day after Luther Taylor’s, leaves Brenda, the family, and the musicians who knew him with the part that matters most: remembering the man who kept showing up, long after the industry moved on.
