This year is already shaping up to be a great one here at Taylor, where we’re celebrating our 50th year of building guitars and helping people make music. We kicked things off with the first waves of models from our limited-edition 50th Anniversary collection, a family of guitars featuring exclusive appointments that will expand throughout the year. We’ve also launched a deep dive into Taylor’s five decades of innovation with a timeline that runs through all of Taylor’s major developments and milestones.
Now, we’re excited to announce American Dreamers, a podcast miniseries featuring co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.
In Their Own Words: An Oral History Podcast with Bob and Kurt
Back in 2023, we began recording a series of in-depth conversations with Bob and Kurt, pulling some of the company’s colorful and varied history straight from the source. The interviews, hosted by Director of Sales Dave Pelletier, start from the very beginning, diving into the pair’s early years to explore the seeds of their interest in music and how they first became involved in the art of guitar-making.
From there, we progress through Bob and Kurt’s career history, starting with their humble origins at the tiny American Dream guitar shop in Lemon Grove, California. You’ll hear retellings of pivotal moments across Taylor’s 50 years, from their meeting at the shop to their decision to create their own guitar company and beyond. Full of personal stories, insider perspectives on business and craftsmanship, and lessons learned throughout their journey, American Dreamers is bound to fascinate fans of Taylor and anyone curious about how the company became one of the world’s leading guitar manufacturers.
New episodes will be released periodically throughout the year, and you can listen on your favorite podcast service or watch videos of the conversations at taylorguitars.com/50th-anniv-podcast.
Episode 1: The Road to the American Dream
In the inaugural episode of our oral history podcast, co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug talk with Dave Pelletier about growing up in San Diego and reminisce about their early interest in music and building things, with Bob recalling the obsession for making guitars he developed during his teenage years. From there, the crew dives into the story of how Bob and Kurt first met at the hippie-vibed American Dream guitar shop at the ages of 19 and 21, sharing how they built the foundations of a partnership that would last more than half a century.
Make sure to follow or subscribe to American Dreamers wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date on the latest episodes.
