BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
HOLLYWOOD — Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heathens, a genre-bending folk rock band out of Middlesboro, Kentucky, have officially passed the audition stage of “America’s Got Talent,” earning a spot in the next round after a moving performance of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”
The band, which played last August at the Appalachian Artist Festival in Inez, was discovered by an AGT talent scout on TikTok and invited to audition in Hollywood. Their audition has since garnered over 8 million views on Facebook.
“Man, if I didn’t say it was frightening, I’d be lying to you,” Taylor said in an interview with the Mountain Citizen. “It was special, beyond anything I had done up to this point. It was just a privilege to be there and to have an opportunity to sing for the whole world. It was just wonderful.”
Taylor chose the Dylan classic from a list of AGT-approved songs.
“I could have done an original, but I picked ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ by Bob Dylan because I love the song and it’s one that is familiar with a lot of people,” he said. “I figured it would connect with people better than one of mine. I feel like we were right on that one.”
But for Taylor, the moment was about more than the national spotlight.
“To be able to represent Kentucky and Appalachia and people that love our music just means the world to me, more than winning it or any kind of money. To be able to shed a light on our people, and to be proud of where I’m from and what I do for a living. That is by far the most important thing to me.”
Taylor’s musical roots run deep.
“I grew up in a Pentecostal church, so you know, a lot of other churches might do hymns and maybe have a piano or guitar, but in my church we always had drums, bass, electric guitars, everything going. So I always loved music. I loved the beats and I loved watching people shout to it.”
He began performing covers with his father in 2017, often for “a little money and because it was fun. Free beer always got my interest back in the day,” he laughed. Taylor has since announced he is living sober and feeling much better.
A Tyler Childers concert in Louisa, Kentucky, at Septemberfest 2022, set him on a new path.
“I just sat in awe of my hero at the time, and I decided I wanted to try and write. I knew I might not ever get that big, but I wanted to be onstage and tell my stories and affect someone’s life like he did mine,” Taylor said.
“So I started up with two of my buddies in October of 2022 and we’ve been grinding ever since. The band’s changed around a lot, but one thing remains the same: I have been writing my heart out from day one.”
Now, Taylor and his band are sharing that heart with a national audience.
“It tears me up to even think about it. Obviously I’ve done something right and they’re proud of me. And that makes me more happy than anything you could give me.”
The Appalachian Heathens’ next national appearance will air in an upcoming episode of “America’s Got Talent” on NBC.
