Chip Taylor, 'wild Thing' Songwriter, Dead At 86

Chip Taylor, nan songwriter down nan Troggs’ stone deed “Wild Thing” and character Angelina Jolie’s uncle, has died. He was 86.

Taylor died Monday successful hospice care, according to Page Six, citing Taylor’s longtime friend, shaper Billy Vera.

Taylor, calved James Wesley Voight successful Yonkers, N.Y., successful 1940, was character Jon Voight’s brother, but built a formidable euphony profession extracurricular of his celebrated sibling’s shadow.

As a teen guitarist, he joined nan set Town & Country Brothers, which toured pinch Neil Sedaka. His songwriting submissions to RCA Records impressed nan creator Chet Atkins, who championed his tunes successful nan state euphony scene. Taylor besides wrote retired of nan aforesaid 1650 Broadway building successful New York wherever Gerry Goffin and Carole King were based.

In 1966, Taylor penned “Wild Thing” for nan garage-rock set nan Troggs, which rocketed to No. 1 and kicked disconnected a caller mode for stone ’n’ rotation that favored grungier musicianship and much overt sexuality. “That upstrum, there? You wouldn’t play that if you were decently schooled,” he told nan Independent successful 2023. “I did it because I didn’t cognize immoderate better. I ended up pinch this guiltless energy. It came retired of maine looser that way, nan emotion conscionable flew retired of me.”

Jimi Hendrix famously performed nan opus astatine Monterey Pop successful 1967 successful a fever of intersexual hostility (it featured successful nan 1968 performance documentary), making it an era-defining stone deed and Taylor’s astir celebrated tune. He besides wrote “Angel of nan Morning,” popularized by Juice Newton and Merrilee Rush, and penned songs performed by Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin, among galore others.

Taylor’s profession pivoted successful nan ’80s, erstwhile he became a master gambler and a rogue connected nan Atlantic City casino strip. Yet he had a later profession resurgence successful nan 2000s, aft he met fiddle subordinate Carrie Rodriguez astatine nan South by Southwest Music Conference successful Austin, Texas. The brace released respective acclaimed alt-country albums together. Taylor’s 2012 azygous “F— All nan Perfect People” prominently featured connected nan soundtrack for nan deed Netflix bid “Sex Education.”

Taylor said nan opus was inspired by performing concerts for prisoners, immoderate of his favourite gigs. “I’ve ever liked talking to prisoners because, for nan astir part, they’re highly honest,” he said. “I ne'er met a captive I didn’t person empathy for. I wrote that astatine 6 a.m. 1 greeting erstwhile I realized I had immoderate shows for prisoners coming up and I wanted to constitute thing that was conscionable for them.”

Taylor’s last medium was 2025’s “The Truth and Other Things.” He is survived by respective children and grandchildren. His wife, Joan Carole Frey, died successful 2025.