Chip Taylor obit

Chip Taylor, Songwriter of ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel of the Morning,’ Dies

 

He was not on the list.

Chip Taylor, the songwriter best known for a pair of ’60s hit singles—”Wild Thing,” popularized by the Troggs, and “Angel of the Morning,” from singer Merrilee Rush—died Monday night (March 23, 2026), two days after he turned 86. The news was shared on March 24, by a variety of friends on Facebook, notably fellow songwriter and musician Billy Vera, who wrote, “With great sadness I must announce the passing of my old friend and songwriting mentor, Chip Taylor last night in hospice.”

No cause or place of death was cited.

Taylor was born James Voight on March 21, 1940, in Yonkers, N.Y. One of his brothers is the actor Jon Voight. (He was also an uncle of actress Angelina Jolie.) Following his education at an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in New York and attempts to become a pro golfer, an actor and “professional” gambler, Taylor gave the music business a shot. His success ultimately led him to induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.

Vera’s post noted that he and Taylor co-wrote “some good ones”: “Make Me Belong To You” (Barbara Lewis, Fats Domino); “Storybook Children” (Vera and Judy Clay, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, Don Williams): “Papa Come Quick (Bonnie Raitt); and theme to the sitcom Roomies; among them.

But it was the Troggs’ 1966 version of the garage-rock classic, “Wild Thing,” that put the then-25-year-old Taylor on the songwriting map. As Best Classic Bands’ editor Jeff Tamarkin noted in his 2018 feature on the song: you know the record from its very first bent, distorted, shocking note. Not since the blast of feedback that ushered in the Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” had such an alien sound called out in such an alarming manner. It got your attention, this 1966 hit, that’s for sure!

Then came the chords, your basic A-D-E progression strummed in a simple but determined manner—garage-rock at its most basic and direct. It wouldn’t have even mattered what they sang: seven seconds in, you were already hooked.

But then came the voice and your jaw hit the floor! Immediately, you knew it was a classic, a slab of primal rock that would forever be considered a cornerstone of our music. “Wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy, wild thing.” He sounded tough, if a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but he meant it—whoever this groovy girl was, you could not for a minute doubt that she made his heart sing.

The single was released on April 22, 1966. It took a while, but once “Wild Thing” charted, it soared, reaching #1 in the U.S. in just five weeks, on July 30, staying there for two weeks (in the U.K. it reached #2).

The song has been recorded and performed many times. The first version was released in November 1965 by a New York band, the Wild Ones. Notably, the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed it at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. That same year, a novelty version was released by an act called Senator Bobby, mimicking the voice of New York Senator Bobby Kennedy. The recording actually reached #20 on the Hot 100.

Taylor’s 1967 composition “Angel of the Morning” became a significant hit for Merrilee Rush, then just 24. The song reached #7 on the Hot 100 (reaching higher on other industry charts). A 1981 cover by country-rock singer Juice Newton hit #4 on the pop chart and #1 on the adult/contemporary format.

His many other credits include co-writing, with Al Gorgoni, “I Can’t Let Go,” a #1 U.K. hit for the Hollies in 1966, later a modest hit for Linda Ronstadt. Janis Joplin recorded Taylor’s “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” in 1969. He recorded dozens of albums under his own name, many for his own Train Wreck Records.