Otis Taylor (born July 30, 1948, Chicago, Illinois) is an African American blues musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose talents include the guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and vocals. In 2001, he was Awarded a fellowship to the Sundance Film Composers Laboratory.

Career
Taylor moved at a young age to Denver, Colorado where he grew up. He originally grew up playing the banjo, but his father wanted him to be a jazz musician. Upon hearing that the banjo was originally an African instrument, turned almost exclusively into a white bluegrass instrument in part through the derogatory black-face minstrel shows of the 19th century, Taylor dropped the banjo and began to focus solely on the guitar and harmonica. He played music professionally both in Europe and the United States in a variety of blues-oriented bands until 1977, when he left the music industry for other pursuits, including becoming an antique dealer. Taylor returned to music in 1995, and as of 2008, has released nine blues albums on several record labels. His music tends to focus on the hard realities of life, especially relating to the black community. Some common themes in his music are murder, racism, poverty, and the need for redemption. To date, Taylor has eleven Blues Music Awards nominations while White African was named 'Best Artist Debut'. His most recent effort, Recapturing the Banjo, is an attempt to reconnect himself and the world with the true African origins of the banjo.

The song "Nasty Letter" from Taylor's 2003 album, Truth Is Not Fiction, was featured on the soundtrack for the 2007 film Shooter. His song "10 Million Slaves" was featured in the trailer for Michael Mann's 2009 film Public Enemies.

Taylor was the support act on Gary Moore's Autumn 2007 tour of the United Kingdom and also supported Moore on his Germany tour in March 2008.

Family
Taylor's daughter, Cassie, is featured on many of his releases. She also plays several instruments including bass and vocals.