The English leather-clad singer lived in Switzerland for eight years, the best of his life. He was born Brian Maurice Holden just weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1946, his family decided to move to the USA. They settled in New Jersey, where his father found work in the mines. In college, Brian sang at private parties, imitating his idols Elvis Presley and Bill Haley. In 1955, his sister married the cofounder of the firm Hanna/Barbera and the entire family moved to California.
Passionate about rock music, Brian performed more and more often in Californian clubs. During a trip to New York, he discovered the rock fever incited by Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. He and a few other avid rockers decided to form a band called The Playboys. Brian Holden thus became Vince Taylor. His first hits came in 1960 with I'll be Your Hero and Jet Black Machine, which rose to the top of the American charts. International success came immediately during their 1961 European tour, while his leather outfits captivated many a fan. In 1962, Vince Taylor and the Playboys were at the height of their glory. But then Vince began spouting mysticism, accentuated by an explosive mix of alcohol and drugs. He fell into a downward spiral.
In 1983, Vince Taylor moved to Switzerland in an attempt to break with his past. He married that same year in Epalinges, near Lausanne, with Nathalie Minster from the canton of Vaud. They first lived in Epalinges, and then moved to Lutry, a charming village on the shores of Lake Geneva. That is when Vince Taylor said to a friend: The time in my life when I've been really happy, is when I've been in Switzerland.