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Gustafer Yellowgold is a fictional character created by Grammy-nominated Americansongwriter andillustrator,Morgan Taylor. Gustafer is the main character in a series of audio books,[1] hand-drawnmusic videos brought to life in both liveconcerts and itsDVD/CD series.[2][3][4][5]
In 2018,Audible released "I'm From The Sun - The Gustafer Yellowgold Story",[6] a musical audiobook written and narrated by Morgan Taylor with music produced byPat Sansone ofWilco andThe Autumn Defense. "I'm From The Sun" chronicles Gustafer's early years as a sweet young sunling dealing with the stress of the holidays, bullies, and his family’s raisin business. "I'm From The Sun - The Gustafer Yellowgold Story" was an Audible.com Best Selling Children's Audiobook.[7] Two follow-ups were released - "Minnesota Chronicles" in 2019, and "A Cooler World" in 2021, respectively.[8]
The illustrated music video collection chronicles the exploits of Gustafer, a friendly yellowalien who has come toEarth from theSun to live out anexplorer's life in an anthropomorphized version of theMinnesota woods. The live concerts featured Morgan Taylor performing thesongs next to a large video screen containing his moving illustrations.
The property is categorized as children'sentertainment, but likeJim Henson'sMuppets andDr. Seuss's work it has adult cross-over appeal, as Taylor's live show opened for popularalternative music acts such asWilco andThe Polyphonic Spree.[9] The Gustafer Yellowgold Show performed over 1,500 live concerts to an ever-growing following across theUnited States.
Taylor died of sepsis at age 52. His death was announced on August 12, 2022.[10] A tribute episode of13 Under 13 aired onSiriusXM'sKids Place Live on August 19, 2022.[11] In 2023, concerts titledA Celebration of Gustafer Yellowgold were held inNew York andSeattle, and included guest performersNorah Jones, Matt Wilson (Trip Shakespeare), David Poe,The Pop Ups, Joe Mailander (The Okee Dokee Brothers),Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants),Jesse Harris,Justin Roberts,Frances England,Chris Ballew,Recess Monkey, and Taylor's wife Rachel Loshak.[12]
The project began in late 2003 as a series of small, illustrated picture books. The illustrations for the books were soon animated and released as a DVD entitledGustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World in March 2005 by Apple-Eye Productions, a company started by Taylor and his wife Rachel Loshak. Taylor began performing the concerts that same summer in small venues inNew York City'sLower East Side. By 2008, Taylor was listed as "Best Kids' Performer" byNew York Magazine.[13] In March 2008 "Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Sensation" began its 22-weekOff-Broadway run at Daryl Roth's DR2 theater in Manhattan.[14][15][16]
Prior to his work on the Gustafer Yellowgold project, Morgan Taylor was a multi-instrumentalist for Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone's band,The Autumn Defense on their 2004Circles tour, co-wrote music forLisa Loeb's 2012 albumNo Fairy Tales and has had a successful career as a sound and recording engineer working withJoseph Arthur,Jon Brion,Norah Jones,Regina Spektor,Rufus Wainwright,Duncan Sheik,Rich Robinson and others.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Morgan Taylor moved to New York City in 1999, honing his songwriting skills while concurrently becoming a successful sound engineer. A self-taught cartoonist raised onMAD Magazine andMarvel Comics, Taylor began drawing what would become the Gustafer Yellowgold videos as a picture book project in winter 2004, during breaks of touring as the multi-instrumentalist for The Autumn Defense. Taylor played the first live Gustafer Yellowgold concert with music and moving images in the summer of 2005 while on tour inSeoul, Korea. His DVD/CD sets,Gustafer Yellowgold's Have You Never Been Yellow? andGustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World are NAPPA Gold Award winners and were honored by the Kids First! Film and Video Festival. “Mint Green Bee” fromGustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World was a Grand Prize Winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. The seventh full-length CD/DVD releaseGustafer Yellowgold's Dark Pie Concerns was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Children's Album in 2015.[17]
A posthumous compilation album titledBest of Gustafer Yellowgold was released as adouble album of yellowvinyl on September 8, 2023. The release included one LP of songs voted for by fans, and a second LP containing covers of Gustafer Yellowgold songs by artists includingFrances England,Justin Roberts,Parker Jacobs,Chris Ballew,The Okee Dokee Brothers,Recess Monkey,Gail Ann Dorsey, and Morgan Taylor's son Ridley Loshak-Taylor.[18]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World | |
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Have You Never Been Yellow? | |
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever | |
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock |
|
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Year in the Day |
|
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Wisdom Tooth of Wisdom |
|
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Dark Pie Concerns |
|
| Gustafer Yellowgold's Brighter Side |
|
| I'm From the Sun (Music from the Audible Original) |
|
| Minnesota Chronicles |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| I'm From the Sun - The Gustafer Yellowgold Story |
|
| Minnesota Chronicles - The Gustafer Yellowgold Story: Volume 2 |
|
| A Cooler World - The Gustafer Yellowgold Story Pt. 3 |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Best of Gustafer Yellowgold |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Slim Gets In 'Em" | 2011 | Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock |
| "Pancake Smackdown" | 2012 | Gustafer Yellowgold's Year in the Day |
| "Four Leaved Clover" | ||
| "Rock Melon" | 2013 | Gustafer Yellowgold's Dark Pie Concerns |
| "Cakenstein" | 2014 | |
| "I Can't Feel My Face" | Gustafer Yellowgold's Wisdom Tooth of Wisdom | |
| "Gravy Insane" | 2015 | Gustafer Yellowgold's Dark Pie Concerns |
| "Hey, Eyeball!" | 2016 | Non-album single |
| "Hot Nights (feat. Pat Sansone)" | 2017 | Gustafer Yellowgold's Brighter Side |
| "I Got This (Probably)" | 2019 | I'm From the Sun (Music from the Audible Original) |
| "My Best Friend is Electric" | 2021 | Non-album single |
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Penguin Day" | 2010 | N/a | Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti |
| "Space Oddity" | 2016 | The Pop Ups | Let All the Children Boogie: A Tribute to David Bowie |
