Most people know the Voight family through two names: Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight and his equally famous daughter, Angelina Jolie. But there was another Voight who quietly shaped American culture in ways few celebrity followers ever realized — and he did it under a completely different name.
Chip Taylor, born James Wesley Voight, the songwriter behind the iconic rock anthem “Wild Thing,” died Monday, March 23, in hospice care. He was 86. His daughters, Kelly and Kristian, confirmed his death.
“His last days were peaceful. Chip loved the amazing blessing it was to connect with people through music and truly appreciated this community. He considered you all friends. We will miss him greatly,” his daughters wrote on Facebook.
Chip Taylor’s Family Was Unlike Any Other
The Voight family may be one of the most remarkably talented dynasties in American public life — and not just because of Hollywood.
Born on March 21, 1940, to Elmer and Barbara Voight, Chip was one of three brothers. His brother Jon became an Oscar-winning actor and the father of Jolie, herself an Oscar winner.
His other brother, Barry Voight, took an entirely different path, becoming a geologist who invented a formula to predict volcanic eruptions.
Even their father, Elmer Voight, had his own claim to fame — he was a golfer who played in the U.S. Open in 1928 and 1929 and later served as a country club pro.
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame Getty Images
An actor, a rock songwriter, a volcanologist, and a professional golfer — all from one household in Yonkers.
“The three of us were very close in age, and we did all this stuff growing up,” Taylor told NPR in 2010. “Our mom and dad were very supportive of us being crazy, so we have wonderful days together.”
Chip Taylor’s Legendary Music Career
While his brother Jon built a career in the spotlight under the Voight name, Chip chose to step away from it entirely.
Adopting the stage name Chip Taylor, he forged his own identity in the music world — a world far removed from Hollywood red carpets.
His passion for music began early. He was writing songs at the Brill Building while still a high school student. In 1957, he and his band, Wes Voight & the Town and Country Brothers, were signed by King Records.
By 1962, he had moved to Warner Bros. Records and charted on the Hot 100 with “Here I Am.”
But his greatest mark came as a songwriter for others. “Wild Thing,” written in 1965, was taken to No. 1 by The Troggs in July 1966.
“Angel of the Morning,” first recorded by Evie Sands in 1967, went on to become a massive hit in multiple versions — Merrilee Rush’s recording reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 in 1968, and Juice Newton’s 1981 version sold over a million copies and peaked at No. 4.
He also co-wrote “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” with Jerry Ragavoy, which Janis Joplin recorded in 1969 as the opening track of her debut album, and “He Sits at Your Table,” recorded by Willie Nelson.
Chip Taylor Left Music — But Returned Years Later
Taylor recorded approximately two dozen albums over a six-decade career.
After releasing seven solo albums in the 1970s, he stepped away from music entirely in 1981, transitioning into full-time professional gambling — a pursuit he maintained until 1995.
He returned to music that year and eventually launched his own independent label, Train Wreck Records, in 2007.
He released a children’s album, Golden Kids Rules, in 2011, featuring his granddaughters. In 2016, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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“I was an organic kind of producer. I was always fighting for emotion. That’s what I was best at,” he said in a 2006 interview.
Taylor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2023, which he documented on his album Behind the Sky, released in February 2024.
He is survived by his wife Joan — whom he married, divorced, and remarried — his two daughters, two brothers, and five grandchildren.
