Frances Taylor

Born in Chicago, Frances Taylor (b. 1929) began her dance career on the New York stage at the age of 16. She went on to perform in the Paris Opera Ballet, the original production of West Side Story, and opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in Mr. Wonderful, Porgy and Bess and Shinbone Alley. Introduced by drummer Max Roach, Taylor married Miles Davis in 1958. The marriage lasted for nine years, before Davis' violent demeanour became too much for Taylor to bear.