Three Mountain State venues again are included on the 2009 tour. Taylor is scheduled to perform Friday, Dec. 11, at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston and Saturday, Dec. 12, at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in Morgantown. Shows are set for Tuesday, Dec. 22, and Wednesday, Dec. 23, at the Capitol Theatre in Taylor’s hometown of Wheeling.

Performances also are booked at other venues, including Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh and the Hanna Theater in Cleveland.

Taylor is a year-round performing artist who has recorded top 100 hits for the MCA and Epic/CBS labels, and he has secured a niche with his unique holiday music. He has six albums to his credit, including two with Christmas themes and a third in the planning stages.

Taylor is known for creative arrangements of Christmas classics, such as “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” “Away in a Manger” and “Joy to the World.” Fans have noted his knack for tweaking those beloved favorites into a more current sound by “Taylorizing” them.

“We take a lot of the Christmas classics and bring them to today,” Taylor said. “We put our own touch on those great songs with different styles, new genres and singing them in our own special way.”

Taylor’s Christmas albums receive national play during the holiday season. While the CDs are popular, he said every effort is made to make the concerts a memorable evening for each audience.

“We get e-mails from people who have been coming to the Christmas concerts since 1995,” he noted. “While a lot of people come back to the shows year after year, we try to perform as if they have never heard us before and will never be able to hear us again.

“We have people who will call us in January to get the show dates for the next tour,” he continued. “We love doing what we do. We truly appreciate the response, and we never take anything for granted.”

The concerts also feature several original tunes. “I Will Remember,” for instance, is an emotion-filled song recalling Taylor’s Christmas memories. It is accompanied by a visual display of his childhood days in Aliquippa, Pa.

A Wheeling radio producer is credited with creating the holiday concerts. After hearing Taylor’s work, Doug Daniels organized a Christmas show at the Wilson Lodge of Wheeling’s Oglebay Park.

“It was packed,” Taylor recalled of the initial concert. “The response was phenomenal. We moved it the next year to the Capitol Theatre, and it was sold out. We had two shows at the Capitol the following year, and they were both sold out.” Performances continue to be added at venues in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The 2009 schedule includes 12 dates in three states from Dec. 4 through Dec. 23.

Taylor said he makes time after each show to visit with members of the audience.

“We’ve had so many people who said they wanted to thank us for doing a show they could enjoy as a family,” he added. “We’re not ashamed to sing songs about the birth of Christ.”

This year’s Charleston concert on Dec. 11 again will involve the Ferguson Memorial Baptist Church Choir and an all-star team of drummers from area high schools. There is a buy-one, get-one free offer for military personnel. Also, $1 from each ticket sold will benefit the Manna Meal program in Charleston.

Taylor already has a busy agenda for 2010.

He is asking for input from fans for his third Christmas album.

“We’re asking for people to e-mail their suggestions to us for older songs that they would like for us to sing,” he explained. “We’ll sort them all out, and maybe they’ll hear their request on the new album.”

Another highlight will be a week-long patriotic presentation in July with composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

For information, visit Taylor’s Web site at www.betaylor.com.