He was expelled after he refused to cut his afro. Years later, he got his degree

Otis Taylor at his belated graduation in May, 2023.

Evan Semón

It took almost 60 years, but Otis Taylor was finally able to take the stage.

Who is he? The 74-year-old acclaimed blues musician and multi-instrumentalist has had made a career of crooning, strumming and rebelling against the status quo.

• He’s been nominated for awards, scored films, and even took a long hiatus from music before coming back swinging.
• His music has experimented with different genres and themes, and has focused heavily on the struggle of being Black in America.
• In 1966, Taylor was denied his high school diploma from Manual High School in Denver, Colo., for refusing to cut off his afro at the administration’s request.

What’s the big deal? Well, that haircut rule isn’t required any longer. Taylor was finally able to receive his diploma in May, and walked the stage in a ceremony held by the Denver public school district.

• While much of the conversation that followed his graduation has been framed around Taylor’s afro, he doesn’t think that is the singular reason why he didn’t get to walk all those years ago, and instead says it came at a time of schools cracking down on rebellious students in general.
• “Other students in college in Denver did [get asked to cut their hair], like the surfer kids. It was sort of like it was the beginning of the counterculture, where The Beatles came out there growing their hair. But the schools [had] a real big counterculture battle with these kids growing their hair,” he told NPR.

• Despite achieving his goal of becoming a professional musician, Taylor says that he never felt like his father forgave him…