Jonathan Taylor is a musician based in Dallas, Texas. For years, he struggled with suicidal ideation and was slowly running out of reasons to stay. But his trajectory suddenly shifted when he walked into Club Dada in Deep Ellum, Dallas and saw people handing out guitars for free.
“I wasn't expecting this at all,” Taylor told WFAA Dallas. “This is, like, going to be one of the best days of my life right here.”
That was the day Taylor met Amplified Minds, a nonprofit that offers counseling and treatment for depression and addiction in the Dallas area.
Their official slogan is “Life Fast. Die Old.”
The nonprofit was born out of tragedy, after drummer Anthony Delabano lost both of his bandmates (Frankie and Adam) to suicide in early 2011. The nonprofit started under the name “Foundation 45,” as a nod to their band, Spector 45.
Over a decade later, his bandmates live on in a local mural that Frankie’s father painted. They also live on in the work that Delabano does daily in the Dallas community.
Taylor met Delabano on Art of the Guitar day, an Amplified Minds fundraiser where artists hand out free instruments and gather to paint, sculpt, and play.
To date, Delabano counts 4,000 people who have attended events, shared their stories, and thanked the nonprofit for keeping them going.
“Now, looking back, it's 4,000 people, and it's hard for me not to cry,” Delabano said. “All the people that would have been impacted — 4,000 families — they're OK now.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2024 Art Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Rulo Mora / Pexels
