Dennis Taylor Takes First Place in Hard Rock Talent Show

Charlestown's own teenaged, soul-singing sensation just picked up the top spot in a talent showcase at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Dennis Taylor won first place in the Music On & Up competition, besting other musicians (all age 19 and under) from eight states, performing in all genres. He's headed to the grand finale in January and already picked up a $500 scholarship to continue his music education.

Taylor, 15, is a self-taught singer-songwriter -- and he can play a few instruments too. Organizers for this talent showcase say he killed the crowd with a "smooth, soulful performance" of “Love Won’t Let me Wait” and “It’s a Shame.” The crowd continued to cheer well after he was offstage.

You can check out Taylor's performance in the YouTube clips attached to this story. And read more about Taylor on Patch . We also wrote about him earlier this year when he .