Taylor Hicks Wiki Information
Taylor Reuben Hicks
(born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006, when he won the fifth season of American Idol
. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. Upon winning Idol
, he was signed to Arista Records, under which his self-titled major label debut was released on December 12, 2006. His energetic stage performances and influences derived from classic rock, blues, and R&B music had earned him a following of devout fans, who have been dubbed the "Soul Patrol." He is currently on tour in Grease
playing Teen Angel, the role originated by Alan Paul. [2] The new CD, The Distance
, was released March 10, 2009, with the first single, "What's Right Is Right", going to AC adds January 27, 2009. The second single was confirmed to be "Seven Mile Breakdown" via his myspace page. [3]
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TAYLOR HICKS TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
Taylor Hicks was born in
Birmingham,
Alabama, on October 7, 1976,
[4] to Bradley Hicks and Pamela Dickinson. His hair started
turning gray by the time he was 14. He and his family had moved to suburban
Hoover, Alabama when he was eight years old. His parents divorced, and stepmother Linda shared custody of their son until he
became of age. Hicks has attributed his difficult childhood as the reason for his turning to soul and blues music for solace.
[5] He has a younger half-brother, Sean, who later convinced him to audition for
American Idol
.
[6]
He bought his first
harmonica when he was 16, for $2 at a flea market in
Bessemer, Alabama,
[7] and taught himself to play
blues harp. He discovered that he possessed
absolute pitch when he was able to recognize the
pitches of ordinary noises and mimic them on the harmonica.
[8] Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself to play
guitar when he was 19.
[9]
Hicks graduated from
Hoover High School in 1995. He played varsity
baseball,
soccer, and
basketball while studying in Hoover. He then pursued a major in
business and
journalism at
Auburn University, but lost interest and dropped out after three years.
[10]
Independent music
below =
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
While in college, Hicks was part of a band called Passing Through, which he later quit to start his own band.
[12] In 1997, he independently recorded
In Your Time
, an album which included both studio and live tracks. In 2000, he moved to pursue a music career in Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked with Nashville veterans
Billy Earl McClelland and
Percy Sledge [13] to record a three-track demo but was unable to find a label that would sign him. He left Nashville after a year due to what he called the "oversaturation of the market".
[14] Hicks returned to Alabama and launched a professional music career, performing at various venues and parties mostly around the
Southeastern United States, including The War Eagle Supper Club (a popular college bar) in
Auburn, Alabama.
[15] Hicks has performed with the likes of
Widespread Panic,
James Brown,
Tom Petty,
Jackson Browne,
Drive-By Truckers,
Robert Randolph, Snoop Dogg,and
Keb Mo.
[16] He also performed in the huge infield of
Talladega Superspeedway in 2004 during a
NASCAR race weekend.
[17]
He recorded, produced, and released a second album,
Under the Radar
, in 2005. Despite releasing two albums prior to appearing on
American Idol
, he did not violate their requirements for contestants, as he had never held a
recording contract.
[18]
Hicks has allowed audience members to record his concerts for personal, non-commercial use, and has authorized the
Internet Archive to create a section for fans to upload and share their recordings. The Archive does not accept the upload of concerts recorded after January 1, 2006 due to the terms of his "American Idol" contract.
[19]
American Idol
2006
Hicks auditioned for
American Idol
in
Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 10, 2005. Hicks passed the audition with the approval of judges
Randy Jackson and
Paula Abdul, but not
Simon Cowell, who said that Hicks would never make it to the final round. On Hicks' first performance for the voting public, Cowell called back to this quote, admitting he was wrong.
On the May 10, 2006, results show, Hicks along with
Katharine McPhee and
Elliott Yamin, were announced as the Top 3 finalists. On May 12, Idol producers brought Hicks to
Birmingham for a weekend of promotional events including television interviews for the
local FOX affiliate, a downtown parade, concerts, and an audience with Governor
Bob Riley.
[20] [21] May 12 was proclaimed "Taylor Hicks Day" and Hicks was given the
key to the city.
[22] Also on May 12, Gov. Riley issued a proclamation making May 16 "Taylor Hicks Day".
[23]
Hicks was named the new American Idol on May 24, 2006, winning the title over McPhee, with over 63.4 million votes cast in total. The proclamation was aired to a worldwide audience of 200 million television viewers.
[24] With his win at age 29, Hicks became the oldest contestant to win
American Idol
. He was the first male contestant to win
American Idol
without ending up in the bottom two or three.
In June 2006,
Ford Motor Company, the show's major sponsor, signed Hicks to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end sales event.
[25] He was also named Hottest Bachelor by
People
magazine for 2006, appearing on the magazine's cover.
[26]
Week
| Theme
| Song Sung
| Artist
| Result
|
Top 24
| 12 Men
| "Levon"
| Elton John
| Advanced
|
Top 20
| 10 Men
| "Easy"
| Commodores
| Advanced
|
Top 16
| 8 Men
| "Takin' It to the Streets"
| The Doobie Brothers
| Advanced
|
Top 12
| Songs of Stevie Wonder
| "Living for the City"
| Stevie Wonder
| Safe
|
Top 11
| '50s Hits
| "Not Fade Away"
| The Crickets
| Safe
|
Top 10
| 2000s Songs
| "Trouble"
| Ray LaMontagne
| Safe
|
Top 9
| Country Music
| "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
| John Denver
| Safe
|
Top 8
| Songs of Queen
| "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
| Queen
| Safe
|
Top 7
| Great American Songbook
| "You Send Me"
| Sam Cooke
| Safe
|
Top 6
| Love Songs
| "Just Once"
| James Ingram
| Safe
|
Top 5
| Year They Were Born Current Billboard Top 10
| "Play That Funky Music" "Something"
| Wild Cherry The Beatles
| Safe
|
Top 4
| Songs of Elvis Presley
| "Jailhouse Rock" "In the Ghetto"
| Elvis Presley
| Top 2
|
Top 3
| Clive Davis's Choice Judges' Choice Idol's Choice
| "Dancing in the Dark" "You Are So Beautiful" "Try a Little Tenderness"
| Bruce Springsteen Joe Cocker Otis Redding
| Top 2
|
Top 2
| Finale
| "Living for the City" "Levon" "Do I Make You Proud?"
| Stevie Wonder Elton John Taylor Hicks
| Winner
|
Post-Idol
career
thumb Hicks signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings Limited/
Arista Records, managed by
American Idol
creator
Simon Fuller, in May 2006.
[27] [28] Hicks' debut single "
Do I Make You Proud" debuted on the number one spot on the
Billboard Hot 100 and was subsequently
certified gold by the
RIAA.
[29]
Hicks made guest appearances in concerts by
Snoop Dogg,
Widespread Panic, and
Willie Nelson, among others.
[30] Hicks also joined his fellow Top 10
Idol
finalists on the
American Idols LIVE! Tour which ran from July to September. The members of the former Taylor Hicks Band, formed by Hicks two years prior, regrouped as the
Little Memphis Blues Orchestra and shadowed the Idols' tour route. Hicks occasionally appeared as a "special guest" when circumstances permitted, and was even accompanied at times by the other Idols, such as
Elliott Yamin,
Chris Daughtry,
Ace Young, and
Bucky Covington.
[31]
In
August 2006, Hicks' lawyers sued a producer with whom he worked in Nashville, for redistributing without permission songs that Hicks had copyrighted in 1997. The lawsuit was dropped when the masters were handed over to Hicks.
[32]
In the same month, it was announced that Hicks received a $750,000 (USD) deal to write a memoir of his life.
[33] Titled
Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way
and ghostwritten by
Rolling Stone
writer David Wild, the book was released in July 2007 by
Random House.
On June 6, 2008, Hicks joined the cast of the Broadway musical Grease in the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. He played the role of "Teen Angel."
[34]
2006-2007: Taylor Hicks
Studio recording sessions for the eponymous major label debut
Taylor Hicks
ran in
Calabasas, California between October and November 2006, and took six weeks in total.
[35] The album was released on December 12, 2006 and debuted at the number two spot on the
Billboard 200 charts.
[36] It was certified as a
platinum album by the RIAA on January 17, 2007.
[37] Hicks embarked on a three-month US promotional tour for his album that started on February 21 in
Jacksonville, Florida, and ended in
Seattle, Washington on May 12.
[39]
December 16, 2007, Hicks performed "
Do I Make You Proud" live together with 6
Asian Idol finalists in
Jakarta Indonesia. Hicks also performed on the
American Idol (season 6) finale at the
Kodak Theatre on May 23, 2007.
In July 2007, Hicks released his autobiography,
Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way.
2008: Early Works
Despite winning American Idol 2006, Hicks' post-Idol career had its ups and downs. Arista Records confirmed in January 2008 that it had dropped Hicks from its roster.
[40] Hicks has the lowest selling American Idol winner's album.
Early January, Taylor Hicks made this statement on his MySpace page:
As of June 2008, Hicks has signed a distribution deal with Vanguard/Welk records to distribute a compilation album "Early Works". At this time, he is also starring in
Grease
in the national tour as the Teen Angel after playing the role on Broadway.
[42] [43] Early Works was released on August 12, 2008.
[44]
Taylor has also been part of the concert series that airs on HDNET.
2009–Present: The Distance
In 2009 Hicks released his second album,
The Distance, on his own label, Modern Whomp Records, on March 10, 2009. The first single,
What's Right Is Right, was added to AC adds on January 27, 2009. So far the single reached #24 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. It was produced by
Simon Climie and
Dennis Morgan. On the day of the album's release, Hicks wrote on his MySpace,
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
Hicks returned to the American Idol stage on April 29, 2009 during Season 8 and performed the second single from
The Distance, Seven Mile Breakdown, which was re-released in a country format.
Both What's Right is Right and Seven Mile Breakdown were made into music videos.
In May of 2009, Taylor Hicks made
Forbes "Top Ten earning American Idol stars" list, coming in at number 10, with over $300,000 earned from album sales and from his role as "
Teen Angel" in the national tour of
Grease.
[46]
Soul Patrol
Hicks's
fanbase has been dubbed the "Soul Patrol". The phrase started among his Internet fanbase after the episode of Hicks's
Idol
auditions aired, but it is difficult to trace its exact origin. Hicks frequently mentioned the Soul Patrol after performances on
Idol
, which was best shown after winning the competition—
Ryan Seacrest asked if he had any parting words and Hicks yelled, "Soul Patrol!".
[47]
During a promotional event for
Idol
in
Alabama, Hicks "inducted"
Governor Bob Riley and his wife into the Soul Patrol.
[48]
In addition to zealously following the musical career of Taylor Hicks and related artists, the Soul Patrol is also known for its charity work on behalf of various organizations such as Studio By The Tracks, Kid One Transport, Habitat for Humanity, and American Red Cross among others.
The first Soul Patrol Convention was organized in Birmingham, Alabama, USA on May 9th and 10th, 2008, with event proceeds earmarked for Kid One Transport. The Soul Patrol was represented from all over the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Popular culture
Hicks became the subject of two
Weekend Update skits on
NBC's
Saturday Night Live
on April 15 and May 20, 2006, portrayed by cast member
Jason Sudeikis. In a reference to Hicks's quirkiness and disposition, Sudeikis mocked playing Hicks's trademark harmonica and repeatedly shouted out "Soul Patrol!"
[49] Hicks, when interviewed by
Ryan Seacrest on the subsequent episode of
American Idol
on April 18, 2006, as to whether or not he saw the imitation, admitted that he had and that the impression made him "fall out on the floor" with laughter.
[50]
"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied Hicks on his 2006 album,
Straight Outta Lynwood
, on a track called "
Do I Creep You Out", which is set against the melody of "
Do I Make You Proud". In the music video of the song, an animated Hicks, voiced by Yankovic, is portrayed as the stalker. The video can be seen on
JibJab.
[51] Hicks is also known to perform Yankovic's version during soundchecks.
Talk show host
Jay Leno frequently refers to Hicks as "his son" due to their striking gray-haired resemblance. Seacrest has also mentioned on
American Idol
that Hicks resembles Leno,
Phil Donahue and
George Clooney.
Stephen Colbert, host of
The Colbert Report
, had also promised to give political pundit
Bill O'Reilly a copy of "Do I Make You Proud" upon O'Reilly's appearance on the show on January 18, 2007.
[52]
On the television
sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine
, in the episode titled "The Real Thing", Christine, played by
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, mentions that she has an imaginary relationship with Taylor Hicks.
[53]
Discography
;Albums
- 2006: Taylor Hicks
- 2009: The Distance
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of Hot 100 (U.S.) chart achievements and trivia
|- style="text-align: center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
Carrie Underwood
|width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|
American Idol
winner'''
Taylor Hicks (2006)
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
Jordin Sparks
|-
References and notes
- Gray-haired Hicks brings soul to Idol by Wade Kwon for the Scripps Howard News Service, March 17, 2006. Retrieved May 25, 2006.
- http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=3641
- Taylor Hicks Resurfaces With New Album - Billboard
- BACKSTAGE PASS: From Alabama's bars to America's 'Idol'
- Taylor Hicks Bio
- 'Idol' Standout Hicks Likes Music With Soul
- "Taylor Hicks Bio"
- Unlikely ‘idol’ content with his prospects
- Alabama Idol
- Local American Idol contestant still keeping up with his passion for statewide sports
- Bachelor No. 1: Taylor Hicks Lets Loose
- Overnight Star? Well, It’s Been a Long Night
- Taylor Hicks Bio
- Taylor-Made Trivia
- Fans of Taylor Hicks hope Birmingham native grabs 'Idol' title
- WBHM Interview with Taylor Hicks
- Idol Winner Has NASCAR Ties
- Official Taylor Hicks Website
- Taylor Hicks collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- Taylor Hicks' 'Soul Patrol' goes global
- American Idol and Taylor Hicks come to Hoover!
- Proclamation of Taylor Hicks Day
- Proclamation of Taylor Hicks Day
- Entertainment Tonight
- Ford signs American Idol winner Taylor Hicks to star in national advertising
- 'American Idol' Winner Taylor Hicks Is The Most Eligible Bachelor
- 'American Idol' Taylor Hicks Releases Major Label Debut
- 2006 American Idol Taylor Hicks Signs With 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records
- Deep in the bowels of J Records
- Newsome, Melba. "Overnight Star?".
- Taylor Comes Home
- Taylor Hicks Files Suit To Halt Digital Release Of Early Recordings
- Taylor Hicks Prepares Memoir, Billboard
- Title Unavailable
- Interview on the Paul and Young Ron Show
- Taylor Hicks Unveils 2007 Tour Plans
- American Idol Champ Taylor Hicks' Self Titled Debut Album is Certified Platinum by the RIAA
- American Idol Taylor Hicks Appointed Grand Marshal of 2007 Carnival Season
- Taylor Hicks Rolls out Album, Tour Dates
- ‘Idol’ winner Taylor Hicks loses record deal - Music - MSNBC.com. See also Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard dropped from J Records? by Shirley Halperin. EW.com. January 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- MySpace.com - Taylor Hicks - BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Soul / Pop - www.myspace.com/taylorhicks
- http://www.broadway.com/Taylor-Hicks-Signs-On-for-National-Tour-of-Grease/broadway_news/570994
- http://www.nypost.com/seven/06202008/tv/hicks_finds_niche_116267.htm
- http://www.amazon.com/Early-Works-Taylor-Hicks/dp/B001C4ZQG6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=121
- MySpace.com - Taylor Hicks - BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Soul / Pop - www.myspace.com/taylorhicks
- http://www.nydailynews.com/money/galleries/which_american_idol_stars_make_the_most_loot_/which_ameri
- American Idol
- 'American Idol' star Taylor Hicks dazzles fans on visit home, adds Gov. Riley to Soul Patrol
- Impressions by Jason Sudeikis
- American Idol
- Video Parody of American Idol Winner
- Colbert Gifts "Do I Make You Proud"
- The New Adventures of Old Christine