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The following biography
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Free Encyclopedia.”
 Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976)
is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006 as a contestant on the
fifth season of American Idol, which he won later that year. 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.[1] The new CD, The
Distance, is set to drop March 10, 2009, with the first single, "What's
Right Is Right", going to AC adds January 27, 2009.[2]
****
Background information
Birth name Taylor Reuben Hicks
Born October 7, 1976 (1976-10-07) (age 32)
Origin Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Genre(s) Blue-eyed soul, blues, blues rock
Occupation(s) musician, record producer, author,
songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, harmonica, organ
Years active 1995-present
Label(s) Independent (1997-2005)
Arista (2006-2008)
Modern Whomp/A2M (2008-present)
Associated acts Little Memphis Blues Orchestra
Website http://www.myspace.com/taylorhicks
****
Biography
Early
life
Taylor Hicks was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on
October 7, 1976, to Bradley Hicks and Pamela Dickinson. His hair started turning
gray by the time he was 14. He and his family moved to suburban Hoover when he
was eight years old. His parents divorced, and stepmother Linda shared custody
of their son until he became of age. Hicks attributed his difficult childhood as
the reason for him to find solace in soul and blues music.[3] He has a younger
half-brother, Sean, who would later convince him to audition for American
Idol.[4]
He bought his first harmonica when he was 16, for
$2 at a flea market in Bessemer, Alabama,[3] 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.[5]
Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself
to play guitar when he was 19.[6]
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. [7]
Independent music
While in college, Hicks was part of a band called
Passing Through, which he later quit to start his own band.[9] 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[3] 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".[10] 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.[11] Hicks has performed with the likes
of James Brown, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Drive-By Truckers, Robert Randolph,
Snoop Dogg,and Keb Mo.[12] He also performed in the huge infield of Talladega
Superspeedway in 2004 during a NASCAR race weekend. After Hicks won Idol, driver
David Stremme said that he hoped Hicks would come back for the October race
weekend there.[13]
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.[14]
Hicks has allowed audience members to record his
concerts for personal, non-commercial use, 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.[15]
American Idol 2006
See also: American Idol (season 5)
Hicks auditioned for American Idol in Las Vegas,
Nevada, on October 10, 2005. Hicks passed the audition by 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.[16][17] May 12 was
proclaimed "Taylor Hicks Day" and Hicks was given the key to the city.[18] Also
on May 12, Gov. Riley issued a proclamation making May 16 "Taylor Hicks
Day".[19]
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.[20] With his win at age 29, Hicks became the oldest person to win
American Idol.
In June 2006, Ford Motor Company, the show's major
sponsor, signed Hicks to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end sales event.[21]
He was also named Hottest Bachelor by People magazine for 2006, appearing on the
magazine's cover.[22]
Post-Idol career
Hicks signed a recording contract with 19
Recordings Limited/Arista Records, managed by American Idol creator Simon
Fuller, in May 2006.[23][24] 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.[25]
Hicks made guest appearances in concerts by Snoop
Dogg, Widespread Panic, and Willie Nelson, among others.[9] 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.[26]
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.[27]
In the same month, it was announced that Hicks
received a $750,000 (USD) deal to write a memoir of his life.[28] 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.
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.[29] The album was released on
December 12, 2006 and debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200
charts.[30] It was certified as a platinum album by the RIAA on January 17,
2007.[31] 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.[32] 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.
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.[33] J records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG,
also announced that they were releasing Hicks from his recording contract. [34]
Hicks has the lowest selling American Idol winners album.
Early January, Taylor Hicks made this statement on
his Myspace page:
“ "To all my fans and The Soul Patrol, I want to
take a moment to talk about the recent news that my label and I have mutually
parted ways. The important thing for all of you to remember is that I've been a
working musician my whole life. This is turning the page on a new chapter of my
career. Artistic freedom and control is an exciting prospect. The things that
are most important to me is creating my art, performing it, and my fans. With
the momentum that all of you have created over the years, Taylor Hicks is not
going to stop anytime soon. I've started working on the new album, writing and
scheduling exciting collaborations. The DVD, Whomp at the Warfield, is in its
final stages, and will be released soon. So as one door closes, a new one opens
for 2008 with more excitement for all my fans than ever before. Sit tight,
because the best is yet to come!"[35] ”
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.[36][37] Early Works was released on
August 12, 2008.[38]
Taylor has also been part of the concert series
that airs on HDNET.
Soul
Patrol
Hicks's fanbase has been dubbed the "Soul Patrol".
The phrase started among his Internet fan base 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!".[39]
During a promotional event for Idol in Alabama,
Hicks "inducted" Governor Bob Riley and his wife into the Soul Patrol.[40] 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!"[41] 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.[42]
"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.[43] 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.[42]
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.[44]
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.[45]
Discography
For more details on this topic, see Taylor Hicks
discography.
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
Preceded by
Carrie Underwood American Idol winner
Taylor Hicks (2006) Succeeded by
Jordin Sparks
References and notes
1.
^ http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=3641
2.
^ Taylor Hicks Resurfaces With New Album
- Billboard
3.
^ a b c "Taylor Hicks Bio". Gray
Charles: The Official Taylor Hicks Weblog. http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/taylor-hicks-bio/.
Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
4.
^ Hunter, Desiree (2006-05-10). "'Idol'
Standout Hicks Likes Music With Soul". AP. http://www.townhall.com/news/ap/online/entertainment/tv/D8HGIT700.html&e=15059.
Retrieved on 25 May 2006.
5.
^ Graff, Gary (2006-08-11). "Unlikely
‘idol’ content with his prospects". New York Times Syndicate. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/11/20060811-D1-03.html.
Retrieved on 12 August 2006.
6.
^ Brantley, Mike (2006-02-21). "Alabama
Idol". Mobile, Alabama Press Register. http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/114051737735020.xml?mobileregister?etv&coll=3.
Retrieved on 26 May 2006.
7.
^ Finebaum, Paul (2006-04-10). "Local
American Idol contestant still keeping up with his passion for statewide
sports". Alexander City Outlook. http://www.alexcityoutlook.com/articles/2006/04/10/sports/sports04.txt.
Retrieved on 25 May 2006.
8.
^ Trachtenberg, Robert (2006-06-26).
"Bachelor No. 1: Taylor Hicks Lets Loose". People. pp. 68-77.
9.
^ a b Newsome, Melba (2006-12-10).
"Overnight Star? Well, It’s Been a Long Night". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/arts/music/10news.1.html?_r=2&ref=arts&pagewanted=all.
Retrieved on 11 December 2006.
10.
^ Colurso, Mary (2006-03-28).
"Taylor-Made Trivia". The Birmingham News. http://community.livejournal.com/taylor_hicks/35765.html.
Retrieved on 6 December 2006.
11.
^ Simmons, Darryn (2006-03-07). "Fans of
Taylor Hicks hope Birmingham native grabs 'Idol' title". Montgomery
Advertiser. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060307/ENT/603070310/1005.
Retrieved on 30 July 2006.
12.
^ "WBHM Interview with Taylor Hicks"
(HTML). http://wbhm.org/Tapestry/bands/TaylorHicks.html. Retrieved on
2007-01-13.
13.
^ Wackerlin, Jeff (2006-05-24). "Idol
Winner Has NASCAR Ties". Racing One.
http://www.racingone.com/article.asp?artnum=28352. Retrieved on 14 January
2007.
14.
^ "Official Taylor Hicks Website".
http://www.taylorhicks.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
15.
^ "Taylor Hicks collection at the
Internet Archive's live music archive".
http://www.archive.org/details/TaylorHicks. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
16.
^ Brantley, Mike (2006-05-23). "Taylor
Hicks' 'Soul Patrol' goes global". Mobile, Alabama Press Register.
http://www.al.com/entertainment/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1148376053273630.xml&coll=3.
Retrieved on 25 May 2006.
17.
^ City of Hoover, Alabama (2006-05-15).
American Idol and Taylor Hicks come to Hoover!. Press release.
http://www.ci.hoover.al.us/CitySub.asp?PageID=32&action=view&nid=215.
Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
18.
^ City of Birmingham, Alabama
(2006-05-12) (PDF). Proclamation of Taylor Hicks Day. Press release.
http://ci.bham.al.us/pressrele/may06/TaylorHicks.pdf. Retrieved on
2007-01-13.
19.
^ State of Alabama (2006-05-12).
Proclamation of Taylor Hicks Day. Press release.
http://www.governorpress.alabama.gov/pr/proc-2006-05-12-hicks.asp. Retrieved
on 2007-01-13.
20.
^ Hart, Mary (reporter). Entertainment
Tonight [TV series].
21.
^ Ford Motor Company (2006-06-14). Ford
signs American Idol winner Taylor Hicks to star in national advertising.
Press release.
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=23630. Retrieved
on 2007-01-13.
22.
^ "'American Idol' Winner Taylor Hicks
Is The Most Eligible Bachelor". World Entertainment News Network.
2006-06-15.
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/06/15/american_idol_winner_taylor_hicks_is_the/.
Retrieved on 22 July 2006.
23.
^ Morningstar, Mary (12 January 2007).
"'American Idol' Taylor Hicks Releases Major Label Debut". VOA News (Voice
of America).
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-01/2007-01-12-voa73.cfm.
Retrieved on 1 January 2009.
24.
^ Arista Records (2006-05-31). 2006
American Idol Taylor Hicks Signs With 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records.
Press release.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-31-2006/0004371724&EDATE=.
Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
25.
^ "Deep in the bowels of J Records".
Gray Charles: The Official Taylor Hicks Weblog. 2006-09-29.
http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/2006/09/29/goldplaque/. Retrieved on
2006-12-21.
26.
^ Colurso, Mary (2006-08-06). "Taylor
Comes Home". The Birmingham News.
http://www.al.com/entertainment/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1154856322240230.xml&coll=2&thispage=1.
Retrieved on 22 December 2006.
27.
^ Harris, Chris (2006-08-26). "Taylor
Hicks Files Suit To Halt Digital Release Of Early Recordings". Country Music
Television.
http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1539310/08242006/hicks__taylor.jhtml.
Retrieved on 1 November 2006.
28.
^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2006-08-04).
"Taylor Hicks Prepares Memoir, Billboard". People.
http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1222950,00.html. Retrieved on
13 January 2007.
29.
^ Paul and Young Ron. Interview on the
Paul and Young Ron Show Podcast accessed on 2006-2006-11-22
30.
^ Cohen, Jonathan (2006-12-27). "Taylor
Hicks Unveils 2007 Tour Plans". Billboard.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003525483.
Retrieved on 28 December 2006.
31.
^ Arista Records (2007-01-17). American
Idol Champ Taylor Hicks' Self Titled Debut Album is Certified Platinum by
the RIAA. Press release.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070117/nyw118.html?.v=86. Retrieved on
2007-01-18.
32.
^ Kilgore, Kim (2006-12-12). "Taylor
Hicks Rolls out Album, Tour Dates". Live Daily. http://www.livedaily.com/news/11174.html?t=104.
Retrieved on 22 December 2006.
33.
^ ‘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.
34.
^ CNN Jan 8, 2008, "An Idol loses his
Record Deal"
35.
^ MySpace.com - Taylor Hicks -
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Soul / Pop - www.myspace.com/taylorhicks
36.
^ http://www.broadway.com/Taylor-Hicks-Signs-On-for-National-Tour-of-Grease/broadway_news/570994
37.
^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/06202008/tv/hicks_finds_niche_116267.htm
38.
^ http://www.amazon.com/Early-Works-Taylor-Hicks/dp/B001C4ZQG6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1216677552&sr=8-1
39.
^ Gowers, Bruce et al. (directors).
American Idol [TV-Series]. United States: Fremantle Media.
40.
^ Brantley, Mike (2006-05-13).
"'American Idol' star Taylor Hicks dazzles fans on visit home, adds Gov.
Riley to Soul Patrol". Mobile, Alabama Press Register. http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/11475117456940.xml?mobileregister?etv_idol&coll=3.
Retrieved on 25 May 2006.
41.
^ "Impressions by Jason Sudeikis". SNL
Archives. http://snl.jt.org/imp.php?i=2228. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
42.
^ a b Gowers, Bruce et al. (directors).
American Idol [TV-Series]. United States: Fremantle Media.
43.
^ JibJab (2006-11-16). Video Parody of
American Idol Winner. Press release. http://www.prwebdirect.com/releases/2006/11/prweb479698.php.
Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
44.
^ "Colbert Gifts "Do I Make You Proud"".
Gray Charles. http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/2007/01/18/colbert-gifts-do-i-make-you-proud/.
Retrieved on 2007-04-14.
45.
^ Lizer, Kari (creator). The New
Adventures of Old Christine [TV-Series]. United States: Warner Bros.
Television.
****
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