Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks, born in 1976, was the winner of the fifth season of American Idol. Raised in Alabama, Hicks split time between his parents after they divorced, a difficult upbringing that he says contributed to his interest blues and soul music. He began singing at the age of five. His gray hair, well known as a trademark during his run on American Idol, began developing when he was thirteen. His love of music became especially apparent in his latter teen years -- he bought his first harmonica at age sixteen, wrote his first song at eighteen, and taught himself how to play guitar at nineteen.
Hicks briefly joined a band in college before leaving both the band and school to pursue a musical career. He spent a year in Nashville, but ended up returning to Alabama afterwards. He then began a professional music career that consisted of performances at a variety of venues in the southeastern United States. During this period, he performed with a number of well-known musicians. He also self two albums, one in 1997 and the other in 2005.
Since these albums were made without the benefit of a recording contract, Hicks was still eligible for American Idol.
Hicks passed his American Idol audition with approval from only two of the three judges -- Simon Cowell stated that he didn't think Hicks would be able to make it to the final round. He retracted that statement after Hicks' first performance for the voting audience. Due in part to his wide appeal and his fanbase (known as the Soul Patrol, due to Hick's favored music genre), Hicks was never voted into the bottom three. He was 29 when he was crowned the winner of the competition, the oldest of any winner during the show's run.
At the end of 2006, Taylor Hicks released his self-titled debut album. It was certified platinum a little over a month later. After a three month promotional tour, Hicks embarked on a tour in Asia. As of January 2008, Hicks has been released from two recording contracts.
In 2009, Hicks released the album The Distance. Instead of searching for a new label, Hicks decided to release it on his own Modern Whomp Records. The lead single “What’s Right is Right” reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. He also found new life as a musical theater actor, taking on the role of Teen Angel in the national touring company of Grease.
Taylor Hicks Official MySpace Page
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