"We Just Have To Move Through One"
While he was toiling away as a struggling singer in his native Alabama, Taylor Hicks never thought about doing a Broadway show.
“It wasn’t something I’d ever dreamed of doing,” Hicks says, in his heavy Southern accent.
Now, two-thirds of the way through an 18-month jaunt in the role of Teen Angel in the touring cast of “Grease,” the former “American Idol” winner considers musical theater just another part of his arsenal.
“I’m an entertainer,” Hicks says. “I want to have a very versatile career. So far, I’m just scratching the surface.”
When asked who he models himself after, whose career he plans to achieve, Hicks is bold. “I think (Frank) Sinatra is the obvious model. Sinatra or Elvis, those are the guys who really did it all. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Local audiences will have ample opportunity to see if Hicks can live up to those expectations. “Grease” stops at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall for five days of shows starting Tuesday. And for those who stick around after the curtain goes down, Hicks is performing his new single, “Seven Mile Breakdown,” after the show.
“It’s just another way to get the music out there,” Hicks says.
You wouldn’t think finding an audience would be a difficult proposition for Hicks. More than 63.4 million votes were cast when Hicks beat out Katharine McPhee for the “American Idol” crown in 2006. And estimates claim that season’s finale had close to 200 million viewers.
But unlike Carrie Underwood (country) or Chris Daughtry (hard rock), Hicks doesn’t have an obvious musical niche with a built-in audience. There isn’t much of a market for Michael McDonald clones. So while his die-hard fans, dubbed the “Soul Patrol,” are still interested in his songs, music fans as a whole probably aren’t even aware they exist.
Where first “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson has been blessed with an uncanny knack for picking great songs, Hicks hasn’t had the same luck with either others’ music or his own songs. The name recognition “Idol” offered him didn’t translate into a hit record. His first album, “Taylor Hicks, sold a disappointing 700,000 copies in the U.S. making it the worst-selling album from an “Idol” winner. The poor sales performance got him dropped from his record label.
His most recent album, “The Distance,” released in March, failed to crack 10,000 in sales in its first week, which is weak even as album sales numbers continue to slip for all artists. Don’t feel too sorry for Hicks, however; Fortune magazine estimates he still pulled in $300,000 last year.
He’s just had to try a little harder at it than his fellow “Idol” stars, which fits Hicks’ working class mentality. Despite more lucrative offers from Broadway producers looking to cash in on his name, he chose “Grease” and the role of Teen Angel because it offered him an opportunity to learn on the job.
“I don’t know much about acting,” Hicks admits. “I wanted to be able to observe and understand how the industry works. Playing Teen Angel lets me get out on stage, but also gives me a chance to watch the other actors and how they go about things.”
After his “Grease” contract runs out in June, Hicks will go back into the studio to record another album. Then he’s looking at his options. He’s had offers for TV and movies. But he has no real firm plans on where his career will take him next.
“Some doors are open,” he says. “We just have to move through one.”
Front Page 
Subject: Taylor's TV and Movie future. 
Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:07 pm
for posting the article. I think Taylor would be great as a leading man in a movie or television show. Doing a variety show on television I think would be awesome for him.
Now for that bit about his album sales. Man am I getting sick of them putting him down for that. No artist is really selling that great now as money is so tight. Another factor of course is they are not counting the albums he is probably selling on his tour of Grease. I honestly believe Taylor has sold more than they give him credit for. 
Regardless, I think Taylor is a true talent and no matter what I will always be there to support his career. He is a star in my book!
