IDOL-- Still has Taylor on a Cloud

'Idol' still has Hicks on a cloud


July 1, 2009

By Rita Charleston

For the Times

As the fifth-season winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks has seen his debut album certified platinum, performed with the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, the Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson, toured through Asia, penned a Random House memoir and made his Broadway debut in Grease.

"As a youngster I always had this inner drive and inner passion to succeed as an entertainer," Hicks explained. "To me, it wasn't a question of if, only a question of when it would happen for me."

He realized "when" with his really big break on the night of May 24, 2006, when he won the fifth season of the incredibly popular show American Idol. And his life, he claims, was never to be the same.

"I was very blessed that this opportunity came along," he said. "I'm trying to make the most of it and have longevity in this business that I love."

Currently promoting his new album, The Distance, the singer/songwriter will be reprising his role as Teen Angel when the Tony-winning musical Grease makes its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music with performances from July 7 to 19.

Singing Beauty School Dropout, Hicks says the role is a "perfect fit for me in a musical much loved for its memorable songs, including other favorites like Hopelessly Devoted to You, Grease, You're the One That I Want, and many more."

The show is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School. "I think what keeps the show so popular is the fact that it's an all-American story with great music," Hicks said. "I think it's a combination of a great story line with great music that has kept the show alive for so long."

Having traveled with the touring company of the popular show since the road trip began last December, Hicks notes that he enjoyed doing the show in New York.

"I had a great experience performing on Broadway. This, now, is a great opportunity to visit old fans and new fans across the country while bringing them a great Broadway show," he said.

Born in 1976, and a native of Birmingham, Ala., the gray-haired crooner explains that as a youngster he discovered he had perfect pitch, and taught himself to play guitar and harmonica.

Some of his early musical idols, the ones who influenced him the most, included such luminaries as Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Conway Twitty and the one and only Otis Redding.

After graduating from high school, Hicks went on to study business and journalism at Auburn University and shepherded the release of his first independent album, In Your Time. And then came American Idol, where, he acknowledges, from the start his music helped set him apart.

Twelve days before announcement of the winner, Hicks was brought to Birmingham for a weekend celebration, a concert in his honor and a personal meeting with the governor. "Soul Patrol Fever" was everywhere.

"The greatest joy of all is being onstage, entertaining so many people and getting a positive reaction from them," he said. "I like to think I'm able to take people away from their everyday lives, their everyday problems, and make them feel good. Truthfully, I love what I do."

For times and ticket information, call 215-731-3333.

Soul Patrol Fever? As I recall, back then, didn't we tell anyone with a (Mc)Pheever to take a Taylor-nol?
~tyg

Bahaaaaa...I totally remember that....But I think Mc Phever required Penicillin...lol

No joke!

Good one tyg, I've never heard the Taylor-nol before.. Kat made the final intersting I mean the pretty one against the gray haired one, guess talent won out in the long run huh??

I will say, my only true issue with Kat is and has been that she has no emotion behind what her beautiful voice is singing, or on her expressive and lovely face. She's just not believable.
~tyg