Taylor Hicks greasing the skids for a long career
By Marty Clear, Times Correspondent
In Print: Thursday, August 13, 2009
For countless American Idol contenders, a good showing on the country's favorite talent contest has been the start of a very brief career.
Season 5 champ Taylor Hicks is determined that his star will glow for years to come.
"This is a marathon, not a sprint, as far as I'm concerned," Hicks said in a phone interview from Fort Lauderdale. "I'm just at the beginning of the marathon."
He was in South Florida with the national tour of Grease, which comes to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center for eight shows starting Tuesday. Hicks plays Teen Angel, a small but prominent role mostly associated with Frankie Avalon, who played Angel in the movie and in several tours.
Hicks said he had his choice of Broadway roles, but Teen Angel was the right role at the right time. He's the biggest name in show, and he's the one who gets the hype in all the advertisements. But because it's a smaller role, he doesn't have to carry a big load in his first Broadway show.
"I had been offered roles previously, before Grease, but I turned them down," Hicks said. "I wanted to start kind of small. I wanted to get my feet wet, learn the business first, not just dive right in."
Hicks' feet were pretty dry for two years until he started in Grease last year.
Fresh off his Idol win in 2006 — Hicks' legion of "Soul Patrol" fans gave him the crown despite an unenthusiastic Simon Cowell — he got the coveted record deal and debut self-titled album. It sold a respectable 700,000-plus copies, but he didn't fare as well as other Idol winners and was dumped by his label in 2008.
His recording career stalled until he started his own label, Modern Whomp, this year and in March released his new album The Distance, spawning two singles.
Which is another reason Hicks likes being Teen Angel. Just like Avalon did, Hicks gets to do a miniconcert of his music at the end of the show. He'll do his new single Seven-Mile Breakdown, which allows Hicks' fans to hear him sing something other Teen Angel's sole song, Beauty School Dropout.
Hicks may be the biggest name in the show, but he's not the only star who will be familiar to fans of TV talent contests. Max Crumm and Laura Owens got their roles by winning NBC's Grease: You're the One That I Want, which was essentially an on-air audition for the roles.
If you go
Grease
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Carol Morsani Hall. $38.50-$72.50 plus service charge. (813) 229-7827 or tbpac.org.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/performin...icle1026951.ece
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Subject: Taylor Hicks greasing the skids for a long career 
Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:59 am
This might be old news but glad to know Taylor is still in the news. I agree he needs to do his solo career again. By the way, I think Taylor has sold more albums than is stated because he sold them on his first solo tour and I do not think that figues into the Sound Scan results. I also believe he is probably selling alot on this tour even though he is not on any charts with Billboard right now which is a total shame in my opinion. I get so sick of hearing the junk they play on the radio currently which is why I listen to my cds instead.