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| Birth Name(s) : Taylor Reuben Hicks |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, author |
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Full Taylor Hicks Biography
Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter. 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. He rose to prominence in the year 2006 as the winner of the fifth season of American Idol. Upon winning the music competition, 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 soul, blues, and R&B music have earned him a following of devout fans, who are dubbed as the "Soul Patrol".
When Hicks was five years old, he would sing to random strangers the music of The Tubes or Mister Mister. He bought his first harmonica when he was 16, for $2 at a flea market in Bessemer, Alabama, 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. Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself to play guitar when he was 19.
Hicks was a former student of W.A. Berry High School and graduated from its successor Hoover High School in 1995. He played varsity baseball, soccer, and basketball while studying in Hoover. He then majored in business and journalism at Auburn University, but lost interest and dropped out after three years.
"The Fall" is an acoustic ballad about a painful, failed relationship.Problems listening to the file? See media help.
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.
In June 2006, Ford Motor Company, the show's major sponsor, signed Hicks to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end sales event. He was also named Hottest Bachelor by People magazine for 2006, appearing on the magazine's cover.Hicks played harmonica and guitar on every date of the American Idols LIVE! Tour
Hicks signed a recording contract with Arista Records, managed by American Idol creator Simon Fuller, in May 2006. 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.
Hicks made guest appearances in concerts by Snoop Dogg, Widespread Panic, and Willie Nelson, among others. 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.
In August, it was announced that Hicks received a $750,000 (USD) deal to write a memoir of his life, Titled "Heart Full of Soul" which is expected to be released in spring 2007 by Random House. The book will be ghostwritten by Rolling Stone writer David Wild. In the same month, Hicks' lawyers sued a producer with whom he worked in Nashville, for redistributing songs, which were copyrighted in 1997, without permission. The charges were dropped when the masters were handed over to Hicks.
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!".
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!" 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.
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.
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. |
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Biography by simplydone
Born October 7, 1976
American Idol winner of Season 5, 2006 |
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