Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks stood out as one of the most improbable finalists on American Idol thanks to his distinctive gravelly delivery and salt-and-pepper mane, yet his offbeat appeal and energetic takes on numbers such as “Takin’ It to the Streets” earned him a fervent following known as the Soul Patrol along with the crown of season-five champion. Raised in Hoover after his birth in Birmingham, Alabama, the singer absorbed the classic soul sounds of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke from childhood, finding personal resonance in their themes amid his parents’ divorce and other hardships, while also connecting with the singer-songwriter stylings of Van Morrison, Bob Seger, and Billy Joel. Ray Charles remained his foremost inspiration, prompting Hicks to keep a small statue of the legend with him at every show. Although he never received formal instruction, he mastered vocals, guitar, and harmonica through self-directed practice. Performances for relatives began early, and he claimed victory in a high-school talent competition around the period his hair first grayed. While enrolled at Auburn University studying business, communication, and marketing, he started the group Passing Through, then departed campus ahead of graduation to pursue opportunities in Nashville. As a road musician he supported acts that stretched from James Brown to Drive-By Truckers and also appeared at the Playboy Mansion. With that band he issued the live set In Your Time and the studio album Under the Radar. In 2005 he tried out for American Idol; unable to enter the packed Memphis session, he instead attended the Las Vegas audition. Judge Simon Cowell expressed reservations, yet Hicks’s divergence from conventional pop-star aesthetics ultimately proved advantageous, with standout renditions of “Levon,” “Living for the City,” and “Dancing in the Dark” sealing his victory. Following the win he inked a contract with Clive Davis and 19 Recordings Unlimited, issuing the single “Do I Make You Proud” that summer, joining the American Idol tour, and commencing work on his major-label debut. That self-titled album surfaced in late 2006, while the concert recording Live at the Workplay Theatre, captured during summer 2006, appeared the next year.