First impression: Taylor Hicks at WorkPlay

Thank you luvtaylorhicks for finding this first article re: the two Workplay shows this weekend:

By Mary Colurso — The Birmingham News
September 26, 2009, 1:59AM

Over time, it’s become clear to me: Taylor Hicks is the most dynamic, interesting and consistently entertaining member of Birmingham’s “American Idol” trio.

Perhaps it’s unfair to lump Hicks, 32, into a category with Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice, because their music styles are so different — soul-pop, R&B and Southern rock, respectively.

But all three are local guys who made their fame on the same TV reality series, and their successes happened within a span of just four years. I can’t help but compare and contrast them, and frankly, Hicks always stands out.

When the Gray Haired Guy returns for a concert here, as he did Friday night at the WorkPlay theater, it’s always a professional, high-energy show. Hicks works hard as a singer-instrumentalist (guitar and harmonica) and the set never feels amateurish or slapdash.

If anything, Hicks’ 11 p.m. performance at WorkPlay proved that he’s gained in confidence and stage stature in the years following his 2006 “Idol” win.

Very nice comments from Ms Colurso!  You can read the entire article here.

Taylor Hicks is ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ in ‘Grease’

Another nice article about Taylor Hicks in Grease.  This one includes a good plug for his latest album, The Distance.

By Patrice Stewart
The Decatur Daily, Ala., September 24

American Idol 2006 winner Taylor Hicks returns to his hometown for a featured role in the touring production of Grease, which opened Tuesday at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.

The platinum-selling recording artist will play the “Teen Angel” role through Sunday.

Hicks made his Broadway debut in the Teen Angel role and has been on the road with Grease since this tour began Dec. 2.

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

Hicks was named winner of the fifth season of the Fox TV series American Idol. He has been recording and making appearances since his 2006 win.

On March 10, Hicks released his new studio album “The Distance,” featuring the singles “What’s Right Is Right” and “Seven Mile Breakdown.”

To read the entire article, visit here.

14 Questions with Taylor Hicks

luvtaylorhicks and taylorwow found and posted the following on The Boogie last night. The Mullet Wrapper apparently loves Taylor Hicks. This is the third article in the last two days! yay!

14 Questions with Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks is a Birmingham native, but he’s also Pleasure Island’s adopted son.  Only three years removed from picking up gigs at Lester’s and the Flora-Bama while trying to keep a working band on the road, Taylor has committed to tour with Grease well into 2010. “I’ve been in 45 cities since December,’’ he said days before his Sept. 11 concert in Biloxi.

Mullet Wrapper: What is one thing that most people do not know about you?
Taylor Hicks: I’ve become a pretty good photographer.’

MW: Considering anyone dead or alive, with whom would you like to have a conversation?
TH: Martin Luther King, Jr.’

MW: Besides parents, what one person(s) has greatly influenced your life?
TH: My grandmother.’ (Pleasure Island resident Joni Hicks)

MW: What is one thing that you would like to change about yourself?
TH: I’d like to be more healthy.

MW: What is one thing you would not want to change about yourself?
TH: My love for entertaining folks.

MW: How do you cope with stress?
TH: I run and I listen to my ipod.

MW: What is your favorite childhood memory?
TH: Watching Ray Charles in person in concert and, I guess, getting that first noon spot in the main room at the Flora-Bama when I was 18.

MW: What are your biggest pet peeves?
TH: People being impatient.

MW: Who are your favorite entertainers?
TH: Bobby Darin. That guy was the ultimate entertainer.

MW: What was your first and your worst job?
TH: My worst job was stripping and waxing floors. My first job was as a lawn service care provider. In other words I cut the freakin’ grass.

MW: If you had the political pull, what is one issue you would address?
TH: Partisan politics.

MW: What is the dumbest thing you ever did?
TH: How many days do we have to talk?

MW: What is the smartest thing you ever did?
TH: Listen to people who were older than me and had more experience and wisdom.

MW: If you could somehow will any team in any sport, to a championship, who would it be?
TH: The Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl. (Taylor spent a month in Detroit with Grease.)

MW: A perfect day is …
TH: Hanging out with great friends at the beach and not having a curfew or an interview.

Okay, so it’s really 15 questions, but it’s a fun little interview and who can blame him for being excited? (I don’t know the author’s name, though – anybody?)

Taylor Hicks Mania at Opening Night of Grease

From Birmingham news CBS42 – the locals are excited about Taylor Hicks’ return!

Reported by: Anna Donaldson
Last Update: 9/24 9:10 am

Grease is the word tonight, but American Idol Taylor Hicks is the main attraction!

Tuesday was opening night of Grease at the BJCC Concert Hall. Those in attendance tonight, such as Beckie Martin, say it’s Alabama singing sensation Taylor Hicks who brought them to the show.

“We came for Taylor. His dad works in Jasper, and we are all from Jasper. We are just real excited. We came to see him when he was in Birmingham before,” says Martin.

Read the rest and watch an interview with Taylor here.

Grease in Birmingham:

BJCC – Birmingham, AL
September 22 2009 – 8:00P
September 23 2009 – 8:00P
September 24 2009 – 8:00P
September 25 2009 – 8:00P
September 26 2009 – 2:00P
September 26 2009 – 8:00P
September 27 2009 – 1:00P
September 27 2009 – 6:30P

Taylor Hicks is literally in control of his future

Found by luvtaylorhicks, these two articles from The Mullet Wrapper.

Taylor Hicks is literally in control of his future
By Fran Thompson

An excerpt:

[Taylor Hicks] made his Broadway debut in Grease, a gig he will keep through next year.  “It’s like getting a brand new instrument,’’ he said of acting.  “I know how to put a band together and go out and play music, but I don’t know how to act.  I’m learning and it’s interesting.  In a way it is similar to riffing off of a musician.”

“My part in Grease is small and I play it over the top,’’ he added, “but it has to be over the top.  And the show is Idol friendly.  It’s perfect for me.’’

Taylor sings one of his songs on stage after every Grease show and then signs CDs and visits with fans afterwards. It is a connection he does not take lightly. “Reporters have to take a negative slant. But they don’t see the down syndrome child who comes up and throws his arms around you and gives you a big hug, while you and his family share a few moments of joy,’’ Taylor said before a recent show in Biloxi. “That’s something I see every night. I do eight shows a week and I’m on the floor with the public in every part of the country. “Something like that hits you hard and it’s real, and it gets to me,’’ he added. “It’s not about what you’ve been talking about in interviews all day. It’s what happened right then and it brings you right down to Earth. God has a way of not letting you get carried away.’’

You can read the entire article here.  I especially like the way Ms Thompson summed up Taylor from his days pre-Idol to now.

Hicks releases “The Distance’’ on his own label

Taylor Hicks new CD The Distance is the first he has released on his own label, Modern Whomp Records.  Produced by Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill), it features eleven tracks ranging from soul to ballads to country, including the first single What’s Right Is Right.

“A lot of popular music sounds the same,’’ he said.  “From track one to track 10, it’s the same thing. I just picked songs I liked and felt like I had enough of a unique voice to pull off.   I have creative control,’’ he added. “If I want to go against the grain playing every kind of style that I love, I will sink or swim with it.  Hopefully, I have good songs.   I feel like it’s a solid effort, but every record is a learning curve.  What’s Right Is Right is the soulful love song of the album,” said Taylor.  “I think its wonderful message about love that people can relate to.’’

You can read the entire article here.

Birmingham’s ‘American Idol’ winner Taylor Hicks making his way on Broadway

From AL.com, a terrific new article:

Posted by Alec Harvey — Birmingham News
September 18, 2009 7:00 AM

Taylor Hicks is still amazed at what’s happened to his life.

And he’s not talking about going from virtual obscurity to winning “American Idol” in 2006 or putting out two CDs — “Taylor Hicks” and this year’s “The Distance.”

Now, sitting at an outdoor table at Vestavia Hills’ Diplomat Deli, Hicks is talking about his stint on Broadway and on tour as Teen Angel in “Grease.”

“I never thought in a million years that I’d be putting on makeup every day for one-and-a-half years,” says Hicks, who plays Teen Angel in the national tour of “Grease,” which opens in Birmingham Tuesday. It’s happened so much, the singer known for his gray locks jokes that he’s pre-conditioned to flinch around showtime, even on off days, when no one is fiddling with his hair.

Hicks has owned the role of Teen Angel — who urges beauty school dropout Frenchy to go back to high school — since joining the musical’s Broadway cast in June 2008. He’s headlined the tour since it started in December and is contracted through June 2010.

In “Grease,” Hicks is able to perform a single from “The Distance,” and he’s played in clubs along the tour route, adding to his legions of fans known as the Soul Patrol.

Read the entire article here.  My favorite part:

• On his “Idol” season-mates, which included Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young and Katharine McPhee: “I text everyone from that season,” he says, adding with a laugh, “That’s my favorite season.”

BJCC – Birmingham, AL
September 22 2009 – 8:00P
September 23 2009 – 8:00P
September 24 2009 – 8:00P
September 25 2009 – 8:00P
September 26 2009 – 2:00P
September 26 2009 – 8:00P
September 27 2009 – 1:00P
September 27 2009 – 6:30P

Hoover’s own Taylor Hicks has scheduled a visit to his alma mater, Hoover High

(HOOVER HIGH/Aug. 22, 2009) – Hoover’s own Taylor Hicks has scheduled a visit to his alma mater, Hoover High, for Wednesday, September 23rd.

The American Idol winner and Grease Broadway star returns to Birmingham that week while Grease is being staged at the BJCC Concert Hall. With regard to his Hoover High visit, Theatre Director Nancy Malone envisions a quaint conversation with theatre students about Hicks’ rise to fame in the entertainment industry.

“It’s so exciting to see someone who is local who has made it professionally in the arts. It’s a testament to the theatre department that alumni want to come back and share. It puts the spotlight on a very vibrant program at Hoover High,” Malone said.

According to Malone, a parent of a theatre student made some business connections which led to Hicks’ visit.

Read the entire article here.

- posted by luvtaylorhicks

Taylor Hicks on Grease, Hamlet, going the distance

luvtaylorhicks is on a roll!!

Taylor Hicks on Grease, Hamlet, going the distance
Posted by Joey Guerra at September 10, 2009 01:04 PM

Taylor Hicks says starring on Broadway “never crossed his mind” as he was building his post-American Idol career.

But the season 5 winner knows (along with several other Idol graduates) that a reality-show win doesn’t necessarily translate to real-world superstardom.

“The sustainment of high success is very tough. You have to own as much as you can in this business. If you don’t, then your future is going to be a tough one,” he says.

“Having the freedom to go into different musical fields, living and dying by your own sword, I think that creates drive for me.”

Hicks heeded his own advice and stepped onto the Broadway stage in 2008 as the teen angel in the Broadway revival of Grease. He’s reprising that role in Theater Under the Stars’ current production. He’s also plugging a new CD, The Distance, with an acoustic show Monday at Warehouse Live.

He never once uttered “soul patrol!” during our chat. (Damn.) But Hicks did talk about guardian angels, sparring with another famous Taylor and the one crown that rivals his Idol title -

Your one number in Grease, Beauty School Dropout, comes during Act 2. What’s happening backstage the rest of the time?

You are just hanging out, but (I’m also) writing songs. We’re trying to work on the next record. The time I spend off the stage is spent working to try to get back on it, so to speak. Doing eight shows a week, along with press, and working a record that you have out already — it’s a lot to work. But this is what you have to understand about this business. You have to work for the next thing.

Why was theater the right step, right now?

I never thought in a million years that I would be flown to New York City to star in a Broadway show. But as I evolve in theater and from this part, it makes complete sense. I’ve been performing live for a long time. Music is not necessarily the means to an end. I think entertaining is a means to an end. You have to reinvent yourself, and you have to be versatile to withstand a long career.

You’ve performed onstage for more than a decade. Has theater taught you anything new?

The rapport between the actors and actresses, it’s instantaneous, as far as creativity. I’ve always been able to play off a musician with my instrument. But now, I’m actually playing off a role. I find that fascinating, the first-hand experience that I’m gaining, playing off of someone’s character. It’s like the first time that you communicated musically with someone. It’s like a brand new toy.

There’s a video and a few more questions here.  Check it out – they’re good ones!

Taylor Hicks: 7 p.m. Monday at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel. $25; 713-225-5483 or warehouselive.com.

Grease: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, through Sept. 20. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby $24-$87; 713-558-8887 or tuts.com.

Great Article from AL.Com

Sept. 11 probably isn’t the easiest day for an entertainer to take the stage, but Taylor Hicks says he’s excited about any date that finds him performing on the Gulf Coast.

“I’m really excited about getting back down there,” the singer says of his upcoming appearance Friday at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi. (Tickets for the 8 p.m. show in the Beau Rivage Theatre are $19.95 and up. Call 1-888-566-7469 for information or to order.)

“There’s a lot of significance to that date,” Hicks says. “I think I will handle it differently.”

One obvious place to turn: “Nineteen,” a song about a young man who gives up life as a budding football star to join the Marines after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

He’s the boy next door/ He might have carried your bags at the grocery store/ He’s somebody’s son in a hole with a gun in a foreign land/ Tryin’ to hold on to his American dream at nineteen

The song is one of the stronger tracks on “The Distance,” the independent album Hicks released in March. Friday’s show will be Hicks’ first appearance on the Gulf Coast since “The Distance” came out — so, needless to say, he’s looking forward to seeing fans and old friends from the days before he rocketed to fame by winning “American Idol.”

His goal on “The Distance” was to deliver variety, and he says that’s true of his live shows as well.

So, while tunes like “Nineteen” and the album’s title track have a somber feel, there’s also plenty of good-time music. Hicks says fans have taken particularly well to “Seven Mile Breakdown,” a song with a rough-and-ready roadhouse feel.

For him, he says, it’s a throwback to the days when he paid his dues in bars,
restaurants and nightclubs in Baldwin County and the Florida Panhandle.

Curiously enough, he says, the song has gotten some play on country stations.

“I’m new to the format,” he says, but it’s an avenue he might explore further on his next album.

For now, Hicks continues to live a double life. He continues to star as Teen Angel in a touring production of “Grease,” working in concerts along the way. This makes for a sometimes grueling schedule. Friday’s show in Mississippi, for example, is a one-night detour smack in the middle of a “Grease” run in Houston.

“If you’re willing to work 24 hours, somehow in this business there’s an opportunity to do it,” he says.

Note: “Grease” runs in Houston until Sept. 20, then moves to the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center for shows Sept. 22-27. Hicks will perform music concerts at Birmingham’s Workplay Theatre Sept. 25 and 26; according to Hicks’ site, the Sept. 25 show is sold out.

Temptation Otis Williams is a Taylor Hicks fan

Boogie Boarder kmoss17819 found this gem of an article – it’s an interview with Temptation Otis Williams … and he mentions Taylor Hicks!

The relevant portion:

Geek – You say, “Great singing will always prevail.”  That’s what they push on American Idol. Do you watch that TV show?

Otis Williams – Oh yeah, I watch it.

G – What do you think of it?

OW – Some of it is funny.  Every now and then you run across somebody who can sing, but a lot of those people up there are kind of funny.  I really like Taylor Hicks.

G – He’s good because he’s different.

OW – Yes, he is.  I like his deliverance and he can sing.

You can read the rest here.  It really is a very interesting article with an icon of the music world.  Thank you, kmoss17819!!