Wade on Birmingham

Taylor Hicks: American Idol

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taylor hicksFor “American Idol” fans, it’s all about soul as gray-haired Taylor Hicks won the title tonight.

The 29-year-old Birmingham native defeated Katharine McPhee in the final week of the top-rated reality TV singing competition on Fox. Hicks becomes the second man and the second Birmingham resident to win the “Idol” crown, following Ruben Studdard’s victory over Clay Aiken in 2003.

“Soul Patrol!” said Hicks onstage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. “I’m living the American dream. Thank you, Soul Patrol. Thank you, America. Thank you to the fans. Thank you to the American Idols.”

Hicks wins a recording contract and is expected to release his first single, “Do I Make You Proud,” by June. Hicks and McPhee received new cars during the telecast.

Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks performs ‘Living for the City’ on May 23 on ‘American Idol.’

Host Ryan Seacrest announced during the season finale that fans cast 63.4 million votes in the last round Tuesday night. While vote totals weren’t immediately available, Hicks never landed in the dreaded bottom three or two during the competition, thanks to his sizable fan base known as the Soul Patrol.

Tuesday’s show featured Hicks singing “Living for the City” and “Levon” in addition to the “Proud” debut single, while McPhee countered with “Black Horse and Cherry Tree,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and her debut single, “My Destiny.” Judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson offered praise for both contestants, but singled out Hicks for defining songs with his signature style.

Hicks, sometimes called the Soul Man, stood out from competitors week after week through his enthusiastic performances, his gray hair, his uninhibited dance moves and his soul-tinged song renditions. In earlier rounds, he performed songs by Ray Charles, Michael McDonald and Joe Cocker, singers with whom he’s drawn repeated comparisons.

His popularity emerged in unusual ways during the season, including record numbers of fan sites, bulletin board postings and a two-time parody on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” An estimated 12,000 people packed the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover earlier this month to see Hicks on his promotional return visit.

His experience seemed to be a key factor in winning over audiences. Hicks said that his live music career began as a teenager, when he snuck into nightclubs to perform after playing in high school basketball games. He left Auburn University to try his luck in Nashville, continuing to play clubs throughout the South with his band.

Close friends and his step-brother Sean Hicks encouraged him to audition for “Idol” in 2005. When Taylor Hicks missed a flight from New Orleans to Birmingham on Aug. 28, the night before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, he received a voucher.

That voucher became his ticket to the Las Vegas auditions, where Hicks won over Abdul and Jackson. But Cowell declared (and later retracted), that the audience “will not put you in the final group to be judged by the public.” Still, Hicks moved on to the next stage, Hollywood, to win one of 12 men’s spots among hundreds of contestants.

In following weeks, it seemed as though Hicks was untouchable, even on weeks when the judges ripped his performances. But oddsmakers have recently touted Hicks as the clear frontrunner among remaining contestants.

Hicks may be the second Birmingham man to win “Idol,” but he’s also the oldest contestant to finish first, as well as the first one to win a man-woman finale (Kelly Clarkson defeated Justin Guarini in 2002 and Carrie Underwood defeated Huntsville native Bo Bice in 2005). Clarkson, Aiken and Underwood — like Hicks — never landed in the bottom three/two.

Birmingham has played a part in four of the past five “Idol” finale showdowns. Diana DeGarmo, the runner-up in 2004, was born in Birmingham, moving to Atlanta at age 3; Bice lived in the suburb of Helena when he competed.

Hicks’ next performance in Birmingham will be Aug. 8 at the BJCC Arena as part of the American Idols Live tour. He won’t have long to prepare: The 56-city tour kicks off July 5 in Manchester, N.H.

“American Idol” continued to grow in ratings in its fifth season, finishing consistently at the top of the Nielsens and pulling in more than 30 million viewers in Tuesday’s final competition episode. Tonight’s episode featured big performers alongside the finalists, including Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Dionne Warwick, Live, Meat Loaf, Aiken, Underwood and, in a surprise appearance, Prince.

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Read more on Taylor Hicks.

7 Yips for “Taylor Hicks: American Idol”

  1. Ike
    Thursday, May 25, 2006, 12:16 am
    1

    “Hicks may be the second Birmingham man to win “Idol,” but he’s also the oldest contestant to finish first, as well as the first one to win a man-woman finale”

    Sorry Wade — but Ruben Studdard was the first man to defeat a woman in the finals. Taylor Reuben Hicks is the second.

  2. Wade
    Thursday, May 25, 2006, 12:44 am
    2

    When the Claymates come to exact revenge — and they will come — can I have your laptop?

  3. Dre’s Ramblings » Live blogcast from Workplay Theatre: “American Idol” Finale Viewing Party
    Thursday, May 25, 2006, 12:52 am
    3

    […] For more, you may want to check out Wade's post about Taylor's win posted earlier this evening. […]

  4. Bloom
    Thursday, May 25, 2006, 1:04 pm
    4

    TAYLOR HICKS’ AMERICAN IDOL STORY IN PICTURES – MY SCRAPBOOK DEDICATED TO TAYLOR:
    http://community.webtv.net/bloomtaliercio/TAYLORHICKSMY/
    wADE JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS FOR YOUR INSTANTANEOUS RECAPS WEEK AFTER WEEK FOR TAYLOR!!
    WHOOOO WHAT A RIDE IT HAS BEEN!!!

  5. sasgeorgia
    Friday, June 9, 2006, 7:48 pm
    5

    I’ve looked at the video of his final performance of DIMYP on the winning night several times. I really don’t think he was saying “Thank you to the FANS” because he already did that when he said “Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol!” and “Thank you, America.” I THINK he was saying “Thank you to the BANDS” because that was the direction he pointed to.
    Anyone else agree?

  6. tinamelina
    Thursday, June 15, 2006, 3:09 am
    6

    Taylor was definitely thanking the band – he is a musician himself and has been very much appreciative of the musicians on the show – he showed more regard for the musicans than any other AI contestant I’ve seen in all 5 years of Idol. This is just one of his wonderful traits.

  7. sasgeorgia
    Thursday, June 15, 2006, 9:25 pm
    7

    Perhaps we’ve finally discovered his appeal: he’s so darn CONSIDERATE!!! [so rare any more…]

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