A Bio of American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks

Most people know who Taylor Hicks is...the Season Five winner of American Idol. I know him as what I call "My Elvis". His life and his experience as a musician have mesmerized me from day one of his American Idol audition. So what, he's got gray hair! So what, his music style isn't the norm! Maybe America was saying something when they voted Taylor into stardom. Whatever your view of Taylor Hicks, his life has been a roller coaster ride.

Born October 7, 1976, Taylor Reuben Hicks has been singing since he could speak. He came into this world wanting it to hear his voice. At the age of 16, Taylor bought his first harmonica for $2 at a flea market. He would spend his days and nights practicing and listening to the blues. He says that it is music he can connect with because you can hear the heartache in it, and because his life wasn't an easy one, he just understood it.

After high school, Taylor attended Auburn University, and majored in business, communication and marketing. He quickly realized that his true calling was music.

Taylor's life hadn't been a comfortable one, and he has always said that the stage is his home. That is where he has always felt the most comfortable. I have seen him in concert five times now, and I can tell you, he is home when he is on stage. Off the stage, he is shy and you can see that he craves privacy.

Taylor's first CD is entitled "In Your Time", and I must say, it is beautiful and soulful! He has become what he said Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Joe Cocker were...the man with the voice where you can hear the heartache in it.

His second CD is entitled "Under the Radar", You can definitely tell that it is a more professional sounding CD, but again, he just has an amazing ability to make you just escape into his voice and fall into the words. I always get lost in his music and forget all about the problems of the day.

Taylor spent years doing his own thing; playing weddings, frat parties, and bars. He was just waiting for his shot to hit it big and making his voice heard.

It didn't take long before the world knew who Taylor Hicks was. A lucky ticket to a Las Vegas American Idol audition changed his life forever. People were taken with his honest heart and that a change was gonna come! Before that, he was just known to the world as contestant number 74094.

The rest is history. Told he wouldn't make it far enough to be judged by the public, Taylor showed them just how talented he was each week, never landing himself in the bottom three. When he beat out Katherine McPhee for the title of American Idol, I nearly wept, because it is a breath of fresh air for musicians like myself to see that America does crave something different.

He's always kept himself true to his music. He refuses to allow anyone to change him. He tells the world, "It's all about the music." and to sit and watch him perform in concert, that is exactly what he preaches. Music is his love, his passion, his soul mate. They are a perfect fit.

Although he seems a little overwhelmed by fame, I think he's anxious for a new Idol to take the reigns and take a little bit of the heat back off of him. He's ready to be released from the hold that Idol has held over him. Everyone always argues that this person or that person should've won, but you know what? They all won, and just because he holds a title, doesn't mean that the others have lost. Look at people like Jennifer Hudson...she didn't take the title and she's an Oscar winner.

Taylor has since released a new self title album and it has already sold over 500,000 copies. He's selling out every concert that he puts on and has a slew of loyal fans known as the Soul Patrol. Taylor Hicks is going far, people. As a witness to it several times, I have said "Move over Elvis, Taylor's coming for your crown!" Let's hope that Taylor goes down in history as the performer that he desires to be and not what others think he should be!