Bio
Taylor Hicks is an American singer best known for winning the fifth season of the reality competition television series American Idol, in 2006.
Hicks' star continued to rise after he stepped off the Idol stage. Less than three weeks after his victory, his debut single, Do I Make You Proud, entered at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, Pop 100, and Single Sales Charts.
Coinciding with the single's release, a cover story named him People magazine's Hottest Bachelor of the Year. His self-titled album (Arista), debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and was quickly certified RIAA Platinum.
In 2007, Hicks penned a brisk-selling autobiography Heart Full of Soul (Random House). He is the first male Idol winner to be featured on a Grammy Award-winning album, Jimmy Fallon's Blow Your Pants Off, which took home the 2013 Grammy for Best Comedy Album.
On Broadway, Hicks starred in the hit musical Grease as Teen Angel, and when asked to join the national tour, happily agreed. The 18-month tour connected him with fans across North America.
In June 2012, Hicks began his residency at Bally's Las Vegas. He continued to bring the roadhouse to the Las Vegas Strip with a year-long extension through 2013 at a larger venue, Paris Las Vegas, making him the first Idol winner in history to secure a long term residency in Las Vegas.
On August 30, 2012 Hicks performed at the closing night of the 2012 Republican National Convention, playing to a crowd of 18,500 delegates in Tampa, Florida, and a national TV audience of over 30-million viewers.
Hicks, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama, had music on his mind from childhood. As a young adult, he became a fixture around the Southeast, playing concerts and club dates with visiting stars like James Brown, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Robert Randolph, Keb' Mo' and Widespread Panic, among others.
Hicks also released the independent albums In Your Time and Under the Radar. Later, these albums were compiled and released by Vanguard Records as Early Works.
Hicks has also performed with artists like Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Gladys Knight, Earth Wind and Fire and The Allman Brothers, appearing in concerts worldwide.