These Alabama boys gave back to their community a couple of weeks ago as they joined Habitat for Humanity for a work day building a home in the Wylam Oaks neighborhood in Birmingham. Taylor Hicks and his musical director and long-time friend, Brian Less, came to work and they both grabbed a hammer.
Brian shared his thoughts with The Taylor Hicks Community about the day and Taylor’s involvement in this worthwhile organization’s efforts to build homes and communities.
“If he could have, we would have stayed all day, but he had meetings. He loves to be giving and helping, and likes to make people happy. If he can do something to help someone, he always will…You don't think about it, you just do it. Taylor is definitely like that, too. We all are.”
Read our interview with Brian, who is now a card carrying Habitat for Humanity worker himself!
http://taylorconnections.com/topic/3125004/1/#new
Also, see our blogs below with media and pictures from Habitat for Humanity, March 18, 2010.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Help Taylor Support 15-40 Connection
Taylor Hicks, via his camp, has issued a challenge !!
It's time for us to rise to meet that challenge. We all know Taylor Hicks doesn't throw his weight behind every cause that comes calling, and he certainly doesn't ask his fans to contribute or to back many things. All he is asking us for this time is to become a Facebook Fan. In return for us joining, a donor will contribute $1 for every new Facebook Fan the 15-40 Connection site gets between now and April 12, up to $10,000.
And I bet everyone he is asking has been touched in some way by cancer. Be sure to read Taylor's myspace post (in case you weren't going to !!) ... there's some information about this age bracket maybe you don't know.
It's a great cause. Become another kind of fan for Taylor Hicks while you're on the internet today.
It's time for us to rise to meet that challenge. We all know Taylor Hicks doesn't throw his weight behind every cause that comes calling, and he certainly doesn't ask his fans to contribute or to back many things. All he is asking us for this time is to become a Facebook Fan. In return for us joining, a donor will contribute $1 for every new Facebook Fan the 15-40 Connection site gets between now and April 12, up to $10,000.
And I bet everyone he is asking has been touched in some way by cancer. Be sure to read Taylor's myspace post (in case you weren't going to !!) ... there's some information about this age bracket maybe you don't know.
It's a great cause. Become another kind of fan for Taylor Hicks while you're on the internet today.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Taylor Hicks ~~ Building community...
Taylor Hicks came home and went to work on building homes and community. In an interview with MyFoxAl.com, he was told that it was fitting that he was there on a day when the churches were building.
“I think that’s important—being able to come back for Habitat for Humanity and see these subdivisions and how quickly they get built and also how quickly the fellowship and community of this neighborhood gets built. It’s a wonderful opportunity to come back and give back to the community.”
Then he said it was time to go to work. Along with long-time friend and musician, Brian Less, Taylor picked up a hammer and started to work.
Photos from gallery at Road Runner:http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/photogallery/dlt/039L2kba9oe8D
For more media from Taylor's day with Habitat for Humanity, visit the TTHC media board:
http://z15.invisionfree.com/TaylorMade/index.php?showtopic=6341&st=0&#entry9157587
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Taylor Hicks ~~ Gives back to Habitat for Humanity
A few years ago, a struggling young singer in Birmingham, Alabama, gave $100 donation to a local charity and told them, “Some day I hope it will be bigger.” Some day is here, and Taylor Hicks can give larger donations now. He also gives more—his time and his name.
Taylor will join others in his home community of Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday, March 18th, in building homes for Habitat for Humanity in the Wylam Oaks neighborhood. The Lenten effort will involve several local churches and the Habitat College Challenge with students from Minnesota joining the work. Keys to six homes will be given to new owners on Good Friday.
As I was reading about Taylor participating in the Habitat for Humanity building, my local news was running a story about a big two-day workshop where lenders were meeting with homeowners to try and save their homes.
Some of us are very fortunate. We still have our jobs and our homes.
One way we can share our good fortune is by supporting the efforts of Taylor and Habitat for Humanity.
And it’s through the music!
Almost four years ago, the Warren Haynes Benefit Concert for Habitat for Humanity created a musical extravaganza that included some of the biggest names in the business. Taylor Hicks was among the special guest headliners playing a screaming harmonica.
Warren Haynes Presents: The Benefit Concert Volume 8 Overview:
“Recorded live at Warren Haynes 18th Annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC on December 16th, 2006 at the Asheville Civic Center, The Benefit Concert Volume 8 is the third release in an on-going series documenting the annual concerts. As with each previous benefit, all proceeds from this series of concerts and CD and DVD releases benefit Habitat For Humanity, an international non-profit organization dedicated to building housing for those in need of shelter.
“The 2006 concert saw Warren Haynes put together a stellar lineup of musicians featuring Gov t Mule, Dave Matthews, The New Orleans Social Club, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, The Taj Mahal Trio and The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic. Warren Haynes also welcomed very special guests Randall Bramblett, Taylor Hicks, Branford Marsalis, Mike Barnes, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson & Family), Brendan Bayliss (Umphrey s McGee), Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin), Robert Kearns (The Bottle Rockets) and Dave Schools (Widespread Panic).
“The Benefit Concert Volume 8 offers more than 3 hours of incredible music from The New Orleans Social Club s version of Creedence Clearwater Revival s Fortunate Son featuring Branford Marsalis to Gov t Mule and Dave Mathews scorching cover of Neil Young s Cortez The Killer to the all-star “I Shall Be Released finale.”
We can all do our part in supporting this effort to put people in homes when so many others are losing theirs.
Order “Warren Haynes Presents” at Amazon and give to building communities everywhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Haynes-Presents-Benefit-Concert/dp/B00197X1VI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268534441&sr=1-4
It’s a good time for us all to give back a little.
And you get to enjoy an evening of incredible music!
In times like these, all kinds of charities are in desperate need. Please think about a gift for whatever worthwhile efforts you support.
“Together, we can make a difference.” Taylor Hicks
“This only is charity, to do all, all that we can.” John Donne
Please...do all that you can.
(Thanks to Cath for the seed and materials for this blog. )
Taylor will join others in his home community of Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday, March 18th, in building homes for Habitat for Humanity in the Wylam Oaks neighborhood. The Lenten effort will involve several local churches and the Habitat College Challenge with students from Minnesota joining the work. Keys to six homes will be given to new owners on Good Friday.
As I was reading about Taylor participating in the Habitat for Humanity building, my local news was running a story about a big two-day workshop where lenders were meeting with homeowners to try and save their homes.
Some of us are very fortunate. We still have our jobs and our homes.
One way we can share our good fortune is by supporting the efforts of Taylor and Habitat for Humanity.
And it’s through the music!
Almost four years ago, the Warren Haynes Benefit Concert for Habitat for Humanity created a musical extravaganza that included some of the biggest names in the business. Taylor Hicks was among the special guest headliners playing a screaming harmonica.
Warren Haynes Presents: The Benefit Concert Volume 8 Overview:
“Recorded live at Warren Haynes 18th Annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC on December 16th, 2006 at the Asheville Civic Center, The Benefit Concert Volume 8 is the third release in an on-going series documenting the annual concerts. As with each previous benefit, all proceeds from this series of concerts and CD and DVD releases benefit Habitat For Humanity, an international non-profit organization dedicated to building housing for those in need of shelter.
“The 2006 concert saw Warren Haynes put together a stellar lineup of musicians featuring Gov t Mule, Dave Matthews, The New Orleans Social Club, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, The Taj Mahal Trio and The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic. Warren Haynes also welcomed very special guests Randall Bramblett, Taylor Hicks, Branford Marsalis, Mike Barnes, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson & Family), Brendan Bayliss (Umphrey s McGee), Kevn Kinney (Drivin N Cryin), Robert Kearns (The Bottle Rockets) and Dave Schools (Widespread Panic).
“The Benefit Concert Volume 8 offers more than 3 hours of incredible music from The New Orleans Social Club s version of Creedence Clearwater Revival s Fortunate Son featuring Branford Marsalis to Gov t Mule and Dave Mathews scorching cover of Neil Young s Cortez The Killer to the all-star “I Shall Be Released finale.”
We can all do our part in supporting this effort to put people in homes when so many others are losing theirs.
Order “Warren Haynes Presents” at Amazon and give to building communities everywhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Warren-Haynes-Presents-Benefit-Concert/dp/B00197X1VI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268534441&sr=1-4
It’s a good time for us all to give back a little.
And you get to enjoy an evening of incredible music!
In times like these, all kinds of charities are in desperate need. Please think about a gift for whatever worthwhile efforts you support.
“Together, we can make a difference.” Taylor Hicks
“This only is charity, to do all, all that we can.” John Donne
Please...do all that you can.
(Thanks to Cath for the seed and materials for this blog. )
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Taylor Hicks ~~ Three years ago--"why" doesn't matter
Three years ago this week, I began my own road trip with Taylor Hicks and his music in Huntsville, Alabama. I would fly to Birmingham, meet friends, and ride the short distance to Huntsville for my first live Taylor Hicks concert. It is a little surreal to see in person someone you have watched for over a year on TV and in videos. I can only describe it as I have before. I was breathless…and hooked.
In what was called “Birmingham Week” because it would culminate with two concerts in Taylor’s hometown on Saturday and Sunday, I would go to Nashville for an emotional concert in the town where, in the past, no doors would open to Taylor. This time, his own shiny tour bus sat next to the Ryman Auditorium, home of Music City legends. I walked up the hill in front of the Ryman that afternoon and took one of my favorite pictures—the beautiful silver and burgundy swirls of Taylor’s tour bus with the historic Ryman close along side. It was a moment of sweet revenge.
From Nashville, it would be on to Atlanta where it was cold outside and hot inside. It was my first close at the stage encounter with Taylor live in concert. It is still one of the most exciting Taylor concerts ever. I could see and feel the emotion.
Finally, Taylor at home in Birmingham was incomparable to any concert experience. Another favorite picture of mine is “Taylor Hicks” on the marquee of the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. “It’s good to be home” was his mantra for two emotional evenings. There were no dry eyes that night. 
I would go back to Mississippi and New Orleans for Taylor concerts and to Tempe, AZ, Las Vegas, and again to Mississippi for the close of the 2007 tour at Pearl River. It was a season to fondly remember.
And then there was “Grease.”
There’s nothing like New York and Taylor’s Teen Angel billboard five stories high right on Broadway. It would be my first exciting trip to New York and Broadway and bring the unexpected loss of a dear family member while I was there.
There are people who have seen “Grease” more times than I have. But I’ve seen it a few—besides in New York, Arizona and California, I would go back to Birmingham for “Grease” and the incomparable experience at WorkPlay, which set a high standard for the future.
The past three years were like no others. It wasn’t just new experiences, it was a new mindset. It was a new appreciation for the time and things that I have and have the opportunity to experience—people, music, and travels.
What kept bringing me back?
There’s been a lot written about “why.” Why did we start watching American Idol when we never had before and haven’t since? Why did Taylor Hicks touch a place in our hearts with his music and his life?
You know, sometimes the “why” just doesn’t matter.
Some things don’t need to be explained. They only need to be experienced. And that’s what this time has been—an unparalleled experience.
Taylor Hicks, who has given so much to following his dream, has inspired me to do things that enrich my life and look at others and the world a little bit differently. I think I have better priorities for living each day. He said early on that together we can make a difference and it’s not about how many records you sell, but how many lives you touch.
Perhaps in some small way, to someone, we are all making a difference. It has all made a difference in my life.
Looking back reminds me of how my life has changed in three short years. Looking forward promises many more years of following Taylor and his music. There will be another era—“After ‘Grease.’” There will always be the music. He has said there will be another record and more touring.
The last one started in Huntsville for me, and my life got a whole lot different.
Bring on the next one!
Taylor Hicks knows how to tour; I know how to fly.
Make your own journey. Experience. Don’t ask why! .jpg)
In what was called “Birmingham Week” because it would culminate with two concerts in Taylor’s hometown on Saturday and Sunday, I would go to Nashville for an emotional concert in the town where, in the past, no doors would open to Taylor. This time, his own shiny tour bus sat next to the Ryman Auditorium, home of Music City legends. I walked up the hill in front of the Ryman that afternoon and took one of my favorite pictures—the beautiful silver and burgundy swirls of Taylor’s tour bus with the historic Ryman close along side. It was a moment of sweet revenge.
From Nashville, it would be on to Atlanta where it was cold outside and hot inside. It was my first close at the stage encounter with Taylor live in concert. It is still one of the most exciting Taylor concerts ever. I could see and feel the emotion. Finally, Taylor at home in Birmingham was incomparable to any concert experience. Another favorite picture of mine is “Taylor Hicks” on the marquee of the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. “It’s good to be home” was his mantra for two emotional evenings. There were no dry eyes that night. I would go back to Mississippi and New Orleans for Taylor concerts and to Tempe, AZ, Las Vegas, and again to Mississippi for the close of the 2007 tour at Pearl River. It was a season to fondly remember.And then there was “Grease.”
There’s nothing like New York and Taylor’s Teen Angel billboard five stories high right on Broadway. It would be my first exciting trip to New York and Broadway and bring the unexpected loss of a dear family member while I was there.There are people who have seen “Grease” more times than I have. But I’ve seen it a few—besides in New York, Arizona and California, I would go back to Birmingham for “Grease” and the incomparable experience at WorkPlay, which set a high standard for the future.
The past three years were like no others. It wasn’t just new experiences, it was a new mindset. It was a new appreciation for the time and things that I have and have the opportunity to experience—people, music, and travels.
What kept bringing me back?
There’s been a lot written about “why.” Why did we start watching American Idol when we never had before and haven’t since? Why did Taylor Hicks touch a place in our hearts with his music and his life?
You know, sometimes the “why” just doesn’t matter.
Some things don’t need to be explained. They only need to be experienced. And that’s what this time has been—an unparalleled experience.
Taylor Hicks, who has given so much to following his dream, has inspired me to do things that enrich my life and look at others and the world a little bit differently. I think I have better priorities for living each day. He said early on that together we can make a difference and it’s not about how many records you sell, but how many lives you touch.
Perhaps in some small way, to someone, we are all making a difference. It has all made a difference in my life.
Looking back reminds me of how my life has changed in three short years. Looking forward promises many more years of following Taylor and his music. There will be another era—“After ‘Grease.’” There will always be the music. He has said there will be another record and more touring.
The last one started in Huntsville for me, and my life got a whole lot different.
Bring on the next one!
Taylor Hicks knows how to tour; I know how to fly.
Make your own journey. Experience. Don’t ask why!
Taylor at WorkPlay, Birmingham 9.25.09
Photos by San.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Bring on the Music!
Taylor Hicks Music Night, sponsored by New Found Freedom, March 20, celebrates the music!
Taylor Hicks is never far away from his music. Neither are his fans.
They’re coming together for Taylor Hicks Music Night Listening Party next weekend. Taylor will provide the music via audio files to a PalTalk chat room. Music lovers will gather in the NFF Listening Party room on PalTalk to listen and chat.
It is a child of the cellcert all grownup and turned “chatcert” which New Found Freedom, Season of the Soul, The Official Soul Patrol, and The Taylor Hicks Community initiated for the live Taylor concerts from WorkPlay venue in Birmingham in September last fall. The music was sent live from Taylor and friends in concert for two nights at WorkPlay. Guests on PalTalk listened at home computers all over the country and the world and talked about the happenings.
It worked just as well as a Taylor Hicks harmonica, and so, it was repeated from Taylor’s Shadow Tour concert from the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI, in December.
Never ones to let a good thing go, New Found Freedom and Taylor followers now are creating their own “concert” from music on the Taylor Hicks setlists and recordings for a special night of music and conversation.
All you need to join the fun is PalTalkScene. It is free; it only requires a simple download on your computer. And there is nothing to hold or plug in to your ear. Further instructions for downloading PalTalk are posted on the boards.
Grab a snack and pour a drink. Join us for a fun evening of Taylor music and talk.
Taylor Hicks Music Night sponsored by New Found Freedom
Saturday, March 20, 2010 ~ 9:00 p.m. EST – 6:00 p.m. PST
Be there for another cool “connection” in Taylor world via PalTalk.
Instructions for downloading PalTalk and signing up for the NFF Listening Party:
http://taylorconnections.com/topic/2995718/1/
“…You can take it all, but leave me with the music.” Taylor Hicks
See you Saturday, March 20th!
Taylor Hicks is never far away from his music. Neither are his fans.
They’re coming together for Taylor Hicks Music Night Listening Party next weekend. Taylor will provide the music via audio files to a PalTalk chat room. Music lovers will gather in the NFF Listening Party room on PalTalk to listen and chat.
It is a child of the cellcert all grownup and turned “chatcert” which New Found Freedom, Season of the Soul, The Official Soul Patrol, and The Taylor Hicks Community initiated for the live Taylor concerts from WorkPlay venue in Birmingham in September last fall. The music was sent live from Taylor and friends in concert for two nights at WorkPlay. Guests on PalTalk listened at home computers all over the country and the world and talked about the happenings.
It worked just as well as a Taylor Hicks harmonica, and so, it was repeated from Taylor’s Shadow Tour concert from the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI, in December.
Never ones to let a good thing go, New Found Freedom and Taylor followers now are creating their own “concert” from music on the Taylor Hicks setlists and recordings for a special night of music and conversation.
All you need to join the fun is PalTalkScene. It is free; it only requires a simple download on your computer. And there is nothing to hold or plug in to your ear. Further instructions for downloading PalTalk are posted on the boards.
Grab a snack and pour a drink. Join us for a fun evening of Taylor music and talk.
Taylor Hicks Music Night sponsored by New Found Freedom
Saturday, March 20, 2010 ~ 9:00 p.m. EST – 6:00 p.m. PST
Be there for another cool “connection” in Taylor world via PalTalk.
Instructions for downloading PalTalk and signing up for the NFF Listening Party:
http://taylorconnections.com/topic/2995718/1/
“…You can take it all, but leave me with the music.” Taylor Hicks
See you Saturday, March 20th!
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