“As a kid, I knew I was supposed to entertain and perform for folks. When you have that self-belief and inner-determination, you understand there are peaks and valleys in this business, and you just keep working at it. …If you keep working, and you’re good to people, you’ll be blessed.”
In his autobiography, Hicks shares his passion for the music that saved him as a young man:
“Singing from your soul isn’t about how many notes you can hit or how long you can hold them. It’s all about intimacy and honesty. It’s about sharing your story in a song—whether is happens to be a song you wrote or one you decided to make your own.
“The only job I ever really wanted comes down to looking somebody in the eyes and telling them the truth—telling them my truth…”
Author and musician Gene Santoro wrote about Tom Waits, the staunchly unconventional songwriter and musician:
“It’s hard not to be yourself when you are as much who you are as Waits is.”
In the Waits tradition, Taylor Hicks defends being who you are:
“…I don’t think you should ever run away from who you are. Rather, I think you should run toward whomever you want to be. It’s like they say—wherever you go, there you are.”
“If you stay the same person, it doesn’t matter where you go.”
For Taylor Hicks, the final word is always the music:
“For me, you can take it all. But leave me with the music.”
In his autobiography, Hicks shares his passion for the music that saved him as a young man:
“Singing from your soul isn’t about how many notes you can hit or how long you can hold them. It’s all about intimacy and honesty. It’s about sharing your story in a song—whether is happens to be a song you wrote or one you decided to make your own.
“The only job I ever really wanted comes down to looking somebody in the eyes and telling them the truth—telling them my truth…”
Author and musician Gene Santoro wrote about Tom Waits, the staunchly unconventional songwriter and musician:
“It’s hard not to be yourself when you are as much who you are as Waits is.”
In the Waits tradition, Taylor Hicks defends being who you are:
“…I don’t think you should ever run away from who you are. Rather, I think you should run toward whomever you want to be. It’s like they say—wherever you go, there you are.”
“If you stay the same person, it doesn’t matter where you go.”
For Taylor Hicks, the final word is always the music:
“For me, you can take it all. But leave me with the music.”
~~
Sources: taylorhicks.com 2006, Heart Full of Soul by Taylor Hicks with David Wild for Random House, MTV.com, Highway 61 by Gene Santoro, broadway.com, Syracuse.com, New York Post, Music Maven, media interviews.
Photo credits: Taylor at Beau Rivage by NolaMar Images; Touring, FoxandFriends; The Distance, Modern Whomp Records; Epcot, Broadway, by San; "Taylor Hicks" Arista Records; New Journey, American Idol Fox; Young Taylor, Steven Jackson.
Compiled and written by San; updated April, 2011. Thank you for not reposting content. “Taylor Hicks Biography ~~ The Journey” is published in its entirety on The Taylor Hicks Community at: http://www.thetaylorhickscommunity.com/journey.html
Compiled and written by San; updated April, 2011. Thank you for not reposting content. “Taylor Hicks Biography ~~ The Journey” is published in its entirety on The Taylor Hicks Community at: http://www.thetaylorhickscommunity.com/journey.html
Thank you for reading "The Journey."
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2 comments:
Although I've followed Taylor's journey since he won American Idol, I really enjoyed reading your retelling of the journey. I thoroughly believe Taylor Hicks will be on the entertainment and music scene for as long as he wants to pursue that dream. I'm certainly looking forward to everything this talented man does in the future. :)
Thanks for reading and commenting, Tish. We'll all continue to follow the journey of "this talented man" for sure!
San
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