Taylor Hicks ~~Biography: The Journey, Birmingham to Broadway

In summer, 2008, Taylor Hicks celebrated another milestone on a different stage—the Broadway stage. On June 6, he debuted on The Great White Way starring as Teen Angel in the revival production of “Grease.” In an Elvis-style pompadour and a rhinestone-encrusted midnight blue suit reminiscent of the 1950s’ flashy designs by Nudie Cohn, Hicks brought a new blues-inspired Teen Angel to Broadway. He said that he was channeling a little Elvis as he sang a soulful “Beauty School Dropout” to Frenchy. “We’re packing the place out. It’s sold out every night, and I get to play a little harmonica, which is cool.”

In August, Hicks revisited the roots music from years before with the release of Early Works, the first offering on his own label, Modern Whomp Records. Early Works compiled remastered tracks from his two previous independent releases, In Your Time and Under the Radar. In Your Time, featured Hicks originals—“Son of a Carpenter,” “The Fall,” “In Your Time,” and “Somehow.” He covered two classic tunes, “Tighten Up” and “Georgia.”

Under The Radar was exclusively the works of Hicks. Early Works includes his most often performed song and what he has called his personal mantra, “Soul Thing,” about life on the road and getting by. Other tracks are lyrical messages about love and friends: “The Deal,” “Hold on to Your Love,” “Heart and Soul” (originally entitled Blues and Soul), “West Texas Sky” and “My Friend.”

“…these two albums represent who I am and who I am trying to represent as a songwriter.” [They were] “songs that were hitting home with me at the time. …the songwriting was getting better and my direction as an artist was getting clearer,” Hicks wrote in the liner notes for Early Works.

After closing a very successful Broadway run in “Grease” on September 7, Hicks returned to the recording studio to work on a new album. He collaborated with some highly acclaimed musicians, including Nashville songwriters, Tom Hambridge and Gary Nicholson. He describes this work as “…some of the best music I’ve ever written, and from an artistic standpoint, this album, being in my control has allowed me to really breathe as a songwriter. …As an artist, you kind of understand the times and what your surroundings are and write from them. So there’s some political undertones on the album. It’s a serious time for us.”

Tomorrow: "The Distance" - "Before closing in 'Grease,' Taylor Hicks announced a cutting edge deal..."