Taylor Hicks ~~ The Rear View Mirror

Not my first Jam Cruise.
Taylor Hicks had been on Jam Cruise before as a fan. This past January, he joined Jam Cruise 9 as a performer and sat in with jam bands and bands that jam like Galactic, Robert Randolph, and Mardi Gras. He hosted a floating Gong Show. This was a side of Taylor’s music that some had not seen.

An iconic capture from Jam Cruise by Brad Hodge Photos.

I think I made that dance up.
Making up dances, selling out the house, “soireeing” through the South—Taylor played the Vinyl Theatre in Florida, packed in the beautiful Beau Rivage on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi, and spun the gold at Tunica Gold Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. You can check out this link for "Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks" on YouTube for the "dance" he made up.

Intense Taylor and Guitar by NolaMar Images at Vinyl Music Hall.

Unique capture by NolaMar of Taylor Hicks and Donna Hall at Beau Rivage.

"The Fall" from Beau Rivage by NolaMar.

New found “Friday.”
Playing harmonica on his knees prepared Taylor well for his debut on Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night show power sliding into the smash hit parody of Roberta Black’s “Friday” by Steven Cobert, Jimmy Fallen, and the Roots Crew on April 1. This “Friday” instantly went viral, and Friday will never be the same.

Jimmy Fallon, Steven Cobert and Taylor Hicks gettin' down on "Friday."

Professional image from Kirk Stauffer at Snoqualmie, OR.

Rough God Goes Riding.
It didn’t seem like just a new song on the set list. It was bittersweet. While Taylor played three SOLD OUT shows on the West Coast, his home state of Alabama was hammered with killer tornadoes in April—sometimes called the cruelest month.

It was that in 2011.

Taylor rushed home to lend support and a voice to his community. As he had done during the Gulf Coast oil spill, he spoke to media and appealed for help for the victims of the storms.

“Rough God Goes Riding,” which speaks of unfortunate times, quickly became a set list favorite.

Frame by San from video by Gypsee at Musica.

If it’s May, I’m in the twair.
May was a whirlwind of stages and cities from New England to the West Coast—eleven concerts or appearances in four weeks. Four were SOLD OUT. He also got his own wine label--Taylor Hicks’ Cabernet Sauvignon was corked exclusively for his concert at The Winery in New York City with proceeds benefitting the American Red Cross Tornado Recovery efforts.

The Winery's Taylor and Guitar by Mandy~RagsQueen.

“Maybe You Should” video by Gypsee at Musica yielded this Frame.

Stunning "portrait" from Jonathan's by Mandy~RagsQueen.

Music making a difference.
Spring turned into summer with musicians making a difference. Taylor and fellow American Idol, Ruben Studdard spent Sunday in the park with a free concert for the food banks in their hometown. The music community, including Taylor and an A List of music superstars like the legendary group, Alabama, came together for storm recovery in the huge benefit concert, BamaRising in Birmingham June 14. The same week, Taylor welcomed The Today Show to Birmingham with Al Roker, Paula Deen and Today’s Lend A Hand for The Community Kitchens, a longtime charity helping to feed the hungry.

This week said that there’s more to music than notes and more to celebrities than a spotlight.

BamaRising, from taylorhicks.com, courtesy Getty Images.

Who's charming who?

Paula Deen and Taylor at Today Show's Lend A Hand in Birmingham.

The backup’s good too.
The boys in the band were with Taylor all the way. Van Morrison was asked in 1981 if he would ever write and record and not tour. He said touring depended a lot on the band you have. As in 2007 and 2010, in Spring, 2011, Taylor had a “kick ass” band—Brian Less, Jeff Lopez, Sam Gunderson, Brandon Peeples, Leif Bonderinko, and David Keith.

They made it all rock and roll!


Colorful capture of Taylor and the Band at Greenburg by Anothertayfan.

Touring and summer—inseparable like Taylor Hicks and his harmonica.

BamaRising, courtesy of Getty Images via MJSBigBlog

Plan your summer getaway, staycation, or “Hell yes, I’m going to another Taylor Hicks concert” trip!

Check the schedule at the right for NEW California concert!

Happy summer!

~~~
Van Morrison interview source: http://www.vanmorrisonnews.com/

Thanks to all for the photos we share here.

Some photos were edited. Frames were cut and edited by San.