Taylor Hicks ~ American Idol Finale Night ~ "One of Only Ten..."

As A. J. Hammer on Showbiz Tonight recently pointed out in his interview with the Season 5 winner, Taylor Hicks is one of only ten people in the world who knows what it’s like to win American Idol.

There will soon be eleven. This is American Idol Finale night.

While the statistics produced by Season Five in 2006 were impressive, so were the accomplishments of the young man from Alabama, Taylor Hicks. He had spent years on the road and in roadhouses looking for that elusive break. Hurricane Katrina would bring it.

And it all came down to this moment:

Finally, the confetti rained down and he had to brush the fireworks from his hair.

And nothing would ever be the same after this night.

Tonight starts a new journey for an aspiring artist as it did for Taylor Hicks six years ago.

It seems like a long time ago, and it seems like yesterday. I didn’t know Taylor Hicks except that he sang like he loved it, and he fought to win. And he certainly had his home state of Alabama behind him.

I’ll be rooting for the artist who sings like music is their life and who has that unknown something in their song that “grabs” me, like Taylor Hicks’ music did.

“The business of life is to go forwards.” ~ Samuel Johnson

To the winner tonight and all the Idols this season, may your journey forwards be blessed. Don’t forget where you came from and where you’ve been!

I think that is why we look backwards.  Where we’ve been really creates our way forwards!

~~~

For Jessica and Phillip…

Nothing will ever be the same after tonight!

Good luck and much happiness and success as you go forwards…

The Taylor Hicks Community.

~~
Read the inspirational story of Taylor Hicks' road to American Idol in his autobiography, "Heart Full of Soul" available on Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Full-Soul-Inspirational-Finding/dp/0307382435
Watch A. J. Hammer's interview with Taylor Hicks on Showbiz Tonight from Monday Night:

Taylor Hicks Talks to CMT Insider: "Southern, Soulful, Country..."

“…a Southern, soulful, country guy…That’s who I am.” In an exclusive studio interview that aired this morning on CMT Insider, platinum recording artist and American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks, sat down with Allison DeMarcus and shared his new musical vision.

Although it really isn’t new.

"I gotta stay true to who I am. And that’s a Southern, soulful, country guy, and I’m excited about it. That’s who I am." CMT Insider: Taylor Hicks Country Album

He told Ms. DeMarcus he was never comfortable being labeled a pop artist after the Idol show.

"I was a real roots artist."

"What’s your biggest fear about going after the country audience?"

"Everybody knows you can’t fool a country audience. I have to have a career song. And I have to be patient."

He’s been busy during those patient years.

Taylor released two indie albums before winning Season Five of American Idol in 2006, In Your Time and Under the Radar. His post Idol album, Taylor Hicks, went platinum shortly after its release in 2006. He took over his own recording and formed Modern Whomp Records that released Early Works, a compilation of his two previous indie albums. His live concert DVD, "Whomp at the Warfield" captured the energy and stage persona of his 2007 9-month national concert tour as it stopped in San Francisco at the Warfield Theatre.

In 2008, he added Broadway musical theatre to his resume with a very successful summer run as a harp wielding Teen Angel in "Grease." When the Alabama native was asked to join the national touring company, he agreed to the 18-month road trip. During the "Grease" run in 2009, he released The Distance on his own label and promoted the album as he traveled with "Grease" and toured the music into 2012.

Along side the songwriting, recording, and studio work this summer for his new country soul album, Taylor will open at Bally’s in Las Vegas for an eight week engagement starting June 26. He is the first American Idol winner or finalist to land a residency there.

Las Vegas is the city where he auditioned for American Idol.

See all of the conversation and a studio recording clip from what may be Taylor's new single, "Teach Me to Dance," when this episode of CMT Insider is rebroadcast on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. ET on CMT.

WATCH a clip from the interview online at: CMT Insider: Taylor Hicks Country Album