The Taylor Hicks Community

Taylor Hicks and Country Soul--Looking for genre...

2012-01-21T13:30:00.004-06:00

“Country and blues, they aren’t just cousins; they’re blood brothers.” –Ray Charles

Taylor Hicks releases new music in 2012. He has called it “country soul”—that mix of two great genres.

I went looking for the genre…the honesty of country, the intensity of soul and closely related, blues.

I found both the expected and unexpected.

Historically, “‘Country Soul’ resulted from the shared genealogy of gospel in both soul and country music;” when white gospel and black gospel styles, first with major stylistic differences, somewhat merged in the 1950s. “…country-soul was in actuality the triumph of country gospel traditions seeping into soul music.

“Although artists like Albert Alexander and Solomon Burke had already begun tentatively exploring this style by 1960, Ray Charles' landmark 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western is often considered the commercial breakthrough of the genre. The style lasted well into the early Seventies, with several spinoff genres like the more gospel-heavy and emotional "Deep Soul," the grittier, bluesier "Southern Soul," and the later, funkier variant known as "Swamp Rock." (Oldies/about.com)

So all of these variants might also play a part in the “country soul” of Taylor Hicks, particularly, and I am guessing here, the bluesier “southern soul” and funkier “swamp rock.”

The randb.about.com site cites R&B as an ancestor of the mixed genre:

“Although they seem like distant relatives now, R&B and Country & Western used to be close cousins back in the day. In the 1960s and '70s many R&B artists, particularly ones from the South, used to remake Country songs and inject them with a healthy dose of R&B. There's even a name for the mixed genre: Country-Soul.” (randb.about.com)

Randb.about.com also defines country soul with a list of who it is—a primarily country singer dueting with a primarily soul or blues singer:

“Rhythm, Country And Blues, Various Artists”
This is a collection of duets between Country, R&B and Blues artists. "Funny How Time Slips Away"( Aaron Neville/Trisha Yearwood) and "I Fall To Pieces" (Al Green, Lyle Lovett) won Grammys in 1995.

1. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: Vince Gill/Gladys Knight
2. Funny How Time Slips Away: Al Green/Lyle Lovett
3. I Fall to Pieces: Aaron Neville/Trisha Yearwood
4. Somethin' Else: Little Richard/Tanya Tucker
5. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby: Patti LaBelle/Travis Tritt
6. Rainy Night in Georgia: Sam Moore/Conway Twitty
7. Chain of Fools: Clint Black/The Pointer Sisters
8. Since I Fell For You: Natalie Cole/Reba McEntire
9. Southern Nights: Chet Atkins/Allen Toussaint
10 The Weight: Marty Stuart/The Staple Singers
11 Patches: George Jones/BB King

It was an aha moment as I read the list. I didn’t think I was a country-soul fan, but these were some of my all-time favorite songs: “I Fall to Pieces,” “Rainy Night in Georgia” (and another favorite Georgia song: “Midnight Train to Georgia” is also on some country-soul lists) “Southern Nights” and “The Weight” (“…take a load off”) .

Some of these have also been on the setlist for Taylor Hicks concerts, probably most frequently, “The Weight” with Rick Carter.

From Rateyourmusic.com genre of country+soul:

“Country soul has its roots in Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, and Country music, while musically emphasizing the signatures and textures of country music over the grittier and horn-driven sound of Southern Soul.”

Its list of a few musicians representing Southern Soul:
Otis Redding
Aretha Franklin
Sam Cooke
Al Greene
Etta James
Bobbie Gentry

But everywhere one recording and one artist topped the country-soul list: Ray Charles’ “Modern Sounds in Country and Western” with the amazing sounds of the Genius of Soul.

From “Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western” on YouTube: JazzVideoGuy: “ ‘Modern Sounds’ and its lead single, ‘I Can't Stop Loving You,’ were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962…

“Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music has been considered by several music writers to be a landmark album in American music. The album's integration of soul and country music bent racial barriers in popular music, amid the height of the African-American civil rights struggle. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In 2003, the album was ranked number 104 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.”

“I Can’t Stop Loving You” uploaded by Hkiramijyan:

"'I Can't Stop Loving You' is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 30, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of Oh, Lonesome Me, becoming a double-sided country hit single.

“The song was also recorded by Ray Charles in 1962 and released from Charles' groundbreaking Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album. The Ray Charles cover version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962, as well as the U.S. R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and ranked #161 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #49 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.” (YouTube upload by Hkiramijyan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_7iRVtxui8&feature=related

That was then. This is now:

I found an updated version of country-soul with whom I thought was an unusual artist—the top selling singer in 2011, Adele. With her gospel soul,“Rolling in the Deep,” a top selling single of 2011, tucked away on the b-side, “If It Hadn’t Been for Love,” is a musically lighter track called a “country-soul gem” by covermesongs.com.

Music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, in a glowing review of Adele at The Greek where he describes her as “honest” and with what many other artists are missing—a personality, calls this tune a “surprise” and “genre-hopping.” “The surprise was ‘If It Hadn't Been For Love,’ the cover that is tacked on to "21"[album] as a bonus track. The genre-hopping was mindbending.”

With her unsual honesty, the British pop sensation in her iTunes concert introduced it: “This song is about shooting your wife!”

“Never would have hitchhiked to Birmingham
If it hadn’t been for love.
Never would have caught the train to Louisian’
If It hadn’t been for love.”

“If It Hadn’t Been for Love:”

“Traditional” country soul and a modern day example of a musically lighter, if not lighter themed “country soul gem.”

Then I lost my trail on genre...

Ray Charles has never been one of my favorite singers. In viewing videos and researching for this piece, I watched several. Then I happened upon this stunning video of Brother Ray later in his career singing “A Song For You.” I fell in love with the song again and with this artist whose music connected with haunting intensity…haunting, because I cannot tell you why it touched me…why I suddenly loved Ray Charles singing this song. It was as if is was MY song! That is the beauty and essence of music….genres be damned!

It didn’t matter at all to me into which pigeonhole—genre--this song might fall.

My search became a contrast between what we may know about genres and what we feel about the song.

It all comes down to the music.

Van Morrison was asked in 1981 if he thought about his audience at all when he was writing. He said:

“Not really, because you can't think about anything when you're writing except that. It's like if you're a carpenter, you can't build a shelf well if you're thinking about who you're going to sell it to. You have to build the shelf first, and then whoever wants to buy it...” (VanMorrisonNews.com)

And another aha moment: I hope Taylor Hicks isn’t thinking about genres…or me. I hope he is thinking about the music he LIKES. The music that is him. When he performs it, it speaks for him, whatever the genre.

It was reported that Ray Charles liked Country and Western Music and that’s why he recorded Modern Sounds.

So, I hope Taylor Hicks is thinking about what he likes, who he is--not what he thinks someone else wants to hear.

We all put ourselves “out there” every day and people respond or they don’t. Music too. He puts HIS music out there—what is HIM and people respond or they don’t, but he remains true to who he is.

That’s what I hope “country-soul” means to Taylor Hicks!

It’s not about genre, folks!!!

Ray Charles proved that to me. Perhaps “genre” means something in the business…where it plays or is listed…

But, I don’t buy a genre. I buy the song, the artist. If it speaks to me, connects with me, I’ll find it…whatever the genre!

~~~

“I love you in a place where's there no space or time.”
Ray Charles: “A Song for You”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-fIroypwsI&feature=fvwrel

~~~
P. S.
If country soul can be one country singer and one soul singer, there is no better country-soul duet than Willie Nelson and Ray Charles with “Seven Spanish Angels:”

Uploaded By Arnescountry on YouTube:

Just Because …

~~~
P. S. S. “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” is on the setlist of Van Morrison’s current live tour in Great Britian!

~~~
Sources:
http://oldies.about.com/od/soulmotown/g/countrysoul.htm

http://randb.about.com/od/top5lists/tp/CountryRemakes.htm

http://rateyourmusic.com/genre/Country+Soul/

Ray Charles quote and “Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music," the landmark 1962 recording by Ray Charles, is featured in this edition of the podcast series, "Ray Charles, Genius," produced by Bret Primack for Concord Records uploaded by jazzvideoguy on YouTube. This is a great podcast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwezLSuT4I

“I Can’t Stop Loving You” YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_7iRVtxui8&feature=related

“Adele Unearths Country-Soul Gem”
http://www.covermesongs.com/2011/01/adele-unearths-country-soul-gem.html

Van Morrison quote:
http://vanmorrisonnews.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-11-04T09:06:00Z&max-results=10

~~~~

Taylor Hicks' Shout Out to Fans!

2012-01-07T10:17:00.007-06:00

Taylor Hicks showcases the videography of fans in his latest YouTube TV Channel “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” released on Friday.

“Thanks, Soul Patrol!” is an eclectic mix from live concerts, artists with whom he shared the stage in 2011, and venues from The Winery in New York City to The Canyon Club in California.

Fans submitted their videos for inclusion in the Riding Shotgun series in which Hicks takes followers along to concerts and appearances with backstage footage, snippets of performances, and glimpses into the life and career of the Season Five American Idol champ.

With a high level of media acumen, fans produced captures of some of the best from 2011—the huge fundraiser for tornado victims in Birmingham, BamaRising, where Hicks “energized” the place with his rowdy “Seven Mile Breakdown” and showcased his dancing acumen. His appearance with the Jamie McLean Band and John Popper at Brooklyn Bowl was caught and proved why his harmonica goes everywhere with him. American Idol “bro,” Elliott Yamin joined him on stage at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.

Other concerts were captured from Beau Rivage, Biloxi, MS to Snoqualmie, WA and on stages in between. The Celebrity Pictures and Videos site, Celob.com, picked up and posted the Riding Shotgun episode with: “Taylor Hicks – New @TaylorRHicks Riding Shotgun video with fan clips; some very nice footage in here!”

This special episode of Riding Shotgun was “In Memory of Carson James Sumpter” a very young Birmingham musician who died of cancer in 2011. Carson appeared with Taylor at WorkPlay, 2010, and was backstage at BamaRising. Footage of their collaboration on “Superstition” at WorkPlay preserved an inspirational moment of the young artist doing what he loved.

Hicks tweeted his appreciation to the fans for their offerings:

@TaylorRHicks: “Hey Yall! Thanks to all of you who submitted footage for Riding Shotgun! Here’s a special episode for you. Cheers! bit.ly/AzjeMG”

We add a special shout out to the fans that travel, tweet, and share great videos!

“Thanks, Soul Patrol” shows again that it was a very good year!

Check out all the episodes of “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” here:
TaylorHicksTV-YouTube

Taylor Hicks ~~ Our 2011 Top Ten List...

2011-12-26T14:27:00.007-06:00

10. Making the HuffPo and The New York Times
A wrung on the media ladder, positive press including feature in the Huffington Post after Telluride show in an excellent article written by Cicily Janus (@jazzwriterchick) “Taylor Made: How One Man’s Dream Defined the American Idol.”

And it didn’t stop at the HuffPo. The following day it was picked up by The New York Times and 75 other media outlets. There were also several articles in USA Today as Taylor Hicks in the press went national and global.

9. Not Your Father’s Bowl
Playing with renowned harp player, John Popper of Blues Traveler, and the Jamie McLean Band at the Brooklyn Bowl.

2011 offered numerous events in which Taylor shared the stage with renowned musicians including Vince Gill and KebMo in Nashville and Jam Cruise. “That American Idol dude kicked ass” was overheard at the Brooklyn Bowl in September for the Jamie McLean Band’s CD Release Party of “Sunday Morning.” Taylor, John Popper and their fired up harmonicas brought down the house with “Fortunate Son!”

8. Tweets and Connecting
Engaging fans with Riding Shotgun features including backstage scenes of life on the road and staying connected on Twitter.

Taylor took the fans along as he continued with Riding Shotgun episodes on YouTube including special presentations for Memorial Day and his welcome speech to the Blue Angels for Toys for Tots.

Taylor connects almost daily with followers on Twitter and recently sent special Holiday greetings. The twitter scene itself might warrant a higher placement because it has not only allowed Taylor to connect with followers, but through tweets and pictures from Taylor and fans at concerts and events in real time, it has allowed those not attending to be a part of the experience. This means a lot to many far away from the center of the action. Follow: @TaylorRHicks

7. Jammin!
Returning to his jam band roots on Jam Cruise, 2011 sharing the stage with legendary musicians like JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band, Galactic, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, The Robert Randolph Family Band, and Anders Osbourne.

Jam Cruise also started out a year of sharing the stage with legendary musicians and reaffirming that he could play with the best. He once good naturedly responded after someone complimented him on his harmonica playing, “What’d you expect?” We expected that he would receive the stunningly positive reviews from the jam band community that he did.

6. Rocky Mountain High
Headlining the Telluride Jazz Celebration and taking jazz scene by storm with a soulful Saturday night concert that played to a new audience in the Rockies.

It might be described as a “sleeper” in the high country. Taylor isn’t known as a jazz singer. He stayed true to his music and wowed the crowd. “Taylor Hicks is killin’ it.” One jazz writer later wrote for the Huffington Post that he was the real live definition of success in being just who he is.

Telluride became a happening for fans everywhere when concerts, including Taylor’s, were streamed live online. And Taylor arrived early for the weekend, attended other concerts, was interviewed and shared his experience via twitter. It truly was a summer celebration! In the course of only a few days after the event, the online stream of his concert had been viewed over 3,000 times!

5. Florabama!
Back home on the Gulf Coast in the beloved Florabama, Taylor rocking the old, leaky-roofed roadhouse with Spoonful James and Rollin’ in the Hay.

For sentimental value, this might be Number One. It is one of the early places where Taylor performed, where he might call his musical home, where he learned to work a crowd. He has referred to it often. Fans from all over joined the party and the storm didn’t stop the fun! It was that “one of a kind” concert last year—in the middle of a hurricane!

It was also a rockin’ way to wind down another “kick ass” tour in 2011 that kicked off in February on the Gulf Coast, traveled to the Big Apple and New England, to the West Coast, the Rocky Mountains, Michigan and Midwest, and stops inbetween! It’s the “heart and soul” of any Taylor Hicks year—touring!

4. “Friday” and Going Viral!
The viral sensation in a surprise visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for a parody of Rebecca Black’s, “Friday” with Stephen Cobert, Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Hicks, and Roots Crew!

It was recently named one of the Best Covers of 2011 by Rolling Stone Magazine. It racked up over 1 million views in a matter of hours on YouTube before NBC nixed it. A version of it still rolls up the views worldwide. It is a new Friday classic and is expected to be that for a long time! The sheer scope, surprise, and impact globally of this might suggest a higher placement on our list, but we settled for Number Four.

3. Striking Ore
Ore Drink and Dine, co-owned by Taylor Hicks, opening in April and becoming a Birmingham hot spot for great cuisine and live music.

It was named Birmingham’s Best New Restaurant by the Birmingham Magazine in 2011. Its dishes have received rave reviews from patrons and Paula Deen endorsed its Crawfish Rolls! For the long term, we feel the opening and success of Ore is a significant event. It may be a way of putting down roots with a nod to the past and looking to the future. It meshes two great joys—good music and good food! It’s easy to picture Taylor slipping in the back door and walking around the kitchen peering over shoulders of sous chefs and wandering around his retro industrial chic restaurant saying hello to diners! Or picking up his guitar and sitting on stage for a few tunes…like a “coming home.”

2. BamaRising and Good Works
BamaRising for tornado relief in Alabama and the many charity events to which Taylor always gives his time and talent.

This is always a significant part of the year of Taylor Hicks. The huge BamaRising concert in Birmingham with renowned artists like the legendary group, Alabama, in a four hour show raised millions for storm victims. In other charity events, he supported Life Changing Lives again in Los Angeles, welcomed to Birmingham the Today Show’s Lend a Hand with Al Roker and Paula Deen. He finished the year with ongoing support for the Marines Toys for Tots welcoming the Blue Angels to Birmingham, performing a free acoustic concert at Ore that collected toys, and appearing at a toy marathon at Legacy BBQ to help Toys for Tots reach their goal for the children of Central Alabama.

Many artists make good music, and fans are enamored with the sound, the show, and the artist. Not all artists continually and wholeheartedly support good works and consistently support their home state like Taylor does. He never forgets where he is from.

This is the significant side of Taylor Hicks that makes this artist more than a performer and the music more than sounds. He has said that it is not about how many records you can sell but about how many lives you can touch. His music not only touches lives. His offstage good works touches lives and hearts.

1. All About the Music!
A new album in the works and on the way and working with the KebMo.

Working with the soulful musician and longtime mentor, KebMo, and moving to Nashville has opened doors and collaborations with songwriters that promise an exciting new album out early next year. The music is the first focus for everything we do, and it had to be Number One. Taylor has described the new album as “country soul.” He has tweeted much about working with Nashville songwriters and meetings with Nashville movers and shakers.

The music is Number One also because it takes us forward into 2012! Looking back only serves as inspiration in looking forward to gear up, prepare, and, yeeeees, wait!

2012 rings in with promise in the air and new music out there!!!

From Nashville and Taylorized!

Stay tuned…
~~~
We chose one iconic picture of Taylor Hicks in 2011 to represent the intensity with which he performs his music and the intensity with which he reaches out to help others. It had to be this stunning capture by Getty Images from BamaRising:

After our No. 10 event, the article by Cicily Janus, Kern Radio 1180 tweeted a summary: “An interesting read on…” and what I think says much about Taylor:

“…balancing art and humanity.”

Taylor Hicks does indeed balance art and humanity very well.
~~
Our very best wishes for a happy and energized New Year filled with new music and new joys!

~~The Taylor Hicks Community

Taylor Hicks ~ A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree...

2011-12-18T09:31:00.004-06:00

There are no real Christmas trees for sale this year in the small town where I work and shop. Not at the SuperWalmart or the Hardware/Home with GardenCenter store.

I debated with myself whether or not to have a Christmas tree. My granddaughter had already visited during a snow storm and the snow was all she needed to make her happy. I wondered if it would be okay to break a lifetime tradition and simplify Christmas for one year.

I told a group recently that I had had a Christmas tree every year—a real one.

After I had thought about that, I wasn’t sure it was true. I couldn’t remember them all. Growing up in the country, it was easy to go out and cut one, and I know that we did. But Western Kentucky has hard wood trees, not pine trees. So, I’m not sure what the trees looked like. My older brother wrote once about dragging home a scraggly tree through the mud for Christmas. Christmas isn’t always white in Kentucky either.

When we first moved to the city, our family of five lived in two rooms. I can’t remember trees, but I will never forget one gift my older brother bought me—a little upright piano that had real keys and sounded somewhat like a tingy piano. And there was the year he bought the very latest bubble lights for our tree. We celebrated in whatever modest way we could.

We were together, and we were loved.

By the time I was a teenager, we had a small house in the suburbs with a big picture window. Now, I know that after that we had a Christmas tree every year in the front window—a real one. When I had a family of my own, the tree was the center of our celebration. In Michigan, we could go out and cut down one or get a real one on any street corner. In fact, we lived in the middle of an abandoned tree farm—Christmas trees five stories tall!

I treasure my traditions. They are a comforting reminder that some things haven’t changed.

Change is inevitable. But in a changing world, some things shouldn’t. We need to hold on to those things—whatever they are—that say “This is mine, and I am home.”

I’m not very good at accepting change. But to change is to grow. As I sit here writing a Christmas blog, it is a change I could never have seen coming. Change isn’t bad. It’s just different and the way we move forward, grow, evolve and become better, even happier. We can still clutch and drag along that which we can’t let go of and treasure those things we always go back to.

Our traditions are ours forever.

When and why did stores stop selling real trees? With more snow in the forecast and work, I probably won’t have a tree for the first time in a very long time.

That’s okay. I’m not giving up a tradition. I’m remembering it fondly and holding on until next year when I WILL start planning for the holidays earlier!

I do have a tree—a Charlie Brown Christmas tree just outside my front window.

It is exactly that. In the forest with high wildfire danger in the summer, it is required to clear out small trees and underbrush near your home. I left one. When I saw it I said it looked exactly like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and it stays.

As I finish this, the snow is falling and, in the best Charlie Brown tradition, my little tree is looking better all the time!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!

Treasure your traditions and the loved one with whom you share them!

Happy Holidays!

To you and your loved ones from

The Taylor Hicks Community

Take our Top Ten Taylor Hicks Twitpic Poll: Beauty on the Road

2011-12-12T17:29:00.009-06:00

Taylor Hicks is a touring musician.

He also has become quite a photographer with stunning images from his travels and shows all over the country.

Here’s our Top Ten Random Twitpics from 2011. VOTE for your favorite!

Hurricane Lee’s making landfall the same weekend as Taylor’s Labor Day Weekend beach concert at the historic Florabama Roadhouse on the Gulf Coast brought these striking images:

NUMBER TWO: “Till the skies open up and the trumpet sounds.” 9/5/11

“Lee is angry…had a great time @flora_bama Great Show!” 9/5/11

The stoic stage setups have become a favorite fan photo as they wait for the gig! It always meant good times were coming. Taylor got into the spirit with his own stage setup photo and with his own clever title:

“Gig gear” Flamingo Room 9/16/11

Travel was a given, and Taylor shared some of those “moments in time” with his followers on Twitter:

“They say the neon lights are bright” 3/13/11

Sunsets were a popular capture, perhaps because it was a relaxing time for the busy artist who spends most of every year on the road and on the concert stage.

Simply tweeted with this stunner: “Yahtze” 7/9/11

From Telluride: “Gondola” 8/5/11

It was sheer beauty as Taylor shared these:

"Fire and Ice:" Vacation in the Rockies

TIED FOR NUMBER TWO: “One of my favorite seats on the planet #bien” 10/5/11

Finally, pure randomness shared beauty of a different kind:

Attention to the smallest and unusual: "Life goes on. (turtle nest)" 7/25/11

WINNER-NUMBER ONE! A quiet moment on Lake Mission Viejo: August, 2011

Thanks to Taylor Hicks for all the photos from @TaylorRHicks on Twitter. Follow @TaylorRHicks and join this artist’s picturesque journey!

We enjoyed looking back at the scenes from Twitter! Which is your favorite? VOTE at the right for one that you think is most outstanding.

~~~
Taylor’s Tweets and Twitpics are archived on our Connections Anthology here:

http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/3370462/10/#new

A huge thanks to cath_tthc who diligently keeps the archives of Taylor’s Tweets and Twitpics and ALL the archives on Connections Anthology. It is our own “super wikipedia” of Taylor Hicks!

Taylor Hicks and the November Chronicles...

2011-11-14T18:20:00.007-06:00

Don’t think that November is down time for Taylor Hicks just because the bus may be parked.

November, 2005
Taylor Hicks had his golden ticket to Hollywood and American Idol. Very few people knew that. He was on the verge of a new life that he had chased for ten years. Those of us who had never heard of Taylor Hicks had no idea this November how our lives would change forever… before the next November.

November, 2006
Taylor Hicks had just finished headlining the most successful American Idol tour ever. He had won with the largest number of votes ever cast, more than in the previous Presidential election. In November, he was heading into the studio in California; he lived where he could smell the ocean in the morning through his open windows; he said then that it was the happiest time of his life. Remember Rehearsals.com and “Hollywood Nights?” This was a November to remember. He rocked “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” with what critics called a “show-stopping” “Runaround,” and a never-heard-like-this “White Christmas.” He was a presenter at the American Music Awards in Hollywood. The finishing touches were going on his first post-Idol album, “Taylor Hicks” to be released December 12, 2006. Taylor fans were finding each other; fan sites had launched or were in creation. For many of us, a new side of our life was taking shape.

November, 2007
November 1, 2007, at Pearl River Casino in Philadelphia, MS, Taylor was closing his first National Modern Whomp Solo Tour after a killer 10-month concert schedule that had taken him across the country performing 4-5 concerts a week.

I was there in Pearl River and followers after that prayed for one thing that November—that this never-slows-down young man would get some rest!

He didn’t. In a few weeks he kicked off his first international tour headlining the Asian Idol Finale in Djkarta, Indonesia, and continued a ten-day tour of The Philippines.

November, 2008
This November Taylor Hicks was preparing for a different kind of tour. He had just closed a very successful summer run on Broadway starring as Teen Angel in “Grease”!!! Like everything else that he did, he owned the role that he debuted in June and was credited by the New York News with significant weekly increase at the box office as fans from all over came to see Taylor Hicks on a new stage—the Broadway stage. So much did he impress the Broadway powers that he was getting ready to take it on the road and would open the National Tour of Broadway Across America’s “Grease” Providence, RI on December 2. He was also back in the studio working on his second album—this time an independent release, The Distance, on his own recording label, Modern Whomp Records. He would be an independent recording star and Broadway’s Teen Angel side by side!

A few days earlier in October, this blog was launched. I can still feel the excitement of having this place to share our thoughts and enthusiasm for Taylor Hicks and the new road on which we had embarked! Heading into our first November here, I was obsessed with it all, and that hasn’t changed very much!

November, 2009
The “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series at Epcot Center was host to Taylor and full band this November. Fans were ecstatic to enjoy six shows in two days and many flew in to enjoy Epcot and all the shows. Veterans’ Day was special when Taylor released a free download of “Nineteen” and invited fans to share personal stories of their veterans on his website at www.taylorhicks.com. Taylor as Teen Angel was still flying across the country and Canada, while he took with him his new album, The Distance, that had dropped in March. Shadow tours brought his new music to the fans and “Grease” theatre goers could have it hand delivered and meet the “real” Taylor Hicks after each show. He was bringing his music directly to the people and building a fan base that a writer would later say would “serve him well.” It would also serve as a springboard for his aptly-named “kick ass” tour for the summer coming up.

November, 2010
This touring musician was still on the road wrapping up the summer’s “kick ass” tour that had crisscrossed the country and ended in Maplewood, MN Performing Arts Center. Then he gave his heart and talent, as he so often had done, to a charity performance—the “Dawn of a Dream” Gala for Children’s Cancer Research Foundation in Minneapolis, MN. Just when it all seemed to be winding down, he had a personal call from Clint Eastwood who asked him to sing the beautiful “Gran Torino” at the Museum of Tolerance Gala honoring Mr. Dirty Harry in Los Angeles. The only glimpse that we've seen of that appearance was captured in a future “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” which was launched this November. The Taylor Hicks TV Channel on YouTube takes followers along on the travels and escapades of Taylor and his band. “Riding Shotgun” episodes continue to be a very popular connection between Taylor and his fans. He concluded a busy November bringing the holiday cheer to tree-lighting ceremonies in Leeds, AL and Hollywood, CA.

November, 2011
Another November and Taylor Hicks is back in the studio, now in Nashville working on a new album of what he has called “country soul,” with his mentor, KebMo, who may influence the “soul” more than the “country.” It’s time to again wait and anticipate—new music, new touring, new travels.

There is something exciting about the “unknown.” What will the new music sound like? Country…soul…blues? What will be completely new; what will be perhaps familiar covers? What talented musicians will give it all the background that creates that incomparable sound that Taylor Hicks always creates?

Questions evoke anticipation. The answers will be even better.

And we’ll have those NEXT November!

~~~
If there is a theme for November, it is getting back to what Taylor Hicks is all about—the studio, recording music, and then touring it. November may be when followers “wait,” but Taylor is busy doing what he does.

In its first November, this blog was finding its legs. It has evolved; it has touched a few hearts and minds, I hope. It will be here for more Novembers, I can promise you. So, we too, are getting back to what we do—sharing the music and career of Taylor Hicks and remembering that excitement that we felt five years ago in November.

November is the breeding ground for next year—the next “what’s just around the bend…”

Stay tuned folks…! As Taylor might say...

~~~

Taylor Hicks ~ "Somehow"

2011-10-30T11:21:00.008-05:00

“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”
Taylor Hicks via Twitter.

“Somehow”
by Taylor Rueben Hicks

There’s too many things
Left to be unsaid
Some live in a dark hole
Sometimes in my head

But I’m all right
I’ll get by
Somehow

You want to feel their emotion
Sometimes even hold their hand
But they’re giving nothing in return
To suit their own demands

But I’m tired
And I’ll get by
Somehow

Look at the people around you
Stabbing at your heart
But you still smile in kindness
For not knowing who they are

And their stories have ended
And they’ve lit up the town
And it’s time to go home
As they go and lay their bodies back down

There’s too many things
Left to be unsaid
So I live in a dark hole
Sometimes in my head

But I’m all right
I’ll get by
Somehow

“I’ll get by…somehow.”

Classic country lyrics—cryin’ words. The first time I heard this I thought this is the country connection in Taylor’s music. This must have been written during Taylor’s Nashville stay…a Nashville sound.

When I look at Taylor’s music and try to “get inside” it, I don’t try to “get it right”—what he meant, what he was thinking, or what the situation was as he wrote it. That would seem like an intrusion. I look for what it means to me and how it may foster a dialogue.

I don’t think “Somehow” is a country song. I can hear Ray Charles singing this song, and I know he did country crossover. Taylor’s signature delivery is more soulful than country in spite of an easy rhythm and instruments that says country.

Beyond the deceivingly, simple lyrics of “I’ll Get by… somehow,” this is about that complicated place of hurt inside us all and about the resolve to survive and “get by.” The straightforward words are deceptive of their depth.

There’s too many things
Left to be unsaid
Some live in a dark hole
Sometimes in my head

There’s no country twang or room for it in Taylor’s performance of this. Because of the chorus lyrics, we want to give it a country vibe. But I hear a lament that is pure soul—Taylor Hicks channeling Ray Charles.

You want to feel their emotion
Sometimes even hold their hand
But they’re giving nothing in return
To suit their own demands

Taylor has sung this song in the rain. He sang it in New Orleans. I haven’t seen a stage version of it that I feel captures its essence. To me, it is a listen to stick in your ears—the recorded version from In Your Time or Early Works. It is an easy rhythm that takes you along on a pensive journey inside the mind.

Until a cryin’ saxophone breaks out with a wail that suggests getting by is not acceptable forever. Maybe there’s more. And with his signature growling passion, Taylor’s voice matches the emotion of the words:

Look at the people around you
Stabbing at your heart
But you will smile in kindness
For not knowing who they are

In the end, Taylor’s voice fades to almost a whisper. It is as if that moment of “living in a dark hole sometimes in my head” is over and he returns to a peaceful resolve:

But I’m all right
I’ll get by
Somehow

I see “Somehow” on stage like “The Fall”—pure Taylor voice and minimum production with the beautiful lyrics of resolve and resiliency that come when we have no where to go but up. We know of the black hole sometimes in our head and we determine to go on in spite of all that we hold there.

This song leaves us with challenges. Our lives are full of too many things left that will remain unsaid and undone—what we should have said, what we never had a chance to say or what we couldn’t say—when there are no words.

Music not written, songs not sung, places not seen, lives not touched.

I heard a line recently that inspired me:

“I want to leave this life exhausted.”

Leave as little as possible unsaid and undone.

It also leaves us with the challenge of getting by, no matter how tired or how beaten down.

But I’m all right
I’ll get by
Somehow

We can’t help but take this chorus out of context and make it an anthem for our times. Tough times have come to everyone even those with good jobs still making their mortgage payments. These times have forestalled retirements, cancelled or cut back on college plans, forced families to fight for just the basics.

Today is all about getting by.

It isn’t about waiting for a bailout. It’s not about what others can do for you. It’s about what you must do for yourself.

Most of us have experienced the failing economy; it is so far reaching now. I recently found out most of the value in my home from the last ten years is gone. And I am so lucky. I am not underwater, and I have a job. So many people have suffered far greater losses than equity in a home.

So we carpool, collect coupons, and carefully calculate consumer spending. We refinance, rethink priorities, and restructure resumes. We do what we must.

I return so often to a staunch belief that we are stronger than we know.

“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”

We are tougher than we think. It starts with believing in ourselves and never giving up.

A favorite passage of mine from Taylor’s autobiography, Heart Full of Soul, is just after he leaves Nashville after no success there and returns to Birmingham, not beaten, but as reenergized as he is every time he takes the stage. He writes:

“Anyone expecting Taylor Hicks to return to Birmingham from Nashville as a broken man with a cowboy hat in hand would have been sorely disappointed. I’ve never been one to remain flat on the canvas for long, so I returned with my head still held high, a little bloodied but unbowed, ready to get right down to work.”

Tough times will not keep us on the canvas for very long.

Yes, tough times are that. But the human spirit will always prevail. It always has.

So, I will see you on the other side of these tough times.

Meanwhile,

We WILL get by…

Somehow.

~~~
"Taylor Hicks - Somehow" 2007 Montage by rugratnat14 on YouTube:

"Somehow" by Taylor Hicks was originally recorded on his first album, In Your Time, and in 2008 on Early Works:

~~~
Blogger’s Note: This piece has been in the works for some time. I have always wanted to take a look at this song and its country connection…or not.

Yesterday, @TaylorRHicks tweeted the quote at the beginning and I was writing about this tough economy and “getting by.” We find ourselves in a “dark hole” sometimes especially now, and it may become a “deep hole.” It doesn’t help to dwell in that place. It does help to work at getting out of it, especially mentally and emotionally.

When I saw Taylor’s quote and a tweet shortly after that which said, “That reminds me of your song, ‘Somehow,’” its time had come.

~~~ Photo: From @TaylorRHicks via Twitter; Taylor Hicks, Lake Mission Viejo, CA, August, 2011; edited by San.

Quote: Heart Full of Soul, by Taylor Hicks for Random House, 2007.

Cleve Eaton ~ The "Count's Bassist" entertains at ORE...

2011-10-15T19:54:00.007-05:00

Like Taylor Hicks, Cleve Eaton is an artist who began his musical career early. He was playing his mother’s piano at the age of 5. By the time he was 15, he had taken up the saxophone, trumpet, tuba and string bass.

His talent was nurtured in an intensely musical family. He played in a jazz ensemble at Tennessee A&I State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music. He moved to Chicago and landed tours with the major jazz bands of Larry Novak, Ramsey Lewis and a 17-year stint with the legendary Count Basie when he was dubbed the “Count’s Bassist.”

And like Taylor Hicks, he found the road to be a “devil in disguise” or “no bed of roses.”

“Music is a business like any other,” he says, “and being on the road is no bed of roses. We’d finish recording an album in the studio and get right back on the bus, heading out for another tour. I went for years without a vacation.

“One time, I played 10 different countries in 10 days. Catching those 5 a.m. flights, having to exchange your currency every time you turn around—those parts of being on the road, I don’t miss at all.”

His ten years with the Ramsey Lewis Trio brought 4 gold singles including “Hang on Sloopy,” and “Wade in the Water.” He has played on recordings on almost all genres with the greatest musical stars of our time: jazz with John Klemmer and Bunky Green, R&B with the Dells and Bobby Rush, Pop with Minnie Riperton, Jerry Butler and Rotary Connection, Big Band with Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Billy Eckstein, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.

In 1974, Mr. Eaton began touring with his own group, Cleve Eaton and Co. which became Cleve Eaton and the Alabama All-Stars in 2004.

In the late 1990s he spent a time teaching music at the University of Alabama as creator and conductor of the UAB Jazz Ensemble.

He is an Alabama native, born in Fairfield, a suburb of Birmingham. He has been honored
with induction into the Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham, the Playboy Jazz Poll, Canada's Cultural Enhancement Award and the Achievement Award at the Count Basie Tribute Concert. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2008, the same year that Taylor Hicks was given that organization’s America’s Music Award.

Cleve Eaton on the red carpet at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Awards Gala in 2008.

Cleve Eaton and the Jazz All-Stars entertain at Ore Drink and Dine in Birmingham for Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

When Ore Drink and Dine was The Open Door Café, Cleve Eaton often played a gig there. So did a young, relatively unknown musician, Taylor Hicks, whose friend owned the Open Door.

With a long history at the location, it is no wonder that American Idol Taylor Hicks came back to The Open Door, bought it with partners, and opened Ore.

And Mr. Eaton still entertains there.

Ore Drink and Dine was honored recently by Birmingham Magazine as Birmingham’s Best New Restaurant. Ore’s retro chic industrial décor and Southern eclectic menu celebrates the history of the Magic City. It has received rave reviews for fine cuisine and drink, relaxed atmosphere, and live music.

Check out one of Birmingham’s Best restaurants and one of its legendary musicians!

Follow ORE on Twitter @ORE4747
http://twitter.com/#!/ORE4747
~~~
Sources:
http://www.alamhof.org/cleveeaton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Eaton
http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=49269

Our Second Annual Favorite Shirt Poll #justforfun

2011-10-09T20:48:00.011-05:00

UPDATE--THE RESULTS:
Flamboyant Telluride 42%
Classic White 38%
Texas Stripes 26%
Blue Lavendar Plaid 17%
"Taylor" T Shirt 15%
DARK Blue 7%
Summer Short Sleeves 7%
Designer Piping 6%

Thanks to all who participated in our Second Annual Favorite Taylor Shirt Poll!!!

~~~
Speak out for your favorite Taylor Hicks style in shirts! A new tour season of shirts included the classics as well as new style statements for Taylor!

Here's our choices from the ever-smart and chic wardrobe of Mr. Hicks--from cool casual to dapper dressy and inbetween.

~~~

The classic dressy white for formal occasions like the Life Changing Lives charity event~~you can't vote for the classy red collar on the puppy!

Understated detail on the DARK blue for media at Black Oaks ~~
Simple summer short sleeves

Designer piping on chic black or blue depending on stage lighting OR are there two?

Flamboyant and colorful "Telluride" ~ a slight departure but very popular killer in the West!

Striking stripes for a big fashion statement in Texas

Backstage designs for meeting the Idol's idol

A blue/lavendar plaid under the meet-the-media jacket

Sometimes a self-titled t-shirt is enough

That's it! Vote in our unofficial, unscientific, justforfun poll at the right.

Thanks to all who captured the fashion parade of shirts (from top to bottom):

Albert Evangelista Photography, KZSQ_FM2, NolaMar Images, Kirk Stauffer Photography, NJGirl4tay, NolaMar Images, Mike Douglas via Twitter, Mike Douglas via Twitter, NolaMar Images.

Taylor Hicks "...Redefined the American Idol" -Huffington Post

2011-09-17T14:20:00.007-05:00

When you follow an artist, know all his music by heart, contrive every way possible to see him perform every chance you can, are most alive sitting in the front row…

You want everyone to know what you know. They rarely do.

Sometimes you are, (borrowing the writer’s words) “impressed, surprised, and kicked off ‘your fan’ throne” that says no one “gets it.”

So, we raved Friday as some one got it—a music critic!

Cicily Janus, who met Taylor briefly and saw him perform at the Telluride Jazz Celebration in August, wrote in her Friday Huffington Post article, “Taylor Made: How One Man’s Dream Redefined the American Idol:”

“Recently I came across a living, breathing, bonafide definition of success. As a matter of fact he has tailored his success to fit the real version of himself. A rare treat indeed. And boy was I impressed, surprised and kicked off of the music critics "purist" throne.”

“…what I saw on stage and later during a jam at the Sheridan Opera House was NOT the Idol version of Hicks. Instead, the real Taylor Hicks made an unannounced appearance. My jaw dropped when I realized that this was the same shy, syrupy sweet man during the American Idol audition. After seeing him in Telluride, it was quite clear that his dream has not suffered and this life, his life, is working out well. More importantly, he isn't selling out to anyone.”

And staying true to himself.

“To watch him perform is to live. There's passion, excitement and a clear message to anyone who's ever wanted to be bigger than their beginning, that all things are possible if only you stay true to yourself. Don't play. Be honest with yourself and everyone else too...”

This “ Random House Author, Jazz Fanatic, House chef, Cultivator of Dreams,” as she describes herself, isn’t just living life, she is exploring it. She took the time to look inside the music she was experiencing and found a nice surprise.

Life done right…being true to oneself.

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.”

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.”

It’s hard not to be yourself when you are as much who you are as Taylor Hicks is!
~~
Bravo to all who stay true to themselves and their dream!

Bravo to writers who take the time to really know of whom they write!!!
You have to believe that is writer is someone who is staying true to herself!

Bravo to those who follow the man and the music and know that fame is not the pursuit.
The pursuit is the success that allows the real Taylor Hicks to keep showing up!

If you know all the words to Taylor Hicks’ music, or if you know nothing of Taylor Hicks—this is a must read.

If you want to know more about looking at life, it is a must read.

From Cicily Janus on the Huffington Post website:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cicily-janus/taylor-made-how-one-mans-_b_965485.html

Follow Cicily Janus on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jazzwriterchick

UPDATE: On Saturday morning The New York Times picked up the article on their Times Topics page!
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/american_idol/index.html

It was tweeted by Kern Radio 1180 as “An interesting read on balancing art and humanity.”

We think the viral journey of this piece is only beginning!
~~ Our thanks to Ms. Janus who cared enough to get the real story!

The Taylor Hicks Community
~~

Other Sources: Highway 61 by Gene Santoro; Heart Full of Soul autobiography by Taylor Hicks with David Wild for Random House.

Photo by Getty Images from www.taylorhicks.com: Taylor Hicks performs at “BamaRising” for Tornado Recovery.

We will always remember...

2011-09-11T09:06:00.004-05:00

We will always remember the victims of this dark day ten years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends.

How important it is that we recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes."
-Maya Angelou

We celebrate the heroes among us of that day and of every day.

Our sincerest thanks to our brave military men and women who serve our country.

"Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes."
-Bertolt Brecht

We are a land blessed with many heroes!
God bless all the heroes among us.

God bless America!

The Taylor Hicks Community

Taylor Hicks and friends at the Flora-Bama ~ In a word, eclectic!

2011-09-03T00:40:00.018-05:00

As the name suggests, the Flora-Bama sits on the Florida-Alabama state line on the Gulf of Mexico. It warrants a lot of descriptions from “It’s a dive bar like Jordan was a basketball player” to “America’s Last Great Roadhouse!” Much of it was destroyed in Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It was rebuilt, but did not lose its unique character.
Taylor Hicks, Rollin’ in the Hay, and Spoonful James play the Gulf Coast landmark today with beach party concerts, a football viewing extravaganza, and perhaps, with a tropical storm in the area, a wet and wild last shout out to summer! As Taylor added to a tweet about Flora-Bama this week: #justlikeoldtimes!

Shortly after winning American Idol in 2006, People Magazine talked with someone who “knew Taylor when” and knew Flora-Bama.

“Back when he was singing on the bar circuit in 2003, ‘he would get the crowd going,’ says Donna Slater, entertainment director of Flora-Bama Lounge, a popular watering hole on the Florida-Alabama border. ‘At first he was a curiosity, with all his dancing and twitching around on stage, but then everyone realized this guy could really sing.’”
Donna Slater had been hiring bands and musicians for the Flora-Bama Lounge since 1993. She started hiring Taylor and his college band in the late 1990s.

In a later interview, she talked about getting to know Taylor and his band.

“They were a college band with a lot of energy and talent, so I hired them during spring break of 1999? Late ‘90s.

“I kept hiring him through several band incarnations…this continued up until Hurricane Ivan hit in September, 2004. Taylor played the Mullet Toss in 2004. You have to remember that I met him when he was 19 or so. I believe that he always had that pull to perform and to play music whenever and wherever.”

There’s probably one song that will be on the set list tonight: Taylor’s own song, “Soul Thing.” It talks about this time when “the road can be your friend or the devil in disguise.” And it is Donna’s favorite. “It is that true R&B sound that he does so well.”

If you are in the Southeast today, the place to be is the Flora-Bama! Spoonful James with Wynn Christian, Quinn Borland, Eric Baath, and Patrick Lunceford plays at 2:00 p.m.

Rollin’ in the Hay with John Kulinich, Stan Foster, and Rick Carter takes the stage at 4:00 p.m.

At 6 p.m. Taylor Hicks returns to a stage he knows well. Difference is, there will be a few more people in the audience today as loyal fans fly in, drive in, and listen in as a Flora-Bama favorite son “brings it on home.”

There have been many different stages and shows since Donna Slater hired Taylor Hicks and his band in their college days. There is one constant for this great American roadhouse and these talented artists.

Music is their heart and soul.

~~~

And a shout out to those who were there in the beginning!
Yes, America voted. But those who were in those first audiences at Flora-Bama…they, too, make tonight possible.

Rock the Bama, Boys!

The party started early as Taylor tweeted this from inside the Flora-Bama Dome Friday night. With inclement weather in the area, the beach party moves inside.
On the beach for Alabama Department of Tourism photoshoot.

Quotes by Donna Slater from:
"Soul Survivor" by Mike Lipton, People Magazine

TTHC/TMO_Media Interview

Taylor Hicks and Elliot Yamin jammin' in Agoura Hills...

2011-08-21T17:54:00.010-05:00

The Taylor Hicks soundcheck about 5:30 p.m. on a beautiful California evening at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills gave no hint of the surprises to come. We sat outside listening to a familiar voice through the Club’s open door.

The waiting never gets old.

After dinner, we waited until someone in a baseball cap slipped onto the dimly lit stage carrying equipment and guitar. It was Josh Smith who played guitar in the Taylor Hicks tour band in 2007! He was joining the band tonight! And he was in that old 2007 groove from the start on “Rockin’ Pneumonia” and “The Boogy Woogy Flu” tagging “Hey Pokey Way.”

“The Deal” went down next and then the always beautiful “Maybe You Should.” Next, was my personal “dark horse.” On first listen, I didn’t think I would ever warm up to it, but “I Live on a Battlefield” is hard to beat for shear excitement, energy, and momentum. It makes your heart beat!! I am hooked on it now!

“What’s Right is Right” took off in many directions with tags coming along faster than Nascars on a straightaway—“Mystic Church,” “Waitin’ for the Ya Ya,” “Moonshine Whiskey,” “99 Red Luft Balloons.”

Like the mostly blue stage lighting, the music turned bluesy when the harp came out on “Back to Louisiana.”

Taylor Hicks and his harp--all you have to say!

“Gonna Move” always has the easy, “moving” feel to it. Taylor mixes up the phrasing and timing a little bit, and it’s new again. It’s like hearing an old friend with a twist of lime.

I believe it was somewhere along here that Taylor quickly left the stage and came back in a short sleeved dry shirt. It was warm in the room!

“Hold On To Your Love” took us back to 2007 again when Taylor introduced his drummer from his National Solo Tour that year, Felix Pollard. Felix sat in on drums for the rest of the show and proved why there are drum solos.

Concerts may have encores. This show had a finale and another surprise guest. With a grin on his face, Taylor introduced his “bro” from American Idol Season Five, the “one and only” Elliot Yamin…sing like “yamin it!” Their duet on “Use Me,” with Josh Smith on guitar, Felix Pollard on drums, Brian Less on keyboards, Jeff Lopez on sax, and David Keith who had temporarily given up his drums, was a band of musicians who don’t just love their music…they are passionate about it.

That was this band this night in Agoura Hills—musicians who do it because they have to. It’s who they are, and they were having fun.

It was a pleasure being part of their fun!

“Music that controls musicians is what I live for” was on twitter recently. It seemed like some of these people were on stage in Agoura Hills this week.

~~
Taylor Hicks and Elliot Yamin ~ "Use Me"

Notes and Credits:

Quote from Connie Leinicke was in response to Taylor’s link to his early “Rehearsal’s Hollywood Nights” video to which she responded in part: “Music that controls musicians is what I live for.”

Photos and Video by San: Taylor Hicks and Elliot Yamin, “Use Me.”

Taylor Hicks Running into the Sun...

2011-08-14T18:22:00.006-05:00

In March, the spring tour was ready to kick off, and Taylor Hicks tweeted:

@TaylorRHicks “Finally....................the BUS.”

Music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, had just blogged about Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” and taking chances. He wrote that we who didn’t take chances …went to college and settled.

That’s what I did—went to college and settled. I didn’t take chances.

I was a soccer mom.

“So we don't take those risks, the artists take them for us.”

And we are enthralled when we meet them as if there is still a little corner of us that is drawn irresistibly to the uncertain.

Sometimes we are reminded of the unsettled part. Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” struck a deep chord when Taylor suddenly tagged it at Epcot Center last October.

Jackson Browne was a risk taker before Taylor Hicks was born. He lived much of his life on the tour bus…with its thrills and pitfalls.

Do we need risk takers in our lives?

“Running on running on, running into the sun.”

Why do we follow Taylor Hicks?

Is it the music or is he taking the risks for us?

He dropped out of college. He hit the road in an old van. He paid his dues. Now, he steps onto a beautiful tour bus each summer.

“The BUS” is the signal that a touring musician is on the road. It’s his home, his success, his business of risk taking.

I don’t mean those of us who settled are unhappy. I mean, for whatever reasons, we just avoided risks and even dreams and they are buried until sometime, something reminds us of the untraveled roads. As a senior in college I thought I’d be going on tour with the college choir. But it didn’t happen. It was an involvement in music I think I still miss.

I was in college musicals, even the solo cameo in a small stage version of “New York, New York.” Yet, it was never my dream to be an artist. I was too practical. How could anyone make a living in the arts? I married someone who aspired to being an artist. But his mindset was the same. How could he support a family and be an artist? He never touched a canvas again.

Perhaps our need for risk takers might explain our connection to our artists—one deeper than the music and the show.

And why we flock to the risk takers.

I work and shop in a small town on I-40 where I see the highway stretch for miles in two directions…not as beautiful as California’s 101 where Jackson Browne “ran into the sun.” But I still see a way to somewhere …to a part of me where I can’t go. I’ve stared at it and thought, “I could just take off and go.” But I don’t.

“You can buy insurance. Go to graduate school. Start a profession. Or you can walk the tightrope without a net, which is scary, knowing there's no protection, nothing to save you, but it's much more thrilling.”And that's what life is supposed to be. A thrill.”

Perhaps that’s why I felt a little bit of a thrill when I read Taylor’s tweet:

“Finally…………the BUS.”

I’m taking off to California this week to see Taylor Hicks at The Canyon Club…

in Agoura Hills.

I was that soccer mom years ago… in California. I drove my son to soccer games down the road just a bit…

in Agoura Hills.

I still don’t take risks, but I know someone who does.

Who is your risk taker?

Taylor Hicks running into the sun on Telluride Gondola.

~~

Notes: Agoura Hills is located on the Ventura Freeway. This is also “the 101” of Jackson’s Browne’s “Running on Empty.”

Interestingly, in my mail this week was a letter from my alma mater inviting me to be a part of an Alumni Choir. No…that’s under the bridge.
~~

Taylor Hicks is in California this week. Check out his schedule to the right with a NEW Labor Day weekend gig at the historic Flora-Bama Lounge on the beach at the Alabama/Florida line!

~~
Quotes: Bob Lefsetz “Running on Empty”
http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2011/03/01/running-on-empty/

Photos: "Road101" Flickr; "Gondola" by Taylor Hicks via Twitter.

Taylor Hicks working with KebMo on new album...

2011-07-27T21:40:00.009-05:00

Taylor Hicks confirmed tonight during a Live Chat on Ustream that he is collaborating with KebMo on his new album expected out early next year.

Taylor said that Keb has been a long time mentor even before American Idol and gave him advice on some of his song choices on that show. In an interview earlier this week, Keb listed Taylor Hicks as one of the musicians with whom he was working on projects. Taylor is already involved in the song writing process and gathering songs to record. He will take the time needed and not let a sense of emergency interfere with a CD of “great” songs.

In the live feed that encountered some technical difficulties and lasted in excess of an hour, a relaxed Taylor also talked of future plans to live in Nashville and that he was looking at property there. He said the city has so much to offer, not just in the way of country music, but all kinds of music and culture. He is looking forward to a “normal” life there.

He is still taking acting lessons from Carl Ford and found that doing audition tapes was a new experience. He has only done one audition in his life—his audition for American Idol.

Questions flew by in the Ustream chat window. He said he was definitely ready for some football; Ore Drink and Dine, his new restaurant in Birmingham, is doing great; they are featuring the live music of the great Birmingham musician, Cleve Eaton at Sunday brunch. He was asked about Amy Winehouse and he said he thought that someone should have been with her. At one time, Taylor said she was an artist with whom he would like to do a duet.

There will be more concert dates coming up. He is especially looking forward to playing the Telluride Jazz Celebration since he never has. It comes up August 6, 2011.

If you missed the live chat, watch for the recording on taylorhicks.ning.com or Ustream. Previous chats have been posted there.

http://www.taylorhicks.com/

~~

Photos from Taylor's Facebook: KebMo and Taylor Hicks at The Ryman in Nashville for Vince Gill's Jammin' to Beat the Blues Benefit, 4/7/2011.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Tales of the Harmonica

2011-07-17T10:00:00.016-05:00

Taylor Hicks and his harmonica are not soon parted.

It was a simple beginning, but it was life changing.

And it was a significant leap from being a “major music fan to becoming an actual player…”

In his autobiography, "Heart Full of Soul," Taylor Hicks recalls his first encounter with a lowly harmonica in a flea market when he was just sixteen.

“I was hanging out with some friends at the flea market in Bessemer, Alabama, on a lazy Sunday afternoon when a beat-up old Marine Band harmonica suddenly caught my eye. That crusty old harp didn’t just look used; it looked downright abused. Still, the price was definitely right, so after considerable debate, I dug into my pockets and made the single best $2 investment of my life.”
It was love at first sight.

“I fell totally and passionately in love with that harmonica. …that instrument and I became inseparable. The thing went to school with me. It went to bed with me. I even went to the bathroom with me. It kept me company and gave me a new identity. I was ‘the kid with the harmonica.’

“As I’d done with so much else in my life, I taught myself to play the instrument without any formal instruction. I …began trying to play along with all my favorites. …not just to soul and blues tunes but also to the rock tracks I loved by performers such as Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Supertramp. …for me, the ultimate test was playing along to ‘Take the Long Way Home’ by Supertramp.”

No wonder that “Take the Long Way Home” is a super concert favorite today.

Although instruments were not part of the American Idol competition, the harmonica went along. The most memorable audition image is Taylor entering the judges’ room blowing on his harmonica and plopping himself down on the chair in front of them to hear their decision.

After making history on the American Idol stage, Taylor was able to take his harmonica on the American Idol Tour and was often on his knees playing his harp.

Now, there’s a passel of harmonicas in different keys, neatly arranged and labeled in cases on stage.

One still goes everywhere!

The golf course...
The high seas for Jam Cruise, 2011. Media appearances... Stunning images show the intensity with which Taylor is one with the harmonica, here at the Rocky Mountain Power Jam in 2010.

He took it to Broadway and gave Teen Angel a new kind of heavenly harp.

There is only one that we can find who wasn’t impressed with Taylor and his harmonica. It was a bad day in Dallas when Taylor shared the stage with Burt, the basset hound, who wanted no part of a harmonica playing American Idol. Taylor throws them into the audience sometimes as he did during “Seven Mile Breakdown” on American Idol in 2009. During the 2007 tour, fans could buy the ones he used after the concerts. He gives them away, often to young fans at concerts.

Taylor Hicks is more now than “the kid with the harmonica.” He has added much to his identity, his musical catalog, and his self-taught talent.

Yet, the harmonica still symbolizes the intensity with which he performs, the talent he has developed, and his love and passion for his music.

It is his smooth stone—a touch stone that seems to ground him.

It was, indeed, a good $2 investment.
~~~

How many harmonicas has Taylor Hicks held since that first one in Bessemer, Alabama?

It bends the mind to ponder!

But we and the music world are richer from that beat up, abused harmonica that couldn’t have known its significance on that Sunday afternoon in Bessemer.

~~~
Sources: Quote: Heart Full of Soul, Taylor Hicks, Random House, July, 2007.

Photos: BamaRising -taylorhicks.com; American Idol -screencaps; golf course-Birmingham News; Jam Cruise-Tom Zinn; media-Jacksonville Morning Mess screencap; Rocky Mountain Power Jam-screencap; Grease-promo photo; Burt-Good Day Dallas screencap; Taylor at Magic Bag-Peece (pc325).

The story of Burt, the basset hound, "Taylor Hicks Meets the Toughest Crowd in Texas" is here:

http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/2009/09/taylor-hicks-meets-toughest-crowd-in.html

"Take the Long Way Home" from Millersville, 2007, by Skeeter:

Carson James ~ Rock Heaven!

2011-07-12T19:52:00.007-05:00

“Music is my life. It’s who I am. …it has kept me going. …I hope my music and story will be an inspiration to many people as I continue this journey and my life as an artist.” Carson James

We were reminded today that it isn’t about how long we live but how well we live.

Carson James Sumpter celebrated his faith, his dreams, and his music and shared them all with others.

He was an inspiration to all of us to make our time here meaningful.

We were blessed to know his music and his passion for life.
Tonight, Carson James opens on a new stage…

Rock Heaven, Carson!

"Superstition" by Carson James and Taylor Hicks at WorkPlay, December, 2010, by NJ4Tay

Top photos from ABC Interview; WorkPlay by Anothertayfan.

Taylor Hicks ~~ "Favorite Fare at ORE Drink and Dine" Poll

2011-07-05T20:34:00.010-05:00

You have been to Ore and sampled the fare.

You have not been to Ore to sample the fare, but you plan to go.

You live too far away to go to Ore, but you are contemplating telling your children you are flying to Birmingham just to go to Ore.

You tweeted about your dining at Ore with picture.

You don’t tweet about what you eat.

You don’t take pictures of what you eat.

No, this is not the poll.

We’ve seen pictures and reviews of the fare, including Taylor’s Paella. We thought it would be fun to know what you would order from the menu if you go to Ore or go again.

We found a sampling of what’s been talked about, so tell us what would be the one favorite you would definitely order. Take our poll to the right.

Enjoy our second-ever unofficial just-for-fun poll “Favorite Fare at Ore” !

If you have been to Ore, feel free to give us more information or pictures on Twitter!

A “Southern Eclectic” menu, wine menu put together by Sommelier Alexis Douglas, live music, and special community events creates the total culinary and fun fare at Ore. American Idol and Birmingham native, Taylor Hicks, part owner of Ore Drink and Dine, occasionally appears on the entertainment stage. Chic industrial decor celebrates Birmingham's past connected to the mining of iron ore.

Taylor Hicks and Executive Chef Joey Dickerson at Ore Drink and Dine.

For more information follow Ore Drink and Dine on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/ORE4747 :

And on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ORE-Drink-and-Dine/192755817442277

More Happy Summer!

Fourth of July, 2011~~Rebirth of Freedom

2011-07-03T12:16:00.008-05:00

On this day in 1863, General Robert E. Lee watched as his tattered, beaten army retreated back into Maryland and Virginia from the horrific battle at Gettysburg.

Today, we remember the birth of our nation. We also remember what that great battle, a turning point in the Civil War, meant.

In the fall of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln visited the battlefield where a formal cemetery was the beginning of a great park. Bruce Catton writes in Gettysburg: The Final Fury:

“…Lincoln spoke the few sentences that made cemetery and park something more than a simple memorial to human courage.

“…When he said that people would never forget what the soldiers had done on this battlefield, he added that no one would long remember what anyone said there; and this was a slight mistake, because what he said there is something the American people will always turn to when they want to know why this great hour of tragedy had to take place and what it meant in the growth of a great nation.

“…Lincoln reminded his listeners, the American people had brought forth a nation ‘conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’ The terrible Civil War itself, he said, was simply a matter of testing whether that nation and the dream that inspired it could go on living. The unlimited potential embodied in the great word 'America' depended on the way the challenge was met. The soldiers had done their part…to the last full measure of their devotion. The rest, then and thereafter, would be up to the living.

“To the living of all subsequent generations, including this one, Gettysburg left an unending responsibility. A nation built on the idea that all men—all men—are of equal worth and equal rights summons everyone of its citizens to the life-long commitment to put that idea into practical effect.

“Gettysburg, then, was the price we paid for our service under that great concept. It was one step in a long progression; not an end, but a beginning—a pledge written in blood that freedom should be reborn in every generation.”

~~~
“The soldiers had done their part…to the last full measure of their devotion. The rest, then and thereafter, would be up to the living.”

Today we remember the price of freedom and the ideals for which we sacrifice, then and now.

God bless America.

Fly our flag proudly and humbly remembering its challenge to the living.

Taylor Hicks sings our National Anthem at San Francisco Giants' Opening Day Ceremonies, 2009.

~~~~
Quote Source: Catton, Bruce. Gettysburg: The Final Fury. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York. 1974.

~~~
Thanks to a friend who reminded me of my history. Thanks to a departed friend who read much about the Civil War, loved his books, and served his country as a proud Marine.

And thanks to Mr. Catton who reminded us of the price of freedom and that freedom comes with responsibility.

Taylor Hicks ~~ The Rear View Mirror

2011-06-27T20:35:00.022-05:00

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.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Making a Difference

2011-06-12T11:43:00.008-05:00

“With our voices, we can really make a difference.”

Taylor Hicks returns to Linn Park in Birmingham, Alabama today with fellow hometown American Idol, Ruben Studdard, for a free concert supporting the food drive for storm victims.

In a way, it started in Linn Park.

In 2006, Taylor Hicks was headlining the most successful American Idol tour ever or since. The stop in Taylor’s hometown of Birmingham, was more than a victorious rock star’s homecoming. Among all the hoopla of instant superstardom, there was a rather quiet gathering in Linn Park to meet Taylor. A group of fans had collected a significant donation for Studio by the Tracks, a charity in Irondale, Alabama that Taylor had supported since a teenager and still does today with events at his new restaurant, Ore.

He said, in part, to the gathering there on that beautiful August afternoon:

“Never in my wildest dreams would I realize, as a musician, what an impact that not only I can make, but what we can make as a whole.

For you guys, and all of us, to be able to give back in any small way…that’s what makes a difference.

...It’s amazing the impact that we have, not just my voice but everyone’s voice. I want to thank everybody that’s been able to put that out there.

With our voices we can really make a difference.”

He closed with what would be a promise for many of his future efforts:

“…I think this is just the start of something bigger...

This is just one of the first of many causes that I think that we can make an impact on.”

From that day in Linn Park, Taylor and his followers have supported too many good causes to highlight here—from children’s cancer research, the American Red Cross and Birmingham charities, Studio By The Tracks and Kid One, to Gulf Coast Relief. Today, back in Linn Park, and Tuesday night at BamaRising at BJCC, he appears for tornado recovery.

But then, it really started long before Linn Park. Before most of us had heard the raspy, soulful voice of Taylor Hicks, he gave a small donation to Kid One and told them that someday he hoped it would be more.

He has made good on that. And more.

With Taylor’s inspiration and leadership, it is amazing what has been accomplished together.

Isn’t that the way it is...

Together.

For this American Idol who believes in giving back and making a difference, it is still just the start…

Support today’s free concert in Linn Park with donations of canned food.
More Information:
American Idols Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard Team Up for Outdoor Benefit Concert

If you can’t attend BamaRising Tuesday evening, you can make a donation here:
BamaRising

Taylor in Linn Park, August 8, 2006:

Top photo by: Maria3731

Taylor Hicks ~ "Rough God Goes Riding"

2011-06-06T19:58:00.008-05:00

Why does a song play over and over in your head?

During a recent tour through New England, Taylor Hicks covered Van Morrison’s “Rough God Goes Riding,” by some accounts a metaphor for the wrong side of luck and fortune or the avenging angel of death.

It connects.

It is this year’s “Border Song,” a Taylor cover of Elton John in 2009, and “Bulletproof,” the very popular cover of LaRoux in 2010.

Perhaps it was the timing—just hours after devastating tornadoes had hit his home state of Alabama. Taylor had spoken earlier that day about his efforts to help tornado victims in Alabama. “Rough God Goes Riding” comes from Morrison’s album, The Healing Game.

Taylor’s debut of the Van Morrison song at The Broadway Theatre in Pitman, New Jersey on May 12, was a new and intense setlist keeper. With Brandon Peeples playing the classic upright bass and joining the vocals, the strong, pounding chorus drove home a connection that continues to play.

When the rough god goes riding
When the rough god goes gliding

Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in

Although it’s driven by somber lyrics, the song never loses its musicality. You can listen to it over and over. It plays in your head. The harshness and barbs of the words don’t matter. It is the release that unhappy times find through music—solace and healing.

This was not the first time Taylor had covered the Irish musical legend. Morrison was by far the most frequently covered artist on previous tours in 2007 and 2010. During the 2007 National Tour alone, 25 different Morrison songs made the set list as covers or tags including “Rough God Goes Riding” that was tagged 13 times. “Naked in the Jungle” was a frequent encore.

It isn’t surprising that the music of Van Morrison and Taylor Hicks connects. Morrison grew up in Northern Ireland listening to his father’s extensive record collection that included many of the same artists that Taylor Hicks credits for his musical core.

“…the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Ray Charles, Lead Belly, and Solomon Burke; of whom Morrison later said, "If it weren't for guys like Ray and Solomon, I wouldn't be where I am today. Those guys were the inspiration that got me going. If it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now."

Ray Charles—often mentioned by Taylor as his inspiration.

“Rough God Goes Riding” (1997) is the opening song on the album, The Healing Game by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. According to biographer Clinton Heylin this song: “signaled a return to the religious and spiritual preoccupations that had driven Morrison's work throughout the eighties, the image of the Rough God being derived from Robin Williamson's 'Mr. Thomas' — recorded by Morrison for Inarticulate — in which 'the rough God goes riding with his shears', a reference to the avenging Messiah who shall return to wreak final judgement on Man."

Greil Marcus, rock critic and columnist for Rolling Stone, and author of “When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison” (2010) wrote that "The deep burr of Morrison's voice buries the words, which cease to matter; you might not hear them until the tenth time you play the album, or long after that. 'It's when that rough god goes riding,' he sings, drawing the words both from Yeats and down in his chest, and you might never know it's the Angel of Death that has you in its embrace."

When Taylor Hicks sings “Rough God Goes Riding,” you can understand the words and hear and see the emotion they evoke. The slow, deliberate tempo is powerful and intense. Jeff Lopez wields the sax like a weapon lashing out. You almost expect a call and response with the sax and harp, but it is pure sax solo.

The rough gods are riding. A friend told me about stumbling over debris in the dark calling out the name of her loved one in Tuscaloosa. More devastation has ripped through other cities, as that rough god goes gliding from more dark skies. I drove home tonight watching the rising plumes of ominous smoke from Western wildfires.

Rough God Goes Riding
By Van Morrison, 1997

Oh the mud splattered victims
Have to pay out all along the ancient highway
Torn between half truth and victimisation
Fighting back with counter attacks

It's when that rough god goes riding
When the rough god goes gliding
And then rough god goes riding
Riding on in

I was flabbergasted by the headlines
People in glasshouses throwing stones
Gaping wounds that will never heal
Now they're moaning like a dog in a manger

It's when that rough god goes riding
And then the rough god goes gliding
There'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god comes riding on in

And it's a matter of survival
When you're born with your back against the wall
Won't somebody hand me a bible
Won't you give me that number to call

When that rough god goes riding
And then that rough god goes gliding
They'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god goes riding on in
Riding on in

When that rough god goes riding
When that rough god goes gliding
There'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god goes riding on in
Riding on in

There'll be no more heroes
They'll be reduced to zero
When that rough god goes riding
Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in

From Ray Charles to Van Morrison to Taylor Hicks—connections decades and generations in the making are played out on new stages. Music is the great super highway across borders and generations.

And it gets us through some tough times.

~~~

After the performance of “Rough God Goes Riding” in Glenn Falls, NY, Taylor told the audience of an unforeseen meeting with Van Morrison. Taylor was scheduled to appear on Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City. He was on the set when he was told he wouldn’t be appearing because he had been “bumped” by none other than Van Morrison. Taylor said that if he had to be bumped he couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather be bumped by than Van Morrison.

When Morrison recorded “Rough God Goes Riding” in 1997, Taylor Hicks at age 21 released his first album, In Your Time, with seven tracks and the humblest of beginnings. Now it is collectible and Taylor is on tour and covering one of the artists who inspired him most.

Good music lasts.

And, unexplainably, it plays over and over in your head.

Taylor Hicks ~ Rough God Goes Riding
SweetTFan Pitnam, NJ

The legend Van Morrison in Germany in 2010 Rough God Goes Riding: by vossmeister

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greil_Marcus
Cath at TTHC Connections Anthology statistics

Photo and edit by San.

Audience of One--A Memorial Day Tribute

2011-05-30T09:48:00.006-05:00

Taylor Hicks had just stepped off the stage where he had performed for a packed house in Shirley, Massachusetts.

Then he sang for one—a young soldier, Seth, who hadn’t been able to attend the concert.

In a special performance of “19,” the story of a young soldier who sacrificed all for his country, Taylor sat on his tour bus next to a rather shy serviceman singing the emotional story.

In a Memorial Day Tribute to all our servicemen and women, this performance was released today on “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” on YouTube:

"Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks--Memorial Day Tribute"

“On this Memorial Day, please take a moment to remember the brave soldiers who fought for our country.

We appreciate what they did to make this a safer country.”
Taylor Hicks

Please join us in remembering and honoring our troops this Memorial Day!

The Taylor Hicks Community

~~~

Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks on YouTube

Taylor Hicks ~~ Remember the White Shirt?

2011-05-24T13:37:00.005-05:00

There was no UStream, FaceBook, or, (oh, my goodness!), Twitter…at least that I knew about.

There was only television and, finally, high-speed internet. I was a fan who knew no one, and all I could do on the internet was a Google search.

So, I searched Google for “Taylor Hicks” and went from there.

All I wanted was to see, hear, and read everything I could about the new Season Five American Idol, Taylor Hicks.

I don’t know how I got that first media I now have filling my computer. I didn’t know what a download was, let alone, an upload!

I wanted to share some of it today and I couldn’t. I didn’t know whose it was or where it came from.

See, it didn’t matter in 2006. I was a fan, alone and fumbling along.

And fumble, I did. But I was lucky to make great friends who knew more than I did. I found the fan sites and life evolved.

Now, there are websites, message boards, blogs, UStream, FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube TV, and, LOOMING-LARGE Twitter!

Yes, the mega fan gathering on Twitter. It has leveled the playing field in many ways. It is a “sharing ground.” There are talented writers and photographers. There are those with talent and wit way beyond that of which I could dream! Taylor Hicks would be one of those! And there are fans who want to hang out and connect with Taylor and other like-spirited fans.

They are the ones who really make it all work!

After all, it is about Taylor, the music, and us. In their last issue, The Soul Connection quoted Bob Lefsetz who has long championed the role of fans. He said: “Play to the fans, and they will spread the word.”

So, I would like to celebrate today being a fan--remember when you started with nothing but enthusiasm and an intense admiration for Taylor Hicks and his music. Remember your first Taylor Hicks media? (Download? Heck, if I know!!) I think mine was from one of the first Idol concerts where he would change into a crisp white shirt for the encore and play the harp on his knees! Remember? If you were here in 2006, I know you do!

It’s been a long five years…and a short five years. It’s flown by because it has been refreshing, fun, and inspiring. It’s been a long five years because we’ve come so far, learned so much, and watched that water go under the bridge.

In the end, we come back here…to being a fan. Where we started and where we must remain.

If we lose sight of what it means to EACH of us to be a fan, we’ve lost touch with our heart and soul.

Taylor Hicks continues to follow the American Dream he alluded to in the American Idol finale. That dream took him there and brings him here.

Let's not only celebrate the success of our American Idol, let's celebrate what took us to Google search in 2006 and has brought us here in 2011…the fun and joy of being Taylor Hicks fans.

Congratulations and thanks to Taylor Hicks for making it a BOOMFIYA five years!

Congratulations and thanks to all the fans for making it a BOOMFIYA five years!!!

I think I’m up for another FIVE!

How about you?

Here’s a Taylor Hicks Cabernet Sauvignon toast to seeing you here in 2016!

~~~

Photo: I do remember that this photo came from one of those great friends, Allyn. Because it is hers, thank you for not reposting.

Musicians come together for Alabama Tornado Recovery

2011-05-17T21:57:00.005-05:00

BamaRising brings together the music community for the tornado-devastated Alabama communities.

From BamaRising.org today:

“COUNTRY MUSIC'S TOP-SELLING SUPERGROUP ALABAMA ANNOUNCES "BAMA RISING: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ALABAMA TORNADO RECOVERY" AT BIRMINGHAM'S BJCC ARENA ON JUNE 14TH

Tickets Go On Sale To General Public This Friday, May 20th at 11:00am CST

BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 17, 2011) -- On Tuesday, June 14nd, the country music community will unite to assist victims of the tornados that ravaged Alabama on April 27th. "BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery," presented by Verizon, will take place at Birmingham's BJCC Arena. It will feature performances by Alabama, who is spearheading the event, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Sheryl Crow and numerous other artists. See below for a list of performers and special guests who have been confirmed to date.”

Taylor Hicks, Dierks Bentley, Bo Bice, Martina McBride, and numerous others join the impressive group of artists giving back to the Alabama community with their music.

~~
Tickets go on sale Friday, May 20th, 11:00 a.m. CST at
BamaRising

If you can’t be there, support BamaRising with a donation at: Donate to BamaRising

…When music is more.

SUPPORT BamaRising!!!

Taylor Hicks~~The pictures say it all...

2011-05-08T13:22:00.013-05:00

When pictures speak louder and better than words…

Kirk Stauffer at Snoqualmie was nice enough to give us three pictures to share. They are different and stunning:

Check out more of Mr. Stauffer's photos from Snoqualmie here:
http://www.soundspike.com/photos/771/1/taylor_hicks_in_snoqualmie__wa/

There’s something about this man and his harp. NolaMar1, took some beautifully professional pictures during Jazz Fest week in New Orleans of Taylor and the musicians at Down on the Bayou. She shared this one with us:

She has more at NolaMarImages, including Taylor Hicks and the musicians he met, including Jamie Johnson:
http://nolamarimages.smugmug.com/Music/Down-On-The-Bayou-III-Howling/16930365_d4tbff#1280101707_cJnHJt2

There’s something about pictures of Taylor on the golf course! The Birmingham News caught the action at the Regions at Shoal Creek this week:

Our Regions fan on the greens, OBG/Rayvis, shared this candid shot of Taylor entitled: “tryingtoEnglishitin” which I believe means trying to make his putt go in with a little help from the harp.

There are more Regions photos from OBG here:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/4245976/1/

There’s something intriguing about wine labels, and Taylor Hicks got his own this week! The City Winery, where he performs on May 15th, offered a Limited Edition Artists Selection—a cabernet sauvignon with $10 of each purchase going to the Red Cross for tornado relief. Now, that’s a GOOD way to support a GOOD cause! Might we see some of this at Ore?

Photographer Tamika Moore and writer Bob Carlton of the Birmingham News gave us a good inside glimpse of Ore and its Executive Chef, Joey Dickerson, who showed off the chic retro industrial look of Birmingham’s newest restaurant serving “Southern eclectic” fare.

Food, wine, golf, music--the pictures say it all.

~~
Tour time is super photo time! Thanks to all who share their images…

It is one of the best parts of the fan community—because we can’t be at all the concerts, photos and vids are the next best thing!

Cameras and those who click them ROCK!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Thanks to Cath for acquiring Mr. Stauffer's photos for TTHC.

Taylor Hicks ~~ On tour with "just the music"

2011-05-03T19:48:00.004-05:00

Taylor Hicks is back on the road this month.

You can read all of it at the link below. You’ll have a better backdrop for my focus. But what I want to share is this from Bob Lefsetz’ “McMurtry at McCabes”:

"James McMurtry is up there telling his stories, evidencing all the years of practice on his guitar, and his loyal audience comes to see him.

And that's all there is.

There's no front page story in a newspaper no longer being read.

There's no video on an MTV that's all reality shows.

There's no million selling CD.

There's just the music. And that's got to be enough. Journeymen can't afford backdrops and dancers, frequently they can't even afford a band.

Songwriters are bitching they can't get paid in the new world.

Yes, you can. You can put your old kit bag over your shoulder and go on the road. Those radio dreams are history. People find out about music online and support those artists who are authentic, who are playing to them, not the gatekeepers.

Everybody wants to go back to the past. Well, that's what we're doing. Only it's further back than you contemplated, before CDs, before radio, when you made your living live.

Are you up to the challenge?

James McMurtry is."

And Taylor Hicks is.

He proves it again as he heads out for 12 shows in the next month.

I know. It may sound simplistic, idealistic, and not too realistic. It’s not all the “business” of this business.

But it is the focus—the music. It has to be first!

Catch Taylor Hicks on the road this month—with or without his “old kit bag” over his shoulder!

Where there is "just the music."

See if he meets the challenge.

I’m betting he will!

~~~
After a day on the golf course tomorrow at the Regions ProAm Tournament in Shoal Creek, AL, Taylor Hicks opens a month of concerts starting in New Orleans at Howlin’ Wolf. Check out the Tour Schedule to the right. For more information on all of the tour stops, visit:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/forum/1667442/

~~~
Bob Lefsetz’ “McMurtry at McCabes” http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2011/05/01/mcmurtry-at-mccabes/

Note: James McMurtry is a Texas rock and Americana music singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader and occasional actor. His literary father, Larry McMurtry, wrote the 1985 Pulitzer Prize winning western novel, “Lonesome Dove.”

Photo by San from Epcot Center, 2010.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Biography: The Journey, "Leave Me With the Music"

2011-04-30T12:48:00.010-05:00

“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.”

~~

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

Thank you for reading "The Journey."

Taylor Hicks ~~ Biography: The Journey, Touring in the Blood

2011-04-30T12:01:00.007-05:00

After closing night in Cleveland, Hicks went back to what he had done for a long time—touring and performing with a full band. He put together what he dubbed a “kick ass” band and took off on a "Kick Ass" Summer Tour in 2010, which kicked off July 25th with a sold out opening at the Highline Ballroom on New York City’s trendy Westside. On his third tour bus, Hicks and a band from down home played in over 25 cities from New England to California to Florida for the next three months. He hand delivered more copies of The Distance, signing the album and posing for pictures with fans waiting in long lines after each concert.

Hicks proved his talent once again for putting together top musicians who meld to give an energetic and eclectic performance: Brandon Peeples on bass guitar, Leif Bondarenko, on drums, Jeff Lopez on saxophone, Sam Gunderson on guitar, Matt Kimbrel on percussions, and Brian Less, longtime band mate and his Musical Director, on keyboards. The 2010 band has continued to appear with Hicks into 2011 except for Matt Kimbrell, whose untimely death shortly after the Epcot Center shows in October, 2010, shocked and saddened Hicks and his fellow band mates.

August, 2010, brought a special solo appearance by Hicks to honor movie legend, Clint Eastwood, at the Museum of Tolerance International Film Festival in Los Angeles. At the request made personally by Mr. Eastwood, Hicks performed “Gran Torino,” the title song from the classic 1970’s film that Eastwood produced and starred in set in a troubled Detroit. Before a house of film dignitaries, Hicks performed the song that Eastwood also wrote. The performance has only been seen outside the event in a snippet of one of his "Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks" episodes.

Jam Cruise 9, a floating musical extravaganza with jamband artists extraordinaire, rang in 2011. Hicks sat in with and received high acclaim for his performances on vocals and the harmonica with Galactic, Robert Randolph, Funky Big Sam, Mardi Gras Band, Anders Osborne, and many others. He also hosted the Jam Cruise version of The Gong Show. It was not his first foray into the jamband scene. He had sailed years before as a guest and young musician schooled in the music that celebrates funk and improvisation. He had headed a jamband cover band in college.

The musician/actor also ventured into TV appearing last fall on "Don’t Forget the Lyrics," and related his own haunting tale on "Celebrity Ghost Stories" on Biography Channel. Most recently, power sliding onto the stage, he made a surprise appearance on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, singing a musical parody with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and the legendary Roots of young Rebecca Black’s "Friday." It was an instant internet sensation going viral and global, scoring almost a million and a half views on YouTube in a few hours after the show. Most frequently described as "EPIC" and "hilarious," it was touted as the new classic Friday/weekend/partyin’ song. It continues to grow global popularity as a viral phenomenon on internet sites.

Hicks added "restaurateur" to his plate in 2011 opening Ore Bar and Grill, a neighborhood restaurant in the Crestline area of Birmingham. He and investors purchased The Open Door, an historic place where he appeared as a young musician. Ore is named after Birmingham’s past strongly connected to iron ore.

The songwriter and platinum recording artist has headed back to the recording studio with an undisclosed producer for a new album expected out in late fall, 2011. He has described it as "country soul."

"I came from the roadhouse...that’s the kind of feeling I’m giving to my next album."

Hicks continues to tour with concerts and charity appearances scheduled from New England to the Northwest. Touring, song writing and recording remain the roots and core of this American Idol, Broadway star, platinum recording artist, songwriter, restaurateur, and working musician.

He sums it up colloquially in his Twitter profile as:

"Ice Cream Pimp-Artist-Hippie-Author-Restaurateur-Genuine Smart Ass"

And tweets, again colloquially, about his life after filming the Fallon "Friday" experience:

"The shit that I enjoy doing everyday. Wow...what a life. Thanks everyone."

Tomorrow: The final chapter: “Leave Me With the Music.” The final word is always about the music…and a photo finish that says it all.

Taylor Hicks~~Biography: The Journey, The Distance

2011-04-28T21:25:00.005-05:00

Before closing on Broadway in “Grease,” Taylor Hicks announced a cutting edge deal where he would join the Broadway Across America National Tour of “Grease” continuing the signature role of Teen Angel. He would also perform a song from his album at the end of the stage show. “Grease,” with Hicks performing “Beauty School Dropout” in the show-stopping cameo appearance, opened in Providence, RI on December 2, 2008, for an 18-month swing around the country.

In the recording studio of renowned producer, Simon Climie, in France, the final production was completed on Hicks’ third post-Idol album. The Distance was released on his own recording label, Modern Whomp Records, March 10, 2009, as Hicks toured the West Coast in “Grease.” Again, Hicks had put together an outstanding group of musicians including Paul McCartney’s drummer, Abe Laborial, Jr., Eric Clapton’s bass man, Nathan East, and Grammy nominated guitarist, Doyle Bramhill, bringing a swamp rock sound.

The Distance captured an eclectic mix of soul, pop, and country rock. The first single released in January, 2009, “What’s Right if Right,” was a soulful jazz sound and lyrics vowing lasting love. In his first music video, Hicks walked the snowy streets of Chicago stopping in a retro fitted diner to sing “What’s Right is Right” in the slick, iconic film produced by highly acclaimed New York videographer, Jake Davis.

The second release from The Distance, “Seven Mile Breakdown,” infused delta blues vibes with country overlay that rocked with undeniable Southern roots. Oregon filmmaker, Spence Nicholson, produced the music video in which Hicks jumped into the sporty classic red and white Steinray convertible and cruised the California hills for a raucous “Seven Mile Breakdown.” It took the music video charts by storm at AOL and MuVids and stayed on top for months.

“Seven Mile Breakdown” brought an invitation back to the American Idol stage in 2010 where Hicks brought a new Idol persona with swagger, guitar, and harmonica in hand. A show-stopping performance brought a standing ovation from a new Idol audience and all the judges, including the reluctant, Simon Cowell. Hicks acknowledged the standing Cowell with a broad smile and commented to Ryan Seacrest after the bow:

“Look…the standing O.”

Hicks continued the national tour with “Grease” including a show in Ottawa, Canada, where Prime Minister Steven Harper and his young daughter attended the show and met with the Teen Angel afterwards. The tour also stopped in Washington, D.C. at the historic National Theatre just down the street from the White House. Hicks and entourage of friends and “Grease” cast mates made a Sunday morning tour of the Nation’s House as the city was blanketed in one of the worst snow storms of the century.

Besides playing Teen Angel and singing an encore on the “Grease” stage, Hicks brought The Distance music to his own after-show Shadow Concerts in many cities. He introduced a well-received acoustic concert at High Noon Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin, in December, 2009. His music stood the test of bare bones, stripped away production in the “unplugged” tradition. Acoustic performances, which previously were mostly limited to the encore, became a well-attended concert experience.

The “Grease” tour traveled to almost 50 cities for almost 500 shows in its 18 months on the road. Hicks became the face of “Grease” meeting with local media and promoting Broadway theatre as the “road show” played to many sold out houses in an uncertain economy. Hicks also “hand delivered” copies of The Distance after every show signing the album and posing with theatre goers for pictures. His take on his Broadway theatre experience always started with,

“Never in a million years…”

The “Grease” tour ended in Cleveland, OH in May, 2010, only weeks before the June debut two years before when he had first stepped onto the Broadway stage as the harp wielding Teen Angel wearing rhinestones. He was credited in an article by the New York Post with a significant impact on the box office—a $150,000 increase a week in the house receipts while appearing in the Tony nominated musical at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway.

“Hello…is this thing on?”

During his run with "Grease" Hicks embraced new social media outlets joining the Twitter community and chatting with fans live on UStream. He continues to interact with fans, other musicians and players in the business on twitter @TaylorRHicks and other social media sites at Facebook and MySpace. His own interactive website at http://www.taylorhicks.com/ offers all the latest on appearances and happenings.

“Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks”—Taylor Hicks TV on YouTube connected with followers for a glimpse behind the scenes shot by an unknown “sidekick” of the travels and offstage life of this working musician who frequently tweets: “In the twair.” The weekly episodes continue to engage followers in the ride-along adventures.

Hicks has always been involved in the community and stepped up in 2010 for his home state when the catastrophic Gulf Coast oil spill threatened to destroy Alabama’s tourism industry. He offered immediately to do whatever he could to help alleviate the impact of the disaster on his state and the Gulf Coast. He filmed a PSA for the Alabama Department of Tourism and appeared in a free concert at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum for Gulf Coast aid and awareness. He spoke out on MSNBC with Chris Jensen and wrote on Larry King’s Blog calling for continued media coverage until a resolution was reached. With family living there and playing gigs along the Coast, Hicks called this a cause "close to my heart."

Giving back to the community has always been on Hicks’ radar. In 2010 alone, he performed ten concerts for good causes. They included performances for Children’s Cancer Research Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Dream Foundation Gala in Laguna Nigel, CA, for charities such as Wounded Warriors and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. More recently, in April, 2011, he appeared in San Marcos, TX, for the Ride2Recovery event for recovering soldiers.

Hicks has long honored and recognized the country's service men and women beginning at his debut American Idol appearance at Salt Lake City in 2006 dedicating "Do I Make You Proud" to the troops. He continued that in The Distance album when he recorded “19,” the story of a fallen American hero. It is always on his concert setlist and he thanks the troops for what they do and suggests that everyone thank our brave military men and women whenever they see them. It is an emotional touchstone of every concert and always receives a standing ovation.

Tomorrow: “Taylor Hicks ~ Biography: The Journey -Touring in the Blood” Touring, jamming, and powersliding!

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

2011-04-28T19:05:00.005-05:00

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..."

Taylor Hicks~~Biography: The Journey, Modern Whomp Sent Spinning

2011-04-27T06:46:00.005-05:00

With the Idol tour completed, Hicks entered the recording studio for his post-Idol album that was released December 12, 2006. The self-titled release debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. With his own descriptive genre tag of “modern whomp,” the album “Taylor Hicks” was certified platinum by RIAA a month later. “Just to Feel That Way” was the first single released to radio, and “Heaven Knows” hit radio play in May, 2008.

With “Taylor Hicks” on the music shelves, the next stop for Hicks was his own Modern Whomp Solo Tour that kicked off in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 21, 2007. He was back on the road, and at home in his luxurious tour bus that took him to more than 50 cities for 55 concerts in many sold-out venues from February to May. Touring with him was Music Director and keyboardist, Loren Gold, backup singer Melanie Nyema, and an outstanding band playing a unique blend of modern blues, soul and rock in historic theatres and modern clubs and venues.

During the successful and exhausting 2007 tour, the May 9 show at the historic Warfield Theatre in San Francisco was professionally captured in its entirety and became the first live concert DVD for the touring musician. “Whomp at the Warfield” released in January, 2010, caught the high-energy, show-stopping talent of Hicks and the Tour Band. It includes a bonus interview in which Hicks talks about his music, “modern whomp,” and life on the road, and a special performance of “Son of a Carpenter,” not performed on tour. “Whomp” showcases the high- energy stage persona of this American Idol taking it beyond the singing competition that first gave him a national voice but did not tell the whole story of his musicianship and entertainment prowess.

The new life wasn’t all about music. In collaboration with David Wild, renowned Rolling Stone writer, Hicks took time to write his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul, “an Inspirational Memoir about Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way.” Published by Random House, it hit bookshelves in July, 2007. It told the story of a child finding solace in music, and a young man struggling to find his way in the difficult, and sometimes dark, world of a struggling musician on the road looking for that one elusive break—the elusive break which finally came, looking like fate and named Katrina.

In the summer of 2007, Hicks re-released his original album, In Your Time, which enjoyed new popularity with fans on the concert circuit. Copies of the original In Your Time release are rarely available and highly sought after by music collectors.

A Summer Tour of festivals and special events lasted into November, 2007, with a final concert at Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, MS. From Jacksonville, FL in February to Pearl River in November, Hicks appeared in 111 concerts in 98 different cities. The Hicks fanbase, fondly dubbed the Soul Patrol, turned out in mass, in their local towns and crisscrossing the country to see their Idol. Reviews of his live performances consistently praised the intensity and energy on stage with every “always-on” performance passionately and uniquely Hicks. He was credited with setting a new standard for touring entertainers: Give it all you’ve got; never phone it in! It paid off on the bottom line as his Modern Whomp Solo Tour was the 27th highest grossing tour of 2007.

Modern Whomp music went global when Hicks launched an Asian tour in the Philippines in December, 2007. He appeared as a special guest performer on Asian Idol and entertained thousands of enthusiastic fans in Manila.

While the new year brought platinum certification for his current CD, Taylor Hicks, special recognition came back home for the native son who emotionally sings, “My home’s in Alabama.” The Alabama Music Hall of Fame recognized Hicks with its America’s Music Award at its 2008 Annual Music Hall of Fame Induction Gala in February. The Alabama music community annually recognizes the rich musical heritage of its musicians, songwriters and music industry achievers. With this award, Hicks was given an exhibit in the Music Hall of Fame Museum in Tuscumera, Alabama. A brick was placed on the I Believe in Music Walkway at the Museum, a gift from fans and The Soul Connection, the professionally published Taylor Hicks online e’zine.

Tomorrow: “Birmingham to Broadway” Idol turns Angel playing a new kind of harp…

Taylor Hicks ~~ Biography: The Journey, A New Journey

2011-04-26T06:45:00.006-05:00

In a twist of fate that would reshape his life, Taylor Hicks was in New Orleans for a friend’s wedding on the weekend in 2005 that Hurricane Katrina struck with devastating fury. In the early Sunday morning hours, he managed to take a taxi out of the imperiled city. From the airlines that cancelled his flight out of New Orleans, he received a voucher that became his ticket to American Idol tryouts in Las Vegas and to a new life in the bright lights of stardom.

Originally encouraged by his brother, Sean, to audition for American Idol in Memphis, Hicks missed this opportunity when tryouts were cancelled because of Katrina relief efforts. He had never been to Las Vegas and tryouts there were still scheduled. The American Idol competition would measure his resolve to never walk away, even in the long audition lines outside the huge convention center in Las Vegas.

Hicks recounted three years later his encounter that shaped that resolve:

"I remember standing outside in Las Vegas at American Idol [auditions], and kids were coming up to me asking me where my kid was that was auditioning. If that doesn't make you want to walk away, I don't know what does. But I never walked away. I knew I had a vision, and that was to entertain people—and here I am."

At age 13, his hair had begun to turn prematurely gray. He did not fit the image of the young, pop music hopefuls.

On May 24, 2006, in the most-watched TV show of the DECADE, Taylor Hicks became the unlikely winner of American Idol Season 5 with over 63.4 million votes--more votes than the President had received in the last election. He was one of only three winning Idols who had never placed in the bottom two or three. Kelly Clarkston and Carrie Underwood share that distinction. When Idol judge, Simon Cowell asked in auditions why he wanted to be American Idol, Hicks said, “I want my voice heard.” Cowell insisted, “Why?”

“Because I think I have one,” Hicks proclaimed.

Life in the spotlight as 2006 American Idol began with a non-stop media blitz and sharing the stage with stars like Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, and Snoop Dog. He appeared on every early morning news show and twice visited with Jay Leno on the late night talk show. His first major concert appearance was at the huge Stadium of Fire Fourth of July Celebration in Salt Lake City Utah, July 1, 2006.

After signing a recording contract with Arista Records his American Idol single, “Do I Make You Proud” and the Michael McDonald classic, blue-eyed soul number, “Takin’ it to the Streets” hit the streets. The front side debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for nine weeks. “Do I Make You Proud” quickly sold gold and was the No. 1 selling single in 2006. It has become a modern classic for memorable occasions like graduations. Hicks began a tradition of dedicating this song to the American troops.

As headliner for the American Idol Summer Tour that was launched on July 5, 2006, Hicks and Idol finalists boarded their busses and crisscrossed the country from New England to the West Coast and were welcomed by record-setting crowds. It was the most successful American Idol tour ever, or since, grossing over $35.2 million and averaging 96% capacity. (Syracuse.com)

At the time of Season Five, American Idol had not allowed competitors to play instruments on the show. On the Idol tour, however, Hicks played harmonica and guitar for every scheduled concert, and he never missed a performance on the killer schedule. Hicks also performed in a “shadow tour” meeting up with his former band mates, the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra. After the Idol concert, at historic clubs like Smith’s Bar in Atlanta, he and the band jammed into the early morning hours. He said that it kept him grounded.

~~~

Tomorrow: Whomp Sent Spinning "With the Idol tour completed..."

(Scroll down for Part 1)

Taylor Hicks ~~ Biography: The Journey, Finding His Voice

2011-04-25T19:17:00.009-05:00

“The first thing I ever stole was an Otis Redding LP from my friend’s house,” says singer/songwriter and 2006 American Idol, Taylor Hicks. “I think I was in third grade.”

And though he was born years after the heyday of the great soul and blues performers, Hicks spent his childhood immersed in a steady stream of music by artists such as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Van Morrison. At 16, he bought a $2 harmonica from a flea market in Bessemer, AL and spent most of his time practicing while other kids were more concerned with driving cars.

Today, Hicks’ own brand of soul-and-blue-influenced music reflects the same sort of raw emotion and sensibilities so apparent in the songs he grew up on: pain, loss, love and the confusion inherent in them all.

He says his passionate writing and singing style is just a natural progression of a life that has been a little different than those of his peers. “Some people grew up in close-knit families,” he explains. “They could identify with the sugar-coated, new-wave music that was popular in the ’80s and even now. My home life wasn’t very supportive or comfortable - with divorce (among other misfortunes). I had to make life-changing choices at an early age. And the whole time, I was listening to soul music—music where you can actually hear a man’s heart break. So it just really made sense to me—even at such a young age.”

Hicks said he found the comfort he was looking for on stage. “I just made it my home. It’s where my heart is.” And watching his intensity on stage, it’s apparent that he holds nothing back. Even the slowest songs are sung with such energy, sweat and grit it would make his predecessors proud. The addition of his growling harmonica style is explosive at least.

On his debut album, “In Your Time“, Hicks demonstrates that, although he has a reverence for those artists he learned from, he’s far from a stuck-in-the-past purist. The title track, written by Hicks, from this live CD could be identified as modern soul music, but it is tinged with swinging horns and jazzy guitar licks. The acoustic ballad “The Fall” brings the listener along on Hicks’ sentimental thoughts of a relationship on its last leg. He leaves behind the bigger band sound, opting for sparse accompaniment that drives home the nakedness of emotion in the song. The recording also features classics including “Georgia” and the Archie Bell & the Drells song “Tighten Up”.

Backed by several bands and such musicians as Nashville veteran Billy Earl McClelland, Hicks has entertained audiences at festivals, clubs and fraternities while sharing the bill with some of his idols such as Percy Sledge along the way. (taylorhicks.com 2006, edited)

The Hoover, Alabama, native, born October 7, 1976, first stepped onto the entertainment stage at Corey’s Sports Bar in Birmingham. The audience numbered only a few more than his age. It was just the beginning of a long-running love affair with music and the stage for the 15-year-old blues singer.

Early on, Hicks learned to “just be me.”

“I hired a sideman when I was 17 years old. A guitar player named Billy Earl McClelland who was Delbert (Mc)Clinton’s old guitar player. We worked together when I was at Auburn, he told me that I was a natural entertainer and I shouldn’t worry about putting on a show. I should just be the person I was and that was entertainment enough. I had never thought about it that way until he told me that. I was able to loosen up and just be me."

Billy Earl McClelland was in his mid-40’s when he worked with Hicks way back in those early Auburn days. Hicks’old mentor joined him on stage in Birmingham, 2009, in a show-stopping duet of “Dust My Broom.”

Hicks first tasted success during his days at Auburn University when he was joined by David Schrimcher, Patrick Lunceford, Philip McGowan, Steven Jackson and Michael Douglas and formed “Passing Through” a pretty decent jam band playing gigs on college campuses throughout the South and at clubs along the Gulf Coast.

When Passing Through members went separate ways, Hicks formed a short-lived Fletch Lives band, including Quinn Borland and eight to ten members with only about an eight-song repertoire. The Florabama Club on the Gulf Coast, where Hicks says he cut his musical teeth, was a favorite gig for Fletch Lives.

For his own questionable reasons, Hicks became a college dropout in 1997. He was at a turning point and, as it always would, music guided his decision. From his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul: “For a million probably lousy reasons, I just couldn’t take even another moment to do the right thing. As I saw it, the time had finally come to try to do the only thing I ever wanted to do.”

Hicks left college and committed to his music and to entertaining as his life’s work. With band members Jon Cook on lead guitar and vocal, Jay Knorr, drums and vocal, Ian Correy, bass, Eddie Ayers, percussion, Brandon Kidd, alto sax, and Wade Johnson, trombone, Hicks released his first independent CD, In Your Time, recorded live to save on production costs. He was 19 years old. The fledging entertainer and his band hit the road to promote the new CD. On the not-so-glamorous “chitlin’ circuit” through the South, Hicks learned much about performing before a live audience and building a show. What he took away, he still lives by--

"Either you entertain people, or you go home.”

In 2000, Hicks took his dreams to Nashville. He realized quickly that he was not the next Johnny Cash. He describes his year in Music City as one of the darkest and loneliest in his life. He knocked on every door but could not score a gig for him and his band, The EZ Widerz. He did, however, write some of his best music, and many of the songs would later appear in his second independent CD, Under the Radar. After a year of frustration and rejection, Hicks returned to Birmingham and reconnected with his own kind of blues and soul music.

Undeterred in following the only dream he had ever had, Hicks and his own Taylor Hicks Band played wherever an audience would gather from the local VFW to opening for some top A-listers performing in the South. He shared the stage with entertainment greats like James Brown, Percy Sledge, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne and Keb Mo. “I’m a working musician. That’s how I make my living.”

Hicks went back to the studio in 2005 with a few borrowed dollars from his family and recorded his second independent album, Under the Radar. It showcased exclusively the early works of the struggling musician. He was backed by his own Taylor Hicks Band, a talented group of musicians, some of whom had been with him at Auburn: Jon Cook on guitars; Wynn Christian, electric guitars; Patrick Lunceford, drums; Mitch Jones, bass; Jay Smith, percussions; and Brian Less, Piano and B3 organ.

Life on the road was taking its toll. In “Soul Thing,” one of the tracks from Under the Radar, Hicks knowingly wrote, “The road can be your friend, or the devil in disguise,” and a place to get lost. He had been there and experienced the pitfalls.

“We all get lost sometimes—that’s part of being on a journey and being human…For me, the real measure of a man isn’t whether he gets lost, but whether he can still manage to find his way back somehow.”

The road back took him to New Orleans and face to face with opportunity in the wake of disaster.

Tomorrow: “A New Journey” In a twist of fate that would reshape his life…

~~~

Join us this week for "Taylor Hicks ~~ Biography: The Journey" in seven parts.

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.

(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 )

Taylor Hicks~"2006 American Idol no fluke..." gets it right!

2011-04-24T09:56:00.005-05:00

Kudos to Chris Welch of the Huntsville Times for getting it right in his Sunday article, “Taylor Hicks proves 2006 American Idol no fluke; performing Sunday Panoply.”

It captures the essence of this entertainer/businessman/humanitarian.

Hard work—

“You’ve got to constantly stay out there and stay in the eye. That’s hard work and a lot of people don’t want to work hard. That separates you from the pack.

You only have to see Taylor Hicks live on stage to know how hard he works at his craft.

Superstardom—

“There’s all kinds of ways you can measure superstardom.”

It’s not only in the money, although Taylor is “laughing all the way to the bank.” It’s also in a loyal fan community that loves to see Taylor live in concert. He has said many times, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

New horizons—

“This acting thing might end up being my home.”

From entering the Broadway stage in a giant ice cream cone to power sliding onto the Late Night stage—we cannot count out any new endeavor for this American Idol.

Humanity—

“We can talk about the great things that happen, but it’s not how many records you sell or the ‘Fallon’ shows. It’s how many lives you can touch through charities like Habit for Humanity, Children’s Research and groups like Make-A-Wish Foundation.”

Shortly after winning Idol, Taylor said to a group of fans in his hometown: “Together, we can make a difference.” He has stood by that in many appearances for good causes.

Read all of Welch’s article here:

http://blog.al.com/entertainment-times/2011/04/taylor_hicks_proves_2006_ameri.html

“It appears Hicks’ 15 minutes of fame aren’t quite up yet.”

And Sarah Cure of the Huntsville Times reviews the long running festival: "Panoply: Still Fresh at 30 years old":

http://blog.al.com/entertainment-times/2011/04/panoply_still_fresh_at_30.html

If you are in the Huntsville area, go!

Taylor Hicks ~~ Taking Care of Business...

2011-04-22T12:02:00.004-05:00

Taylor Hicks was taking care of business this week—working on his new record and opening a new restaurant!

Are we? I think so!

Many of you reading this are involved in websites, message boards, blogs and keeping taylorhicks.com and Twitter atwitter with Taylor Hicks news, music and chat.

If you are, you know how much fun it is!

And just a little bit of work. I’m going to repeat a line that I wrote here early on in this blogspot:

“We upload, download, and overload.”

Now, we tweet, twitpic, and tweetdeck.

I did not embrace social media. Heck, I didn’t embrace the internet! Now, I spend hours and hours here.

Twitter has given us a common forum to share what we think, what we do, and what in the world Taylor is doing. More importantly, (!) Taylor can share with us his view on life, music, where in the world he is and what in the world he is doing—or not share. (smile)

It’s somewhat of a level playing field…we all just get 140 characters. Well, unless you do the new “long tweet” which seems to me to defeat the purpose of Twitter. For the more verbose among us, there are blogs.

More than anything, Twitter gives the opportunity to come together and spread the word. Some time ago I wrote a blog about the “Chant in the Stadium” quoting music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, who talks about the “chant” where one person’s voice is picked up by others and becomes a forceful voice or chant. That’s what Twitter can do. Lefsetz has long championed the power of social media.

But this is not an assessment of Twitter! I’m just looking at the fan gathering reflected there.

I have never been involved with any other fan community. Shoot, I’ve never been a “real” fan before! So, I don’t have a “compared to what.”

It just seems to me that Taylor Hicks has a very active, engaged, and loyal group of fans who share their time and energies to support him. They take care of business!

In another week, many of you will be packing for the fun part!

I won’t be packing this month, but I hope to soon. Before you take off, I wanted to pat you on the back for taking care of business—the news, blogs, photos, twitpics, and tweets of Taylor’s career and music. If anyone wants to know anything about Taylor Hicks, they can sure find out on @TaylorRHicks on Twitter or websites, blogs, and Taylor web places!! Heck, I check other tweets to find information I need!!

HA! Tell me YOU don’t!!!

Now…go out there and take care of the fun!

Everyone going to a Taylor Hicks concert in the next month, have a blast!

Take pictures, send them to Twitter! Write your recaps and share!

Have fun!

After all, it’s “FRIDAY”… “gotta get down…”

(Shhhh….if you scroll down, I think “it’s” still here….)

~~~
Friday Footnote:
I felt free to talk about taking care of business this week because I finally did.

I took care of a long overdue update of our website. After feeling for a long time that I wasn’t doing Taylor proud and that I “couldn’t” do a lot, I learned by trial and error, redid mistakes, and embraced html code like never before. No, I haven’t switched to an easy “sitebuilder.”

Don’t ask.

Thanks to Cath who takes care of Connections Anthology and is always up to date and for her help also at TTHC. There would be a gaping hole without her!

I think we have some good things to share with you.

Yep, on Twitter!!!

Photo by San.

Taylor Hicks ~~ The Ryman!

2011-04-08T19:18:00.010-05:00

The Ryman in Nashville was the last concert added to Birmingham Week, 2007. I asked our group if we’d be going to Nashville, and I was told that if I didn’t go to Nashville, I’d be left behind.

I didn’t need persuading.

I didn’t see much of Nashville, arriving early afternoon and leaving early the next morning for the drive to Atlanta, the next stop. But I was there to see The Ryman and Taylor Hicks.

The Ryman is a block off Music Row up a rather steep hill. I knew that Taylor had spent a dismal year there. In his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul, he describes his lonely, unsuccessful days in Nashville. After a year of dead ends, he went back to Birmingham and hit the road throughout the South going wherever he and his band could play a gig.

However, he did write music there during that time—he says some of his best.

And he still is writing music in Nashville.

He recently told Nashville radio host, Ashley Mann, that he’s moving back in June where he has already been doing some songwriting for his next album planned for release in late fall. He also worked in Nashville on current CD, The Distance, collaborating with songwriters Gary Nicholson and Tom Hambridge.

This week he joined the Nashville music community for a good cause.

Taylor Hicks, the musician, appeared last night on stage at the Ryman with country music superstar, Vince Gill, his superstar wife, Amy Grant, and Taylor’s mentor and friend, KebMo. It was Vince Gill and Friends’ Jammin’ to Beat the Blues Benefit to raise money and awareness for Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee.

What a difference the years make. Walking up the hill in front of the Ryman in 2007, I captured a picture of the Taylor Hicks tour bus parked next to the church that became the iconic center of country music. We sat in the church pews that are uniquely Ryman. It’s a small venue compared to the auditoriums and historic theatres.

It seems like a long time ago now. In 2007, Taylor Hicks at the Ryman was on his first National Solo Tour. Last night, he was on stage jamming with superstars.

We all have touchstones by which we judge. I would never presume to know, but the Ryman might be a touchstone for Taylor Hicks with which he measures success…

The Ryman is my touchstone for times that were truly memorable.

I’m really glad I didn’t miss it.

Stay tuned for more of Taylor Hicks in Nashville!

And see Taylor Hicks live in concert~~ Check the schedule and venues to the right!

Photo by beverlynBama: Taylor Hicks at The Ryman, March 8, 2007

Taylor Hicks, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon & Roots~~ "Friday" Done Right!

2011-04-02T17:21:00.015-05:00

They broke it out, tore it up, and put it back again—in such a good way!

Jimmy Fallon slipped in a big surprise on Friday’s Late Night Show. Stephen Colbert took the stage with suspect seriousness to perform Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” the internet’s “worst” sensation. With musical group, The Roots, Fallon, in a lavender sweatshirt with “Soul Patrol” badge on it—a hint of approaching fun—joined Colbert. Then,“Ladies and Gentlemen, Taylor Hicks!!” The 2006 American Idol burst threw a Friday Weekend billboard, sliding onto the floor, and “Friday” rocked! The whacky trio sang, moved, hammed, and brought the weekend on with a “bang.” The Knicks Dancers brought the glam and more moves to the musical riot. #LMAO

“Friday”night would never be the same.

The new internet sensation took off like a Taylor Hicks live chat window on UStream—too fast to read with tweets like “EPIC!” Within minutes, video was on NBC’s Late Night website and then on YouTube. Those of us in westward time zones could see what was burning up cyberspace! It didn’t stop. If the video wasn’t on your website, you were offline! From the Huffington Post to Billboard.com, the new “Friday” by Stephen Colbert, Taylor Hicks and Jimmy Fallon was universal and “must see!” #VIRAL

And it was all for Donors Choose charity. The Late Night boys gave back in the best way—when music is more, and laughter brings smiles long after Friday night. #WINNING

And cyber covers had a new high standard--“Friday” done right.

Friday” done right…in more ways that one!

It has to be seen, but it needs a warning:

“Beware. This will play in your head for a long time!”

Here is the NBC embed:

This “Friday” is around to stay for the best reasons!

Well done, Late Night! Bravo for showing great talent, spirit and creativity…

Entertainment done right!

#FINALWORD

(Screencap by Cath_tthc)

Taylor Hicks -- "West Texas Sky"

2011-03-26T13:15:00.006-05:00

“West Texas Sky” was written by Taylor Hicks before he also was…

“… driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate"

following those same miles taking his dreams to Hollywood for American Idol in 2006.

This is a bittersweet song that weaves layers of colors and images as beautiful as the West Texas sky. It is laid against the sounds of the Southwest and evokes feelings as lonely as the vast open spaces that stretch for miles.

“West Texas Sky” is about an ending where

“Nobody wins and nobody loses
Just a handful of sorrows
And too many excuses”

and the beginning of someone’s dream

“…to walk beside the ocean,
Oh, and stand beside the sea”

There is something synonymous with dreams and the West. It is a poet’s place that promises hope and a bright shining new life—as Jackson Browne said, where we are, “running into the sun.”

“West Texas Sky”
By Taylor Hicks

So you're driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate

That's when you're gone away
Where no one will hear you cry
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

When you left home, I didn't think twice
Oh, I knew, you had to roam
I knew that life was getting you down
You always feel alone when there's no one around

But who gets cut when the knife is dull?
And who gets lost when the map is full
Nobody wins and nobody loses
Just a handful of sorrows
And too many excuses

You wanted to walk beside the ocean
Oh, and stand beside the sea
And now you can't wait until tomorrow
There's so much to do
And so much to see

So you're driving away these miles
So far away from your southern home
Takin' your charms and dreams to the Golden State
Make your way, seal your fate

That's when you're gone away
Where no one will hear you cry
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

When you're late
For that west Texas sky
When you're late
For that west Texas sky

hmmhmm

When you're late
For that west Texas sky

“West Texas Sky” was first recorded by Taylor Hicks on Under the Radar, an indie pre-Idol album, and later released on Early Works in 2008, the first album for his own record company, Modern Whomp Records.

The beautiful backdrop and images of “West Texas Sky” were interpreted in video two years ago by KarinP and Allyn. With Taylor Hicks in Texas this weekend for the Ride 2 Recovery Benefit Concert, it is the perfect opportunity to feature “West Texas Sky” and their stunning video:

Many thanks to KarinP (MagnoliaBreezes) and Allyn (WhisperingPines) for their beautiful interpretation of “West Texas Sky” and for permission to share it here. (Don't ask where Taylor is singing; Allyn can put him anywhere in her graphics.)

Taylor Hicks~~"Down on the Bayou III" Keeping the Music ALIVE!

2011-03-20T13:28:00.009-05:00

It is funk with a cause.

The musical lineup is stunning. The cause is most worthy.

In a city that runs on music and diverse culture, The New Orleans Musicians Clinic is a place that is keeping it healthy.

“Our goal is to keep New Orleans music and culture ALIVE!”

It’s no wonder a stunning lineup of headliners, including JoJo Hermann and his Mardi Gras Band , Col. Bruce Hampton, George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Irma Thomas, and Taylor Hicks, is turning out for “Down on the Bayou III” May 5, at Howlin’ Wolf in what has been called by Jambase.com “8 Hours of Funk for a Good Cause.” It plays during Jazz Fest, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, April 29 to May 8.

Besides Taylor Hicks, who inspires this web place, for me another name stood out in the Bayou lineup: Irma Thomas—Miss Irma, New Orleans’ Soul Queen. Her music was a gift from a friend and her soulful sound struck a chord. Rounder Records, where she records, says of the New Orleans First Lady of soul:

"She remains one of America’s most distinctive and classic singers, a treasure from the golden age of soul music who remains as compelling and powerful as ever..."

She was featured here in “Music Americana” a few months ago. (Link below)

If you go, don’t miss Irma Thomas and hope that she sings “Loving Arms!”

If you don’t go, you can still support this “medical home” for the legendary musicians and “tradition bearers” in New Orleans.

“Since 1998, the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic (NOMC) has been dedicated to keeping New Orleans’ performers alive in body, mind, and spirit by providing comprehensive health care and mental health/social services. As the “medical home” for more than 2,000 local musicians and tradition bearers, the NOMC's Culture of Caring Model provides cost-efficient access to high quality healthcare and wellness programs for our patients, regardless of their ability to pay.”

The new charity struggled in its infancy and in 1999 brought together over 100 musicians and supporters in the community to record an amazing CD, “Get You A Healin’.”

Now, after more than a decade with hurricanes, Gulf oil spill, and failing economy, NOMC still struggles. In August, 2010, when most of their government funding was cut off, they went back to the board. “—the sound board, that is—with a special anniversary digital only re-release of “Get You a Healin’” on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon.com and a variety of online music stores.”

It was a daunting challenge with the original master tapes lost in Katrina’s flooding and many of the musicians having left New Orleans, but the NOMC came back stronger than ever.

“Get You a Healin’” features Dr John, Funky Meters, BB King, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Guardians of the Flame, Blu Lu Barker & more!

NOMC still needs the support of the music community. Enter “Down on the Bayou III,” returning for the third year with many of New Orleans’ legendary musicians to perform “8 hours of live funk to benefit The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation.”

This is when music is more…

Get your tickets for a funky “Down on the Bayou III”

And support all those who are keeping the music ALIVE!

~~~

Tickets for “Down on the Bayou III”
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3551825

Miss Irma Thomas in “Music Americana:”
http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/2010/11/taylor-hicks-americana-music.html

Read more about “Down on the Bayou III:”
http://jambandnews.net/?p=745
http://web.jambase.com/Articles/26593/Down-on-the-Bayou-III-Benefit-JoJo-Hermann-Ivan-Col.-Bruce
http://widespreadpanic.com/news_story.php?id=638

Read more and purchase “Get You A Healin’” digital re-release:
http://www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=37

Quotes and information from websites and New Orleans Musicians Clinic site:
http://www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

Two Years and Still Going--The Distance!

2011-03-10T18:43:00.008-06:00

On this day in 2009, Taylor Hicks released The Distance, on his own Modern Whomp Records label, with stellar collaborations of songwriters and producer, Simon Climie. Stellar, too, were the back up musicians—from Eric Clapton’s band!

One record, so much music!

“What’s Right is Right” was the first pre-release single with the beautiful retro-chic Chicago-on-a-snowy-night music video by New York filmmaker, Jake Davis.

As The Distance hit the streets, fans were packed for Roxy’s where in just a few days, we would experience the real music of The Distance—Taylor’s first live concert after its release. He bounded onto the stage that night to the striking notes of the title song.

Taylor Hicks at Roxy's March 18, 2009, after release of The Distance (photo by San)

The eclectic music of The Distance would come to many stages in so many places as it went along on the National Broadway Tour of “Grease.” Taylor sang “What’s Right is Right” and later, “Seven Mile Breakdown,” as an encore on the “Grease” stage after every performance. It was the “cutting edge” for releasing a new album onto the music scene.

I took an initial look at the tracks in “The Distance…first impressions” the day following its release:

http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/2009/03/taylor-hicksthe-distancefirst.html

And reaction to the music grew and evolved.

“I Live on a Battlefield” was not a favorite at first. “Talk about a dark horse coming on strong.” It has become the most pounding, energetic track on the album. In concert, it is unparalleled for getting the heart pumping.

“Maybe You Should” was the heartthrob song with pure Taylor voice. There isn’t anything not to like about the beautiful lament of lost love. Taylor has said on several occasions that “Maybe You Should” is on hold for a major country singer.

“Nineteen” took us out of ourselves and gave us all the opportunity to honor our heroes, and Taylor began an effort to always thank our troops whenever we see them. The poignant story and Jeff Lopez’s “Dixie” flute line at the end took us out of the music and made it something much more.

“Seven Mile Breakdown,” the second single release, was raucous delta rock with country down laid on top! And a music video from Oregon film maker, Spence Nicholson, was miles and miles from the first snowy Chicago one. Delta country went to the California hills and the two married very well in a fun music outing that was No. 1 on the AOL and MuVids music video charts for months.

And “Seven Mile Breakdown” took Taylor Hicks back to the American Idol stage that year for one delta-rocks-with-attitude evening! Delta down was up that night. Way up. Taylor Hicks brought it!

Taylor Hicks rocks American Idol, 2009, performing "Seven Mile Breakdown" (screencap by Gypsee)

The Distance has seen glorious days and rocked out stages in two short years.

A good run—but it’s not over.

Taylor Hicks always mixes it up. With his unique performances and infusion of new covers, The Distance concert that first played at Roxy’s in 2009 is as new and vibrant today as it was then.

There is still an opportunity to enjoy The Distance music on tour before it is, at least slightly, eclipsed by a new and exciting album from Taylor Hicks slated for “late fall,” that he describes as country soul.

Taylor has said that you have to live with the music you record for a long time.

Fair enough. We can live with the music on The Distance for a long time!

Check out our TTHC Discography for music from The Distance.

http://www.thetaylorhickscommunity.com/distance.html

Check out the Taylor Hicks 2011 Concert schedule for The Distance music LIVE…the best way to go… The Distance!

~~~

Taylor Hicks talks to Rick and Bubba ... Songwriting, Acting, & New Restaurant

2011-03-08T11:00:00.005-06:00

Taylor Hicks made a surprise visit today to Rick and Bubba's, the popular morning tomfoolery show in Birmingham, Alabama, and discussed everything from TV acting roles, to songwriting in Nashville in between the belly guffaws over a plethora of topics.

Songwriting ~
He described the songwriting process in Nashville as getting up in the morning and writing music until lunch and then having soul food and going back and writing music until 5:00 p. m. He indicated this was now his preferred brand of songwriting, especially the soul food for lunch.

Perhaps a little bit different song writing routine now than when Taylor wrote “The Fall” at 19!

Acting roles~
After tweeting a couple of weeks ago a bolt from the blue, “Nothing interesting. Just acting lessons,” Taylor revealed that he has been sent a few network pilots. So many people said “you ought to get into acting.” He took some acting lessons and has been called in on 4 or 5 different network TV pilots.

The key to acting is that it “has to be the right role” for Taylor to do it. “Teen Angel was perfect.”

Rick and Bubba made various suggestions for the “right role” –or not, starting with “Two and a Half Men.” Then there was starring in “The Glenn Beck Story.”

New restaurant, Ore~
They tried to entice him to be the new spokesperson for Rick and Bubba’s Beef Brisket Jerky which Taylor testified was the “best he had ever eaten.” Taylor assured them it would be sold right next to the register at his new restaurant, Ore, opening in Birmingham in the spring.

Taylor described his new restaurant as a neighborhood bar and grill on the site of the old café where he played as a kid and he went back and bought it. Menu will serve up “great food.” He said that he had passed up some suggestions for the menu. Asked if he would play there, he promised seeing a “live set” was a “definite.”

Radio Gold and much more~
As a caller described it, this was, as always “radio gold,” and she suggested that he host the show when Rick and Bubba weren’t there.

This was everyone's shot of laugh therapy today!

Go get your laughs… For the entire interview check this out:

http://z15.invisionfree.com/TaylorMade/index.php?showtopic=6524&st=0&#entry9299234

Thanks to Gypsee and TMOMedia for Taylor’s entertaining interview!

Taylor Hicks ~~ Manistee, Greensburg, Ogunquit!

2011-03-06T13:11:00.009-06:00

Where?

If it is springtime and you are Taylor Hicks with a new album coming out in late fall, you must be torn between rolling out the tour bus and hitting the road or locking yourself away and writing music.

If it is springtime and you are a fan, you watch Twitter for new concert dates and for the tour bus coming to your town, or close enough to drive, and you hope the songwriting magically gets done for the new album coming out in the fall.

We want it all.

Just like last year? We all can suggest beautiful venues that are just down the road that are perfect for a Taylor Hicks show. Or why not go back to those from last year? Many were sold out.

Jonathan’s in Ogunquit, Maine, was sold out last year. This year it’s booked for Mother’s Day.

Genius. Who wouldn’t take your mother to the gorgeous New England restaurant with colorful and fragrant gardens surrounding?

Why not stick with a good thing—a plethora of vibrant live music venues all over the country, from small and intimate jazz clubs to decked-out casino halls, to historic and beautiful music theatres.

So, for no particular reason at all…

Where would you most like for Taylor to return to this summer?

Take our unscientific poll at the right. Perhaps “someone” will be reading and watching for the results!

Taylor Hicks and his 2011 Kick Ass Band might be coming to a place near you!

Oh, yeh, the songwriting…

Taylor, please take your music journal along and don’t eat the chocolate!

So, here’s what we’ve got so far:

March 28, 2011 ~~ San Marcos, TX, Benefit Concert for Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge, 7:30 p.m. $50 donation and $150 VIP Meet and Greet.
http://www.ride2recovery.com/component/content/article/7.html

April 28, 2011 ~~ Snoqualmie, WA, Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom, 7:00 p.m.
Venue: http://snocasino.com/entertainment/
Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F00463CB62D6833?artistid=1092763&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=202

May 8, 2011 ~~ Ogunquit, ME, Jonathan’s Restaurant in a special Mother's Day show, 7:00 p.m.
Venue: http://www.jonathansrestaurant.com/
Tickets: http://tickets.jonathansrestaurant.com/ordertickets.asp?p=132&backurl=default.asp

May 14, 2011 ~~ Greensburg, PA, The Palace Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
Venue: http://www.thepalacetheatre.org/schedule.html
Tickets: http://ticketing.ticketfly.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=13

May 27, 2011~~Coos Bay, OR, The Mill Casino, Salmon Room, TWO shows, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
Venue: http://www.themillcasino.com/
Tickets: 1.800.953.4800
http://www.themillcasino.com/entertainment/concerts.cfm

May 29, 2011 ~~ Manistee, MI, Little River Casino, 8:00 p.m.
Venue: http://www.littlerivercasinos.com/index/index.php
Tickets: http://www.startickets.com/event.php?event=2231

“We’ll go anywhere, Man, we’ll go anywhere…”

Also, for no particular reason, some road pictures:

New Orleans and House of Blues ahead!

The Mighty Mississippi at Vicksburg.

A traveling man!

Running on, running on...running into the sun... on the Pacific Coast Highway!

Photos by San.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Songwriting--Muse or Lightning Bolt?

2011-02-28T18:39:00.006-06:00

Taylor Hicks tweeted recently: “Off to prepare for the shows next week and to do a little writing.”

Of course, we assumed that would be songwriting. I recently looked at one of Taylor’s first songs written at age 19, “The Fall.” He said in “Whomp at the Warfield,” that it just kind of “fell together.”

James Taylor said songs hit like lightning bolts. He talked about creativity recently in an entertaining interview with Charlie Rose.

Music blogger, Bob Lefsetz featured it and led in with his own look at the iconic song writer and performer and at song writing today:

“…it's no crime to get old. But in fine detail, James Taylor looked less like a star and more like a person. After all, these are just human beings, flawed like the rest of us, but they wrote those songs... How did they write those songs?

“Not the way they do it today. Not the way those big Top Forty hits are constructed. They're built from the ground up. And even those Nashville compositions are anything but bolts of inspiration. Brick by brick you build the song today. But great songs are feats of inspiration, they enter your brain and you have to write them down fast, before you forget them.”

In Charles Rose’s interview after an introduction of classics like “Carolina in my Mind” and “Fire and Rain,” James Taylor talked about the process:

How did you write those songs?

“There’s sort of a lightning bolt moment when you are visited by a song and you have to remember it...hopefully you get as much as you can; sometimes it’s a whole song, sometimes it’s just a fragment and you have to collect those fragments and often hide away somewhere and work them, push them around in circles.”

That was then.

“The lightning strike part happens less frequently now…. I feel an expectation to express myself…you get better at the craft of it.”

There must certainly be a large part of craft to the process using knowledge and experience. But that does not explain why Taylor feels that one of his best songs is “The Fall,” and it was only the third one he had written. Is creativity an inherent ability or “gift” that comes with his obvious passion for his music?

Lefsetz has said that true artists perform because they “must.” And songwriters write because they “ must.”

Lefsetz suggests a large part of passion in the “must” equation. What part passion? Is it the driving force that ignites the artist and craft the delivery of the art?

“In the creative state a man is taken out of himself. He lets down as it were a bucket into his subconscious, and draws up something which is normally beyond his reach. He mixes this thing with his normal experiences, and out of the mixture he makes a work of art.” E. M. Forster

I’ve posed the question here before whether songwriting for Taylor is different now than it was at 19. He has gone from relative obscurity to obscuring his identity when he goes out. After all, his life has changed drastically. Do life experiences inspire creativity? He said in his autobiography, “Heart Full of Soul,” that he had written some of his best songs during his dark days in Nashville. Does unhappiness bring out the muse or nurture an emotional climate for creativity? Taylor wrote “The Fall” after a breakup.

James Taylor seemed to say that he writes now because it is expected. That seemed sad to me. I thought, “Is the fire gone?”

What sparks creativity? What nurtures its taking shape? How does it make that journey from the heart and soul to the voice and guitar of a musician passionate about his music?

It is a complex dialogue…

As elusive as the Muse—that romantic goddess of creativity…

Does one implore the Muse and hope that she will deliver the artistic?

What part of creativity is just plain hard work?

Perhaps not romantic but realistic, is it craft—knowledge, experience, toil?

Questions…

But I’m not the artistic one!

Just give me creativity on the voice and the guitar strings of Taylor Hicks!

And may the forces, spirits, Muses, or lightning bolts continue to come together and create the magic of musicians like James Taylor and Taylor Hicks!

~~

Read all of Bob Lefsetz’s blog and see James Taylor’s interview. They are way up the creativity chain here!

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2011/02/17/creativity-2/

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11482

Final Reflections:
I would like very much to know if and how songwriting has changed for Taylor Hicks from age 19 when he wrote “The Fall” to now, when he seems to search for time to spend on his craft, or is it time to reconnect with his muse, or is it just a place for his big gift of creativity to do what it does?

Do songs still “fall together” like “The Fall”? Is it from lightning bolts or a creative craft of experience, love for the music, and the elusive muse?

Process or passion?

Interesting to contemplate!

Taylor said last week that he was heading back into the studio to work on an album due out in late fall.

So it begins…

Stay tuned!

~~
Photo by Mike Payne: Taylor Hicks performs at Gold Strike Casino, Tunica, MS, February 25, 2011.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Touring's in the Blood!

2011-02-21T06:15:00.010-06:00

Taylor Hicks kicked off his Modern Whomp Solo Tour on this day in 2007 on an historic stage at the SOLD OUT Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the same stage where Elvis Presley opened his first national tour. In the footsteps of The King, Taylor hit the road and rocked the stage on a very ambitious tour.

If it's February...

It was nothing new for the 2006 American Idol. Taylor Hicks had been on the road for ten years throughout the South, although this road trip was going a little bit farther.

As he prepared for Opening Night in Jacksonville, Taylor told an interviewer,

“Touring is in my blood.”

Touring is that irreplaceable connection with the people.

And this tour had a formidable cast of musicians.

“I’ve handpicked all of the players.”

Taylor was giddy about taking off with an 8-member soul band:

Taylor Hicks, Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Cow Bell
Loren Gold, Music Director, Keyboards, Vocals
Josh Smith, Guitars
Al Carty, Bass
Brian Gallagher, Saxophone, Flute, Percussion
Felix Pollard, Drums
Brian Less, Organ, Vocals
Melanie Nyema, Vocals, Percussion

“Taylor Hicks,” the album, had been released in December, 2006, and the set list would reflect much of the music from the record that had just been certified platinum in January.

He said of the set list then:

“It’s gonna be loose. I’ve been the same performer regionally for ten years, and now I’m that same performer nationally.”

It was new music and old music. The opening song on this first national tour was appropriately, “Soul Thing.” Taylor has claimed it as his mantra for the years on the road.

Opening Night in Jacksonville:

Soul Thing
Heaven Knows
The Maze
Hell of a Day
Wherever I Lay My Hat
Dream Myself Awake
Just to Feel That Way
Heart and Soul
-Call and response (Soul Patrol!)
-Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (Chuck Berry)
The Deal
The Runaround
Gonna Move
Young Turks
Takin’ It To the Streets (Doobie Brothers)
The Right Place
Encore:
Long Train Runnin’ (Doobie Brothers)

Jacksonville Times-Union writer, Dan McDonald, reviewed the concert the next day:

“Hicks…is unashamed of his love for the music. It is this genuine quality that makes his performance endearing and entertaining. …Totally at ease…He was a performer, not some contest winner. …On this night these people invested more than a couple phone calls to vote for Hicks. This time they spent real money to buy tickets. He answered the call.

“Hicks will always carry that American Idol baggage- for better or for worse- but of all the winners, he may be the performer who stays true to his own musical muse. Hicks sings from his soul.”

Many of us had in hand our own itinerary for a few days after opening night and would meet up along the road that year.

The Modern Whomp Solo Tour played 109 concerts from February 21, to November 2, 2007. Almost 40% of the shows were SOLD OUT! All were at near capacity!

So, if it’s February, and it is…

Taylor Hicks is rehearsing. Fans are packing. There’s more touring on this horizon…just three days from now—a new set list and perhaps new band members.

It is like marking the seasons for the touring musician…

And as the concert reviewer did in Jacksonville, we could also say today…

“He sings from his soul!”

We said in our Congratulations then as we all started that new journey:
“We have miles to go…”

That's still true. There are many more miles and many more Opening Nights!

Congratulations, Taylor, on another February and another tour!

Sing from your soul!

~~

Touring in the Blood ~~ 2011:

February 24, 2011 ~~ Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. Tickets on sale:
http://www.vinylmusichall.com/event/28543/

February 25, 2011 ~~ Tunica, MS, Gold Strike Casino, Millennium Theatre, 9:00 p.m.
http://www.goldstrikemississippi.com/entertainment/millenniumtheatre.aspx

February 26, 2011 ~~ Biloxi, MS, Beau Rivage Theatre, 8:00 p.m.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B004550A4DC5F87?artistid=1092763&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=202

NEW BENEFIT CONCERT:
March 28, 2011 ~~ San Marcos, TX, for Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge, 7:30 p.m. $50 donation and $150 VIP Meet and Greet.
http://www.ride2recovery.com/component/content/article/7.html

April 28, 2011 ~~ Snoqualmie, WA, Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom, 7:00 p.m.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F00463CB62D6833?artistid=1092763&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=202

May 27, 2011 ~~ Coos Bay, OR, The Mill Casino, Salmon Room, TWO shows, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. Tickets: 1.800.953.4800
http://www.themillcasino.com/entertainment/concerts.cfm

Stay tuned…

It’s only February!

Thanks to RagsQueen for saving the memories of “Taylor Hicks” in Lights, and for Taylor on stage in Jacksonville!

Thanks to cath_tthc for all the archiving of the 2007 Tour!

For a look at the 2007 Tour Dates and Cities:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/619337/1/

For the Connections Bus Stop thread on Jacksonville and all the other stops in 2007 visit:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/621135/1/#new

Taylor Hicks ~ "The Fall"

2011-02-13T18:39:00.005-06:00

“It’s funny how my life changes with the snow…”

Someone told me once:

“It’s sad when you can’t marry your first love.”

I was 19, in college, and had met my first love.

No, I didn’t marry him. He was climbing the ladder…

You can’t know Taylor Hicks music without knowing “The Fall.”

It’s the other end of Jam Cruise 9 music; it counters “Badge.” It will grab you. It is what I call “pure Taylor voice” as we also hear on “Indiscriminate Act of Kindness” and “Maybe You Should.” It balances the repertoire.

If there is a song that Taylor Hicks has written or performs that seems to come from deep inside him, it is “The Fall.”

He wrote it when he was 19, and the very popular concert encore was only the third song he had ever written. He talked about it in the interview segment in his first music DVD, “Whomp at the Warfield” released in 2009:

“After a breakup…you know, I think it is one of the better songs that I’ve written. It just kind of fell together… it’s kind of John Prine meets Lowell George.

“That song still has some evolving left…I think it has some more growth as far as the song. I haven’t been able to produce the song as much as I wanted to, so I’m kind of looking forward to some of the older music and produce it the way that I want to…

“My opinion is you want to take as much time as you can on the art to make it right….I’m pretty excited about some of the older material on the first album, In Your Time, [to] let them grow and let them breathe again.”

“The Fall” is an emotional story of seemingly many goodbyes, games, separation, and, as one climbs the ladder, breakup.

In his introduction at one venue he gave a knowing grin to the audience and said “heartbreak…chick…you know…”

Do we ever look at what we do as reflected in someone else…the falls they take?

“The Fall”
By Taylor Hicks

It's funny how my life changes with the snow
takes a long, hard solid state of gold
all the times I look it still occurs to me
just passing time, trying not to mind, set my spirit free

There's a place and time for everything
when the good gets going bad
and every time I try to look and hide
it leaves you lonely, feeling blue, and feeling sad

Here it comes, just rushing in
the distant smile replied,
a distant grin

It's not so bad after all

I climbed the ladder,
and you took the fall

you took the fall

Light on my feet I'm walking down
my steps are heavier to lessening frown
soon I'll be gone so pay me no mind
there's always the worries wasting time, and wasted wine

Here it comes just rushing in
the distant smile replied,
a distant grin

It's not so bad after all

I climbed the ladder,
and you took the fall

You took the fall

Feelings will pass and soon have to go
the colder the heart, the harder the wind blow
although you're trying to make your own throughway
you turn your back on love with the games that people play

Here it comes just rushing in
the distant smile replied,
a distant grin

it's not so bad after all

I climbed the ladder,
and you took the fall

you took the fall

“The Fall” is poetry first with images and emotions in black and white and grays before there are Taylor vocals and acoustic guitar. Even notes add images as they “tumble” down on “faaaall.”
This is Taylor most vulnerable…he closes his eyes in much of the song. Whether or not he is reliving the hurt of the words as they were when he was 19, he is expressing the hurt of words like this at any time.

There's a place and time for everything
when the good gets going bad

“When the good gets going bad”… Remember the hurt at 19?

“Here is comes just rushing in …”

reminds me of the emotional repeating line in “Gran Torino”: “Beats the lonely rhythm all night long,” as the essence and emotions of the song flood over you.

I have watched many performances of “The Fall.” As Taylor said, it is a song that has evolving and growth coming. I wonder if it is “the” song that, with Taylor’s “evolving, growth, and production,” will become his breakout signature song.

It would be a beautiful legacy.

If I could take only one piece of Taylor Hicks’ music to wrap up and hold close, it would be “The Fall.”

We move on, but we never forget love at 19!

For love that was, love that is, and love forever...

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~~~

Blogger’s Note:

I love words. “The Fall” is one of the most intricate and beautiful collaboration of words I have seen. I find myself comparing this stunning poetry to “February Song” by Josh Groban—both beautiful and a little mysterious. It is not for the listener to know the exact story behind the words.

To see “The Fall” in “Whomp at the Warfield” again, I watched all of the DVD and remembered again why I am here—the incredible music and amazing show that this man shares every time he takes the stage. The 2007 Modern Whomp Solo Tour was another magical time when a very slim Taylor was on an exhausting big tour high with 5-6 shows a week. It paid off—that was the 27th biggest grossing tour of the YEAR and there were MANY tours on the road that year.

For those who were around then and before, I know this is repetitious. For those who have joined the Taylor journey in the past year or two, I hope you enjoy some of these times that have taken Taylor to where he is today. Incidentally, you can hear Taylor’s “It shall be called ‘whomp’” definition of his music in “Whomp at the Warfield—the Interview.” And you can see “The Fall” and “The Badge” side by side!

Talk about juxtaposition!

Final reflection….if you haven’t gotten your Valentine’s Day present…or you deserve another… “Whomp at the Warfield” is at Amazon…

just sayin’

~~
Photo by RagsQueen via TMOMedia: Taylor Hicks at Bay Shore, NY, September, 2010.

“The Fall” from the 2010 Summer Tour in Bay Shore, NY by MissMeerkar:

Behind the Soul: "Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks"

2011-02-07T11:51:00.006-06:00

Taylor Hicks sits down for lunch with the staff and young people at the Big Oak Ranch where he appeared in a charity concert for the Alabama children’s home.

We see a short snippet of Taylor’s performance of “Gran Torino” for Clint Eastwood at the Museum of Tolerance gala honoring the legendary film maker.

Jam Cruise “Shotguns” place us in the party as Taylor sits in with the jam bands on the all-day-all-night music fest and as he hosts the fun and funny Gong Show.

TaylorHicksTV on YouTube has produced a video series taking along viewers as Taylor appears around the country. With an unknown “sidekick” holding the camera, we are backstage, in the crowd, and on the move with the Season Five American Idol—up close and soulful.

If you haven’t seen “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks,” click on the links below to all the episodes. New ones are usually posted on Tuesday on http://www.taylorhicks.com/ and @TaylorRHicks on Twitter!

"Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks" by TaylorHicksTV :

Jammin on Jam Cruise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSP_rGENY9Q%22target=%22_blank"

Jam Cruise 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJrn7qmE8Ss&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

The Gong Show Extended Edition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMv66LzNreo%22target=%22_blank"

Honoring Clint Eastwood at the Tolerance Museum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3bAPezallQ&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

The Shops at Grand River Tree Lighting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfYgXL63sQQ&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

Children’s Cancer Benefit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE3am4SUHG8&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

Talk of Alabama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUvjx3SFbTs&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEb8TQ5ylJk%22target=%22_blank"

The Big Oak Ranch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juBD_qMXSG0&feature=related%22target=%22_blank"

“I’m gonna tear this old place down and I’ll be on my way…”

Stay tuned onTuesdays! And enjoy “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks”!!!

Photo by Brad Hodge Photography: Taylor Hicks on Jam Cruise 9

"Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks: Jammin on Jam Cruise"

2011-02-03T20:06:00.008-06:00

American Idol jammin’ at sea?

It’s not your Simon’s Idol.

Five years, and life after Idol for Taylor Hicks is sailing along just fine.

Taylor Hicks performs with Galactic on Jam Cruise 9; photo by Tom Zinn.

The Season Five winner recently joined in with a rock-star list of jam band musicians on Jam Cruise 9 for a week-long 24/7 floating jamfest. Taylor sat in with legends Robert Randolph, Ivan Neville, Maceo Parker, Galactic, Anders Osborne, Big Sam, JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band, and more. He officially hosted The Gong Show with all due hilarity.

Hosting The Gong Show on Jam Cruise; photo by Paul McLaren.

In “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks: Jammin on Jam Cruise” –Taylor rocks out with other Jam Cruise artists:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSP_rGENY9Q

The weekly video series on Taylor HicksTV on YouTube captured by Taylor’s unknown “sidekick,” “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” takes viewers along on appearances in 2010 including Children’s Cancer Research Benefit, singing “Gran Torino” for Clint Eastwood, Jam Cruise--The Gong Show, DisneyWorld for Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, and more.

Performing "Gran Torino" honoring Clint Eastwood at Museum of Tolerance International Film Festival; photo from MJSBigblog.

For all the latest on Season Five American Idol, platinum-recording artist, Broadway star, recent restaurateur, and touring musician, check out more “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks,” news, and upcoming concerts at:

http://taylorhicks.ning.com/

Taylor Hicks ~~ "The Right Place"

2011-01-31T06:28:00.008-06:00

It was written for Ray Charles, but after Brother Ray’s death, Taylor Hicks was given the Bryan Adams song to record in 2006 on his first post-Idol self-titled album.

You can imagine the raspy voice of Ray Charles and see him sitting at his piano with his head back pouring out this lasting vow of love. But Taylor Hicks brought his best Ray Charles, and made it his own with emotional vocals both tender and intense.

The Right Place

If it’s loving that you want
well it’s loving you receive
’cause you’ve come to the right place baby

yeah the door is always open
if you need some company
you’ve come to the right place baby.

Heaven knows, that I can’t read your mind
you can turn it around
darling one step at a time
angel, oh angel can’t you see
that I can’t live without you
so baby won’t you help me please

when there’s no one left to trust
well I think that you’ll agree
that you’ve come to the right place baby.
when you’re down on your luck
well just look around you’ll see
that you’ve come to the right place baby.

Sometimes you don’t know
what you’ve got until its gone
then you look around and it was right there all along
cause angel, angel you’ve got to understand
that I don’t wanna be without you
won't you help me if you can?

I ain’t asking for the world
I just want you to believe
that you’ve come to the right place baby
when there’s no one else to hold you
will I be there? yes indeed

Oh, you’ve come to the right place baby
yeah you’ve come to the right place
Oh, you’ve come to the right place baby
yeah you’ve come to the right place
yes, indeed

Written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance in 1988, “The Right Place” also became a mantra for when Taylor seemed to be in “the right place.”

Last week, Wonder from Season of the Soul took us back to a magical time in 2006 when Taylor was living in California where he could hear the waves in the morning before he went to the studio to record. Less than a year later, he was on a whirlwind tour with the music. The last stop on that tour in November, 2007, was at Pearl River, Mississippi, and I was lucky enough to be there.

One of the lasting memories I took from Pearl River was in the pictures of a “turned out for Taylor Hicks” casino. His poster was everywhere including a wall sized one!

Another hung on their gallery wall of artists who had performed there.

And on the same wall was the picture of a gray-haired Ray Charles who had also performed at Pearl River.

Just as I did when I sat at Pearl River looking at Taylor’s picture on the same wall with Ray Charles and every time I see Taylor perform this song, I think that Ray Charles would be proud that Taylor recorded “his” song. And that Taylor’s picture hanging on the wall was in “the right place.”

From those magical mornings in California to nights in Nashville now, Taylor Hicks will be “in the right place” for a long time, and I think that no one would be happier than Brother Ray.

One of the best performances of “The Right Place” was on The View in 2007, here on YouTube by Gypsee44:

The album, Taylor Hicks, with “The Right Place” was certified platinum by RIAA on January 17, 2008!
.

Reference: “One Thing Leads to Another,” by Wonder
http://seasonofthesoul.wordpress.com/

Photos by San: Pearl River Casino, Philadelphia, MS, November, 2007.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Drive By Truckers Stop in Nashville

2011-01-30T12:22:00.007-06:00

Artists are fans too. Taylor Hicks was apparently in the crowd last night at the Drive By Truckers rock show in Nashville.

On a slow Saturday I was surfing the net looking at the Nashville scene where Taylor Hicks has been hanging out. I found immediately the Country Music Critics Awards to mainstream Nashville stars, Jamey Johnson, Dierks Bentley (from Arizona) and Taylor Swift, the top winners. I was listening to the deep, classic-Nashville voice of Jamey Johnson.

Then Taylor Hicks was on my Tweetdeck apparently from the scene. No, he was not seeing Jamey Johnson, but other Alabama artists, Drive By Truckers, described by AOL Music as “alternative country-rock”. Taylor was tweeting with photo: “Drive By Truckers!!! AL representing!” A look on the web at their schedule said they were at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville for a sold out show.

As I followed their fans’ tweets, I saw there was a Ustream of the show. In a minute I was listening to the same music that Taylor was. It was not your grandmother’s Nashville sound! I was listening to Nashville today.

Ain’t technology grand? Well, yes and no. I got an instant listen of the live music by Drive By Truckers. Artists have been told by supposedly experts in the business, don’t give away your music.

Let a fan tell you…give away your music! Technology will never be as great as being there. I stared at the slideshow of album covers as I listened to the streaming music. Aren’t we all so visual?

I had also spent yesterday watching videos of Taylor's "The Fall," looking at each critically for the pure sound of Taylor’s voice and the emotion on his face. First, I learned how important a good sound system is. Then, I saw the energy that the interaction of a real audience elicits in the musician. Although a video or a Ustream is a much-appreciated substitute when you can’t be there, my experiences yesterday reinforced that there is nothing like live music.

Listening to Drive By Truckers last night, I wanted to be there.

All great bands have toured. Bon Jovi was the largest grossing tour for 2010. After seeing the Randy Rogers Band, music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, said in his One Night in Nashville blog last year that it didn’t make him want to buy their music, but it made him want to see them live again.

I know touring is much more complicated than jumping on a big tour bus. Lefsetz recently said that some artists don’t want to tour…they just want to record a hit and make lots of money. Touring is hard work.

Thank goodness artists are not adverse to the hard work of touring! We all know one artist who isn’t. Taylor has said that touring is in his blood. And may it forever be!

Live music and touring musicians will always be alive and well. So, let’s just keep our bags packed.

Make good music, open the doors, and fans will be there! They were last night in Nashville!

~~

Drive By Truckers continues its tour in this country and the UK and Ireland with a new album out on February 15th. For more information visit their website:

http://drivebytruckers.com/news.html

Photo tweeted by Taylor Hicks, 1.29.11

Taylor Hicks ~~ "Running on Empty"

2011-01-24T05:46:00.003-06:00

Aren’t we all sometimes “running on empty?”

Taylor Hicks is a master at “tags.” In the middle of a raucous “Seven Mile Breakdown,” he puts out his hands to quiet the band. If you’ve been there, you know a “song within the song” is coming—a tag. Taylor may ease into a surprise or a familiar one.

Or there is no pause, and you are rolling “Eastbound and Down” before you know it!

Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” was a surprise—a new tag during “Seven Mile Breakdown” at an Epcot Center concert in October, 2010.

What makes a song resonate with you? Why can a song stop you in your tracks and touch a chord somewhere deep inside?

This is a road song—the title song from the album released in 1977 and recorded on the road, in hotels, on stage, and even on the bus by Southern California born and bred, Jackson Browne, and his touring band. It is life on the road with touring musicians. Taylor Hicks says that touring is in his blood, so is it any wonder it turned up as one of his tag songs?

I like road songs. They move like the rousing “Seven Mile Breakdown,” or they wind along like “Running on Empty.” But they take you somewhere.

Of course it is also a metaphorical road song—the road of life, looking back, looking on, and looking at how we’re doing.

Aren’t we all sometimes running on empty? And running behind? Just running on?

I don’t try to figure out what a song writer means with the lyrics. It is the artist’s song. When I hear it and it resonates with me, it becomes mine, and all that matters is what it means to me.

“Running on Empty” became mine from the first note. I think it brought back images of the flat fields and winding roads of the Midwest prairie. Growing up there as a teenager, running on empty meant different things. We weren’t really poor, but we didn’t have much more than necessities. The farm country was sparce, simple, and lonely even if you weren’t alone. I was in school with life ahead—just dreams, but hazy ones—on a road to where?

“Running on Empty” did make me think.

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-o-one
I don’t know where I’m running now, I’m just running on

Remember when you were seventeen and running in the moment. Life was a California dreaming “running up one-o-one.” Life was all “summer fields.”

Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own
I don’t know when that road turned onto the road I’m on

If your love is the music, is it a struggle to keep that alive and do what a singer must to survive?

Remember when you were 21 with your life ahead? Then somehow, you got to this road that you are on. Do you know how?

Running on - running on empty
Running on - running blind
Running on - running into the sun
But I’m running behind

No matter what, we keep running on, even on empty, even blind and into the sun like the moth into the flame. And it seems like, always behind.

Everyone I know, everywhere I go
People need some reason to believe
I don’t know about anyone but me
If it takes all night, that’ll be all right
If I can get you to smile before I leave

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Holding on to friends once there. It is a shock to sometimes find that your rock—your friends—they are running too. And it can be heartbreaking…

Running on - running on empty
Running on - running blind
Running on - running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Honey you really tempt me
You know the way you look so kind
I'd love to stick around but I'm running behind
You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find
Running into the sun but I'm running behind.

Funny thing is, I researched this song and album, read about Jackson Browne and the context in which the song was written, and found reviews from that time. Then, for me, some of that initial mystique and feelings for the song and Taylor’s performance were gone!

I questioned whether I had “gotten it right”…???

Then I watched numerous videos of Jackson Browne singing “Running on Empty,” and the magic came back!

Lesson learned: Own the music for what it is to you. “Information” doesn’t matter. The music does—wherever it takes you, whatever it makes you feel, however it touches you!

Own the music…it is a gift from the artist to you. It IS yours!

Thank you, Mr. Browne and Mr. Hicks, for “Running on Empty.”

A young Jackson Browne performs “Running on Empty” in 1977:

Over 30 years later, Jackson Browne is still a touring musician. With all the glam of today’s live performances or the simplicity of the acoustic stage, Jackson Browne performs his best selling single, “Running on Empty.” There are many videos on YouTube. This one from Montgomery, Alabama, in 2008 (I believe--it wasn’t dated) has good audio:

~~
If you would like to read a previous blog about Taylor’s music, here is the “dark horse” ~~ “I Live on a Battlefield,” from August, 2009:

http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/2009/08/taylor-hicks-i-live-on-battlefield.html

Next (I think): “The Fall,” with unpredictable lyrics and melodies, a beautiful song that seems to have come from deep inside a younger Taylor Hicks. Is it the song?

And sometime in the future (I think): “Somehow.” Is this the real “country” in Taylor Hicks? It sounded that way to me at first listen.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_on_Empty_(album)
http://www.jacksonbrowne.com/discography/album/running-on-empty
http://www.superseventies.com/brownejackson2.html
http://www.YouTube.com

Taylor Hicks ~~ "Jam Cruise 9 'Future' Night' at Sea..."

2011-01-23T09:23:00.008-06:00

Photos and videos continue to surface from the recent jamfest, Jam Cruise 9. Thanks to Butch Worrell and Concert Photos Magazine for sharing this:

JAM CRUISE 9 “Future” night at Sea/Bob Weir’s Scaring The Children and more.

By Butch Worrell

More fun than one person can handle in one night with 3 to 4 acts playing in different venues at the same time. The official theme was “Future night” and how some people dressed was quite…”different”. I managed to catch Marco Benevento on piano in the Grand Atrium, Some Cat from Japan on the Pool Deck stage, then down to deck 6 for the Teatro Carlo Theatre where Bob Weir’s Scaring the Children with Steve Kimock played til past Midnight. A bonus was catching Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame jamming with JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band on the pool deck afterward.

More photos Jam Cruise 9 from Worrell:

http://www.concertphotosmagazine.com/2011/01/jam-cruise-9-future-night-at-seabob.html

Our thanks again to Mr. Worrell and Concert Photos Magazine for sharing these photos!

Taylor Hicks ~~ Moving Music on Mondays!

2011-01-17T16:43:00.008-06:00

“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” ~Hal Borland

It is January again, and I’m listening to country music?

Over 30 years ago I relocated to Arizona from the Midwest. My DH got a pair of western boots, and I gave up the Motown and pop sounds of the Midwest for Southwest country. Yes, Arizona is country music. KNIX in Phoenix has been a top country radio station for years.

A lot has happened since that move in 1976—the year that Taylor Hicks was born.

As I look at the Taylor Hicks landscape for 2011, I see “Nashville.” He said a few months ago that it was the place for him to be.

It’s a clue, but I don’t think that Taylor Hicks is going country—you’ve seen him do “Badge,” right? And the snippet of “Gran Torino”? You saw videos and recaps from the recent Jam Cruise, yes?

Sure, “Seven Mile Breakdown” has country rock all over it, “Wedding Day Blues” has the tongue-in-cheek twang of country, “19” has a poignant message that is often part of the country song, and “Maybe You Should” is the popular country theme of lost love.

From the beginning, Taylor Hicks could not be “pigeon-holed.” I don’t think he will pigeon hole himself into “country” as long as there are Jam Cruises!

Which brings me to Music Monday…

I hope that some of the experience that Borland talks about will serve me as I take this blog in a little different direction. Some of my favorite blogs here have been about the music—“Bulletproof,” “Indiscriminate Act of Kindness,” “Seven Mile Breakdown,” “Maybe You Should,” and the music business from blogger, Bob Lefsetz.

So this blog now on Monday will be about the music…usually. No promises here, but just an idea to focus on the heart of Taylor Hicks and his world—the MUSIC—from a fan and follower’s perspective!

One of my ideas is to explore another side of Nashville. I watched The Street Corner Symphony, a Nashville a capella group, almost win NBC’s The Sing Off. Their “Down on the Corner” was awesome!

I hope you will join in as we explore this new road. I shall appreciate all the help I can get!

So, welcome to #musicmonday at TTHC!

Let’s just see where this journey takes us.

And where Taylor Hicks takes us in 2011!!!

~~

Thanks to Allyn for our gorgeous new look on TTHC!

Next (I think): “Running on Empty”…a song that instantly struck a chord with me at Epcot. I want to explore why.

Stay tuned…

Photo by San: Taylor at Epcot Center, October, 2010.

Taylor Hicks ~~ "People Get Ready"

2011-01-15T12:46:00.005-06:00

Reflections for the weekend...

"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth." Mohandas Gandhi

This is one of the most poignant performances ever by Taylor Hicks:

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mohandas Gandhi

Thanks to GailCC for sharing this stunning video on YouTube.

Taylor Hicks ~ Jam bands--or bands that jam?

2011-01-09T15:57:00.006-06:00

Taylor Hicks joined the large and raucous jamband community on board the MSC Poesia sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week and immersed himself into the floating musical party.

This was not the first Jam Cruise for Taylor. He had been onboard before, as a fan.

An early-on journal entry from jambands.com about the guests, including Mr. Hicks:

“Likewise, the ship’s Pool Deck stage also hosted some intriguing New Orleans jam sessions. Galactic—the only band to appear on every Jam Cruise—played a two hour set that featured appearances by Fred Wesley, Corey Glover, Corey Harris and Mike Dillon, among others. The set came to a powerful close when American Idol star Taylor Hicks, Karl Denson and Will Bernard all emerged for a final jam. Soon after, Widespread Panic keyboardist JoJo Hermann performed with his Mardi Gras band. As its name suggests, JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band pays tribute to the Big Easy, and the group’s show featured appearances by New Orleans heroes George Porter Jr., Ian Neville, Anders Osborne and Big Chief Monk Bourdreaux. A less obvious guest was Hicks who—despite his mainstream fame—considers himself a core part of the jamband community. He even played in a Widespread Panic cover band in college.”

It was a first Jam Cruise (albeit from afar) for this fan, who wasn’t clear about the whole jamband phenomenon.

I had only heard of some of the entertainers. I went looking for that “core” that makes jam band jam bands or a Jam Cruise a jam fest. Are they jam bands, or bands that jam?

From the book, “Jambands ; the complete guide to the players, music & scene,” by Dean Budnick, (owner of Relix Magazine and jambands.com.) and Introduction by Butch Trucks:

Butch states...

“…Semantics. Let us say that what these bands share is: an ability to play and a seriousness about their music that maximizes musicianship and minimizes showmanship.”

This sounded like the Jam Cruise music I had been reading about.

“To me it is all about blurring the lines and blending all genres of music – rock, blues, jazz, gospel, soul, funk, folk, bluegrass, zydeco….Take all the great musical styles and from those innovate, interpret and improvise to produce something new and exciting….”

More of what I had just read about. I was surprised to see some genres on board: bluegrass and acoustic sets? I thought this was all loud and raucous!

According to jambands.com site:

“Though it's been pretty well agreed upon that 1970's era improvisational rock groups like the Graeteful Dead and the Allman Brothers are the forefathers of today's thriving jam band scene, it's tempting to widen the scope. Was Cream a jam band? Was Led Zeppelin? What about the John Coltrane Quartet? And hey, those wicked nineteenth century chamber ensembles - did they start the whole thing with their violins and cellos?"

From jambandmusic.net:

“…jam bands can be multi-genre. A jam band is basically any band that performs live on stage and improvises a lot of their notes. Usually these artists are more noted for their live recordings rather than their studio albums. The term was coined in the early 90s when Phish took over the psychedelic rock scene in place of The Grateful Dead.”

Wikipedia weighs in:

“Jam bands are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture that originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued in the 1990s with Phish, String Cheese Incident, and Leftover Salmon, among others. The performances of these bands often feature extended musical improvisation ("jams") over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns and long sets of music that cross genre boundaries.

And this definition written by Budnick for the program of the first Jammy Awards in 2000:

“What Is a Jam Band? Please cast aside any preconceptions that this phrase may evoke. The term, as it is commonly used today, references a rich palette of sounds and textures. These groups share a collective penchant for improvisation, a commitment to songcraft and a propensity to cross genre boundaries, drawing from a range of traditions including blues, bluegrass, funk, jazz, rock, psychedelia and even techno.”

So…

“blurring the lines and blending all genres of music – rock, blues, jazz, gospel, soul, funk, folk, bluegrass, zydeco….Take all the great musical styles and from those innovate, interpret and improvise to produce something new and exciting….”

Well, no wonder Taylor Hicks considers himself a core part of the jamband community!

I do know what jamband is all about!

And I know why Taylor Hicks was right at home this week on Jam Cruise 9…

~~

Photos: Pool deck from ship's webcam; stage above by supergoodmusic.com.

For all the Jam Cruise journal recaps and photos, check out our Connections Anthology:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/3659298/3/

Sources:
http://www.jambands.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam_band

http://www.jambandmusic.net/

Taylor Hicks ~~ The Top Ten for 2010!

2010-12-30T09:29:00.016-06:00

2010 was a good year for Taylor Hicks from his kick ass Summer Tour to raising money for cancer research to singing for Clint Eastwood.

I said I wouldn’t do it. It’s that tradition—looking back before we look forward.

I did reflect on the past year, however, and decided on a Top Ten List.

My pick of the Top Ten Taylor Hicks Experiences of 2010:

10~ Closing of successful National Tour of “Grease”

Teen Angel’s portrait hangs in the lobby of the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
(Photo by san)

After almost two years in the ice cream cone as Teen Angel, Taylor’s last performance in Cleveland, Ohio, as the mentor for beauty school dropout, Frenchy, marked a closing and a new beginning. He got back on the road that started this journey…his own brand of unique music and stage performances.

9~~New connections with fans

A laid-back Taylor answers “fly-by” questions from fans on UStream.
(Screencap by Cath from UStream)

With an increased social networking presence and behind the scenes video productions, Taylor upped his connection with fans. He became a consistent twitter presence, staged several UStream online live chats, and produced “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” taking fans behind the scenes of his travels and appearances. His most frequent tweet: “In the twair!!!”

8~~Hometown Holiday Show at WorkPlay for fans and Toys for Tots program

Taylor shares a “dream of a lifetime” with young Carson James, opening for him at WorkPlay. (photo by ABC TV Birmingham)

Billed as Taylor’s Hometown Holiday Show, a sold out WorkPlay was also an effort on behalf of the Marine’s Toys for Tots program as fans brought a mountain of toys to the show. The concert opened with an outstanding performance by teen-aged Carson James, and fellow Birmingham Idol, Ruben Studdard joined Taylor for a funky duet of “Woman’s Got to Have It.”

7~~Six shows in two days at Epcot Center to diverse audience

Taylor and the band make Epcot a magic kingdom for six shows.
(photo by san)

In a kind of last hurrah for the 2010 concerts, Taylor didn’t disappoint fans who traveled from as far away and the United Kingdom to see six shows in two days at the Disney venue in Orlando, Florida. Every show was a little different. Most fans happily returned for all six shows and Park visitors were treated to the unique talents of Taylor Hicks.

6 ~~New music on the set list

Taylor and band kill it with “Bulletproof” that debuted at The Highline Ballroom in New York City. (Photo by Joe Marzullo)

What seemed like a most unlikely choice at first listen, “Bulletproof” blasted onto the stage at the opening of the 2010 Summer Tour in New York City and never backed off its instant popularity. “Scarlet Begonias” made its debut at Epcot Center. “Back to Louisiana,” “Stay With Me,” “Love the One You’re With,” “Not Fade Away,” and “Running on Empty,” were only some of the additions or tags in 2010.

5 ~~“Kick ass” tour band

With rock star glam and sound, Taylor and kick ass band rock FOX and Friends plaza in NYC. (photo from FOX and Friends)

Old friends and new joined the Taylor touring band of 2010. Brian Less, long time friend and band member, became his music manager. Brian, Jeff Lopez and Sam Gunderson were part of the pre-Idol Taylor Hicks Band. Brandon Peeples, Leif Bondarenko, and the late Matt Kimbrell rounded out what Taylor himself described as a “kick ass” band. They lived up to the name.

4~~ A voice for the Gulf Coast aid in concert and promos

A photo shoot on the Alabama beach produces stunning pictures of Taylor in the sand. (Photo from taylorhicks.ning)

Taylor Hicks became the voice of Alabama tourism and gained national attention with interviews and a blog on Larry King Live blog. He made a promo from the beach in Alabama for the return of tourism and appeared in a huge star-studded free concert at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS for Gulf Coast aid.

3~~Performance of “Gran Torino” for Clint Eastwood at Museum of Tolerance International Film Festival

Taylor performs Gran Torino: “…Beats the lonely rhythm all night long.”
(photo from MJSBigBlog)

It was a one night charity appearance honoring film makers, particularly Clint Eastwood on a Sunday evening. Then a somewhat excited tweet from Taylor said he had been asked by Clint Eastwood personally to sing the title song from his highly acclaimed movie about a troubled Detroit, “Gran Torino.” It quickly became a night to remember. Someone in the audience tweeted the next day: “@TTHC @TaylorRHicks one of the highlights of the night, he owned the song, and the audience.”

2~~ Charity appearances for good causes

Taylor supports cancer research at Dawn of a Dream Gala for cancer research
(photo by RagsQueen)

Taylor met children who had little to smile about, but he entertained them and raised money to help their plight. He supported ten different charities with appearances and performances. He spoke often this year about how blessed he was. In giving back to causes and communities, Taylor went beyond the music and shared his name, his time, and his heart in making a difference. This should perhaps be Number 1 on this list!

1~~ 2010 Summer Tour

A set up stage waits in Laughlin, NV
(Photo by san)

It was the little tour that started quietly and grew into a big road trip that rolled across the country to 25 cities in many sold out venues in about two months ending with the appearance at Epcot Center. On “the monster” of a tour bus, Taylor and band opened in New York City at the Highline Ballroom on July 25th. They crisscrossed the country from New England to the gold hills of California and the beach in Florida.

An integral part of each concert was his tribute to our military with his song, “19.” He spoke for all of us in thanking our troops and received standing ovations for this emotional story of “an American hero.”

New music, new band, and the “same old” Taylor Hicks passion for his music made the shows of the Summer Tour Number One on our 2010 events to remember list!

~~
Taylor Hicks once again pushed the entertainment envelope with new music, new connections, and new possibilities. His TV appearances on Celebrity Ghost Stories and Don’t Forget the Lyrics (for charity) led to talk of further TV and movie work.

His “voice” reached new audiences and entertainment communities, championed new causes, and honored our military men and women. He became a serious spokesperson and fundraiser.

He was always a serious musician!

2010 was a good year.

2011? Taylor Hicks will find a way to push the envelope more, launch new endeavors, and make 2011 even better than 2010.

This IS a marathon…one year at a time!

Taylor at Epcot by a little smart phone that was smart enough to know who to take a picture of!

(photo by san)

~~
While I’m sure not everyone will agree with my choices or their order (I couldn’t agree with myself and even changed the order at the last minute!), I looked at the possible effect on Taylor’s career and what he perhaps considered important, and also how fans seemed to react to the events. There were certainly other memorable moments—he sang the National Anthem, returned to the American Idol Finale, visited the White House, and watched snow pile up and flood waters rise. It was an interesting year!

What’s Number One on YOUR 2010 Top Ten list?

Our very best wishes for a happy, healthy and music-filled New Year!

The Taylor Hicks Community

~~
For a complete Timeline of Taylor events in 2010, visit out Timeline of the Journey on Connections Anthology:

http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/3393422/1/#new

Our boards began this Timeline in 2006 and several people have worked to maintain it as a chronological history of the Taylor journey. Thank you for reposting only the link to it.

Thanks to all who share their photos!

Taylor Hicks~~Just for Fun!!! Take our 2010 Favorites Poll!!

2010-12-27T19:04:00.003-06:00

2010 with Taylor Hicks was a fun year!!! Take our poll of "important" questions about your favorites!!!

It's unscientific, randomly chosen answers. It's our first ever TTHC blog poll!

It's only for FUN!

Speak out about your choices!! What was your favorite Taylor shirt? I know...there was also the white linen on the beach...the brown checked one...so many choices, so little space!

Here are the links to some of the choices if you want to take a look:

Favorite tweet pix:

http://yfrog.com/h3z02mj Never a dull moment on Music Row!!

http://twitpic.com/2y8uk4 I'm at Mar-a-Largo at a wedding. This Don and I in his bar!!

http://twitpic.com/1rfi36 Joe Cocker ! It was an honor!

http://twitpic.com/37180g What a great event! Benefitting an amazing museum.

Favorite Food Display

http://twitpic.com/1xz55f Rock Shrimp Tempura, NOBU, LA

http://twitpic.com/2dw30x Best Drink Ever !!

http://twitpic.com/2eg2yk Gates in KC !!

http://twitpic.com/2ijwhn Dinner! Coarsegold, CA

Favorite performance by Taylor
(randomly chosen video of performance)

"19" at Bay City MI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKuk8up63X0&feature=player_embedded

"The Fall" Bay Shore, New York
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5IDKiIk3VQ&feature=player_embedded

"Bulletproof" Highline Ballroom, New York City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgpP3y42PqY&feature=player_embedded

“Back to Louisiana” Bay Shore, New York
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_TTVAoGnM&feature=player_embedded

HAVE FUN!!!

Thanks to Cath for helping to compile poll and links.
(Tell her if you find "bugs"! )

TTHC

Taylor Hicks ~~ The Perfect Tree...

2010-12-19T19:06:00.002-06:00

From his autobiography, “Heart Full of Soul,” Taylor Hicks writes:

“My first memory is picture-perfect—like a postcard I wish someone had sent me.

“It was Christmastime, and I remember that my mother and I were visiting for the holidays with my aunt Katherine and Uncle Dan at their farm in Cullman, Alabama. At the time I must have been four years old. Aunt Katherine and Uncle Dan were family on my mother’s side, and they lived out in the country in a big old white farmhouse. The place was peaceful and welcoming, surrounded by a pretty peach orchard and more cattle than I’d ever seen before.

“…that December the farm had the look of a real-life winter wonderland. Strangely, though, it’s not our Christmas morning I vividly recall—or whatever presents Santa happened to leave under the tree.

“Instead, the thing I’ll never forget is the complete thrill of searching for our family Christmas tree a few days earlier. The air was frigid that day and the snow was falling gently and quietly. I recall my mother bundling me up in a winter coat. Then—along with the rest of the family—the two of us went running out into all that snow. I remember how thrilling it felt to heading off into the gorgeous frozen pine forest, which was now totally draped in white—all of us in hot pursuit of the same thing, the absolutely perfect tree.”

I remember country Christmases. My older brother once wrote about trudging through the snow—see, it does snow in Kentucky but not a lot—with our father to cut a tree. There were few pine forests, so it was some kind of indescribable evergreen. He told of my mother standing on the porch with disbelief, and perhaps a little disdain, in her eyes as they dragged behind them a tree that could only be described as the “first Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”

Hickory nuts were collected for a Christmas fruit cake. There were large peppermint sticks which I still insist that my children and grandchildren get in their stockings. I’m sure there were some presents but I don’t remember them except for one…a metal clown bank. When you pressed on it, its tongue stuck out to collect coins (pennies, I’m sure) and drop them in the bank. I remember going around to all the relatives for a few pennies. A real treat were oranges sent from an aunt in Michigan.

Christmas is all about family.

I wish you the perfect Christmas tree—the Taylor kind, or the Charlie Brown kind!

They were both perfect!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and those with whom you share this beautiful time!

The Taylor Hicks Community

“Heart Full of Soul” by Taylor Hicks, Random House, 2007.
Available on Amazon.com

Taylor Hicks at WorkPlay~~Paying the Dream Forward...

2010-12-07T22:05:00.005-06:00

Funny how things come together in a day.

I was having an online conversation this morning about angels unaware and when and where they may be.

And Elizabeth Edwards died.

We knew it was coming. The evening news had just said that her treatment was no longer working and she would only have weeks.

She only had hours.

But this is not about dying. This is about living.

In reviewing her life and words, the evening news quoted her as saying when she knew this was terminal that she would “own the days until then.”

She spoke candidly: “The days of our lives for all of us are numbered.”

Then I saw the unexpected interview from Birmingham with Taylor and Carson on ABC3340.

The young musician and cancer survivor, Carson James, will open for Taylor Hicks Thursday night at WorkPlay. ABC3340 called it “The chance of a lifetime to play along side an Idol,” for the Pelham, Al, teenager.

Taylor spoke about his own struggle in being heard:

“I know what it feels like to try to get your music out there, and I also know how hard it is to get your music out there and have it heard.”

Carson, who is battling stage-four bone cancer, stays positive:

“I’m just feeding my soul and playing music and making the most of my life that I actually can.”

Battles lost, battles won…

When the 22-year-old Taylor Hicks met the angel in the yellow dress which he recounted recently on Biography Channel, his life was ahead of him. And it was his to live.

Question was, how would he live it?

Which brings me to WorkPlay, 2010!

Taylor Hicks has come a long way since the first time he played at WorkPlay. Carson James is just starting his musical journey. But they share the stage and share a dream…that their music be heard!

It seems to me like Taylor Hicks is paying the dream forward!

If the message of the angel in the yellow dress was for Taylor to make changes, he made some good ones. He continues to live the dream…and share it!

~~~
I wish that I could fight my battles with the smile and grace of Elizabeth Edwards.

And Carson James.

Battles lost, battles won…

~~~
Safe travels to all going to Birmingham for WorkPlay! Enjoy it like it is the last one—it might be in that building.

And know that you are sharing a dream…and a battle won!

May we all fight our battles with a smile and with the sound of good music!

Taylor and Carson, you all ROCK!

Know that my heart will be in B’ham!

~~~

ABC3340 Interview with Carson James and Taylor Hicks:

http://www.abc3340.com/global/category.asp?c=189742&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5358298&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Screencap by Cath2008.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Lady in the Yellow Dress

2010-12-05T08:36:00.006-06:00

Who knows where Angels tread or life changers dwell?

Taylor Hicks said he met a life changer in the middle of the night in an eerie Savannah home in 2002.

It is not the event; it is what we make of it.

Taylor told his haunting story on Celebrity Ghost Stories on Biography Channel Saturday night. He said the strange disturbance in the middle of the night was a life changer for him, and the Lady in the yellow dress was a Guardian Angel looking over him sending a message to start making life changes.

It was because he made it so.

Gary Zukav says in “Seat of the Soul,” “Feel not what your mind tells you, but what your heart tells you. Rather than serve the fake gods of your mind, serve your heart.”

Serve your heart.

Taylor knew where his heart was. It was “music or the highway.”

It may be that the haunting is not important but what he did with what came to him is.

What do we do with what life gives us? Good or bad.

What do we do with negativity? Does it consume us?

What do we do with joy? Do we revel in it or let something creep in to destroy it?

Do we serve our mind, or do we serve our heart?

Questions.

It was three years after Taylor’s meeting with the Lady in the yellow dress that he auditioned for American Idol. Life changers don’t happen overnight. They may start overnight, as this one did in Savannah.

They have to start somewhere, sometime. WE have to start them.

WE make life changers…just as Taylor Hicks decided to.

After the fretful night, that New Year’s morning Taylor made a choice…

“And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
~~Robert Frost

And that has made all the difference.

We choose our roads every day.

Where will your road take you today?

It makes a difference.

The Lady in the yellow dress is real if we make her so.

Just musings here on a Sunday morning…

Gypsee’s capture:

Taylor Hicks_Celebrity Ghost Stories_12-4-10 from TTHC_Media on Vimeo.

Quote from: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, Mountain Interval, 1920.

Taylor Hicks on Celebrity Ghost Stories Screencap by Gypsee44.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Americana Music

2010-11-27T23:30:00.007-06:00

Some time ago, a friend sent me music by Irma Thomas including a beautiful version of “Loving Arms,” one of my all time favorite songs. I had not heard her music—Miss Irma, New Orleans’ Soul Queen. I liked her rich, soulful sound. “Break Away” is one of her own songs, and “I Wish Someone Would Care” is a soulful jewel.

She is representative of the great artists out there who aren’t charting hit makers or mainstream pop culture icons. But they have a loyal following because they are good.

Music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, has said that he’s not a fan of hits, but a fan of music and that we need a “filter” to find the good music out there—there is so much of the other kind. He thought someone could make money by presenting really good music and artists, not just performers with deep pockets.

Musical talent was discovered in a somewhat unusual way in the 1930s.

It was the Thirties’ version of a government stimulus package—part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

This is from an intriguing history, “Highway 61 Revisited The Tangled Roots of American Jazz, Blues, Rock, & Country Music,” by the master sax musician, Gene Santoro.

“Under the New Deal, the government sent out squadrons of researchers, writers, artists, and collators to document and disseminate local American folkways and history. This was part of the broader push to put to work the armies of unemployed, but it also reflected a country awakening from the social elite’s Eurocentric cultural dominance, partly thanks to emerging mass media…”

John and Alan Lomax were part of this unique effort.

“Alan Lomax worked with his ex-banker father, John A. Lomax, from age 17, crisscrossing the South making irreplaceable field recordings… adding oral histories and interviews that nest among the jewels of the Library of Congress.

“The biggest prize the Lomaxes snared on their 1933 Library of Congress trip to Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary was Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter. …
He carried in his head a fathomless bag of Americana.”

The Lomaxes were enthralled by Lead Belly and were able to get his release. He was turned over to Moses Asch, an independent label head with a small studio just off New York’s Time Square.

“Asch is one of those independent label heads who played vital roles in postwar American music. At Folkways, Asch recorded culture that was vanishing beneath urbanization and the growing mass media. He ran his several labels on love and a shoestring.”

“Lead Belly was the first folk artist Asch recorded, and his songs fed a powerful underground stream into folk and rock music of the 1950s and 1960s: songs he claimed to write…include 'Goodnight Irene' and 'Cottonfields,' which were covered by everyone from [Pete] Seeger to Creedence Clearwater Revival, and defined others like 'House of the Rising Sun.'"

I was fascinated by an “under the radar” DVD, “Deep Blues, a Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads,” by Robert Palmer and others, captured much in the same way as the Lomaxes did—recorded in tucked away roadhouses, bars, and front porches in the Deep South. It is “real” blues and soul music that is about as far away from mainstream as one could get.

It made me realize that there are live music places, much like the ones where Taylor Hicks “cut his musical teeth” all over the country in out of the way byways and housed in old buildings on busy city streets where good music is humming. Raw talent is performing on Wednesday night hoping just to get a Friday or Saturday night gig.

It makes you want to go out to the local bar or club and check out the talent. Support live music!

If you are lucky enough to be in or around New Orleans, one of the most fascinating cities I’ve ever had the privilege to visit (yes, to see Taylor Hicks), Irma Thomas has an impressive musical resume and is appearing there in December.

And she is good.

From Rounder Records: "She remains one of America’s most distinctive and classic singers, a treasure from the golden age of soul music who remains as compelling and powerful as ever..."

Check out Miss Irma, New Orleans’ Soul Queen:

http://www.irmathomas.com/

If music is your passion or your diversion, Gene Santoro’s comprehensive history of 20th century Americana music is outstanding. As a non-musician, I didn’t understand much of the music lingo, but the histories of great musical legends from Woody Guthrie to Bruce Springsteen were fascinating. It is an in-depth study of the people and influences that create the basis for our Americana music scene today. It is not just about Southern roots, but also the legacies of the West Coast, New York City, and Detroit.

All of these musical treasures are available on Amazon!

Miss Irma’s soulful albums
“Deep Blues, A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads” by Robert Palmer and others “Highway 61 Revisited The Tangled Roots of American Jazz, Blues, Rock, & Country Music,” by Gene Santoro, Oxford University Press
Taylor Hicks’s music, “Taylor Hicks,” “Early Works,” “The Distance,” and “Whomp at the Warfield,” live performance DVD.

And all are wonderful presents for the music lover on your holiday gift list!

Final Reflection:
The music I have discovered in the past few years, not only from Taylor Hicks, but from friends and online communities has enriched my life anew. I have always loved music—sang in church choirs as a teenager, studied a little bit of it in college, and then I got busy with life. Except for an occasional concert, popular vinyl album, or a radio in the background, I missed a few decades of music.

The last four years has been a reconnecting with music from the past and good music of today.

I am forever grateful to Taylor Hicks for that!

~~~

To subscribe to The Lefsetz Letter, visit: www.lefsetz.com

Photos: Miss Irma Thomas from www.irmathomas.com; Taylor Hicks at Museum of Tolerance International Film Festival.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Karma, dancing, and thanksgiving...

2010-11-25T09:15:00.004-06:00

I am forever thankful for a beautiful family, caring friends, a good job and warm home.

I am also thankful for the balance in my life.

As winter blew in last weekend with cold, wet snow, I went out to bring in the cushions on the front porch chairs. I shook the covers to be sure I didn’t bring an outside creature inside. Unexpectedly, something did fall out.

Acorns.

I laughed and then felt sad as I realized I had destroyed the winter cache of a small critter, perhaps even the winter home!

I knew about acorns. They house Karma.

One winter I thought they would be a nice decorative addition on my coffee table and naively picked up many little piles of them, under leaves, tucked away. They did look pretty in the flat antique basket. Overnight they warmed up, and Karma came crawling out all over my coffee table and into the carpeting.

What they say about Karma is true!

The world is a serious place. Sometimes there is little to laugh about, let alone dance about.

I was stunned last week when I read:

“I thought the world couldn’t be any colder and emptier. Now it is.”

He had lost someone dear to him and then learned of the death of Matt Kimbrell. But she had lived just as Matt had. They all danced at midnight.

Taylor Hicks has said it is not about how many records you sell. It is about how many lives you touch.

I am thankful for those who still dance at midnight—those who make the music and those who dance.

I was happy to read last night that a "party of 10" was on the way to the airport to welcome home their Marine.

I am thankful that some of our troops will be having dinner at home with their families today!

And I am forever grateful for the service of our brave men and women in the Armed Forces who spend this day far from home.

God bless our troops and keep them safe wherever they are this Thanksgiving!

A blessed and Happy Thanksgiving from...

The Taylor Hicks Community

Don’t pick up the acorns!

Photo from photobucket.com