Taylor Hicks playing free July 15 afternoon show at ‘Bama

Taylor Hicks playing free July 15 afternoon show at ‘Bama

By Fran Thompson
When asked if he was looking forward to opening for the Big Earl Show when he plays his 4-5 p.m. set at the Flora-Bama Dome on July 15, American Idol winner and former Pleasure Island resident Taylor Hicks didn’t miss a beat.
“It just means I can start drinking beer a little earlier,’’ he replied.
Fresh off a June 16 appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, Hicks will bring his full band to the state line for an annual sojourn he dubs the “Back to the Bama Bash.’’ There is no cover charge for the show or to get into the Flora-Bama until 6 p.m. Big Earl is scheduled at 5:30 p.m.
Hicks was hailed by the New York Times as “part Stax, part Motown and part honky-tonk” after winning season five of American Idol in 2006. More than 63 million fellow Americans, including every living person in his home state, voted for Hicks after being mesmerized by his intoxicating blend of soul, blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll. The 36.4 million viewers that tuned in for the final represented that year’s third-largest TV audience after the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards.
Hicks immediately followed his American Idol victory with a No. 1 Billboard single, a year long stint as Teen Angel in the popular Broadway musical “Grease” and a prestigious Las Vegas residency.
And he is quick to acknowledge that cashing in that American Idol golden ticket has opened up an entire world of amazing opportunities. He’s jammed with everybody from Earth, Wind & Fire to the The Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson. He’s been on the cover of People Magazine’s Sexiest Singles issue. He has toured Asia, written a biography and sang the national anthem at Talladega and Jordan Hare.
“I’ve led an interesting life and I’ve been able to hang around with interesting people, and it’s a result of American Idol,’’ he said.
More recently, he has starred in Serenbe Playhouse’s 2019 production of “Shenandoah,” appeared in a few episodes of “Law & Order: SVU” and hosted three seasons of State Plate, a food and travel show now streaming on AmazonPrime. The show takes Hicks across the country in search of each state’s most iconic cuisines (crab cakes in Maryland, chili in Texas, potatoes in Idaho).
Now living in Nashville, Hicks planned to open a new restaurant partnered with the late Robert Hawkins at one of his old Birmingham haunts, The Open Door. That led to partnering with Mike Wilson and Doug Smith to open SAW’s Juke Joint.

“The same satisfaction I get out of entertaining people with good music and good song, I get when we put some banana pudding and some BBQ in people’s mouths. They light up,’’ he said.
Hicks was born and raised in Birmingham (Hoover High). But he was already part of the local music scene by the time he showed up on TV.
Although he still traveled the Southeast with a band chasing gigs, he often stayed in his grandmother’s condo at The Beach Club and, like many others, spent much of his leisure time at the Flora-Bama regardless of whether he was on the list of that day’s possible-probable acts.
Call his win luck, fate or serendipity, but don’t lose track of the fact that Hicks had already been singing professionally and leading bands for a dozen years when he auditioned for A.I.
“I’d been working on it for a long time. It was easy to transform from anonymity to fame,’’ he said. “I had already played in as many roadhouses and honkey tonks as you could imagine.’’
By the time Taylor advanced to the American Idol final rounds, Soul Patrol fever had overwhelmed his home state and the country. Then Governor Bob Riley officially proclaimed a Taylor Hicks Day in Alabama before he even won.
But nowhere was Taylormania and the Soul Patrol more boisterous than right here on Pleasure Island, where Taylor’s grandmother, the late Joni Hicks, was being followed by media throughout the competition.
Hicks played a ticketed show for around 350 people on May 20 at OWA Theater. But the Flora-Bama show should draw a bigger crowd, as it will also serve as a pre-party for Parker McCollum’s gig at The Wharf Amphitheater that night.
Hicks still has lots of family and friends (including his mom, stepdad and brother) living in South Baldwin County and he shows up on facebook sitting in with friends at OSO, Pirates Cove and the ‘Bama when he is in the area..
“I probably come down and bounce around with friends four or five times a year. If I stay down there too long, I don’t want to leave,’’ he said. “My harmonica stays in my pocket. So I get up and play pretty much every time I am down there.
“There’s no other hang like a ‘Bama hang,’’ he added. “I learned how to be an entertainer playing for Joe Gilchrist there. And there is a difference between entertaining and just playing music.’’
Hicks recently released two singles, Porch Swing and Teach Me to Dance, both of which he sang on the Grand Ole Opry. Hicks also joined friend Jamey Johnson on stage for a Waylon Jennings song during the show.
“It was maybe the best night of my life,’’ he said. “I’ve been there many times, but I never expected I would be invited to get up on that stage.’’
Hicks expects to release the singles as part of a full album this year along with songs he recorded at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Studio in Nashville over the past decade. The album will include contributions from Robert Randolph, Keb Mo, and Widespread Panic’s JoJo Hermann. Guitarist Bryan Sutton (Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley) helped produce.
Hicks also participated in an Armed Forces tour this year, entertaining troops at eight military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Djibouti.
What millions of viewers saw on A.I., Pleasure Island fans will get to experience on July 15.
Hicks’ love of performing, especially R&B tunes made famous by heros like Ray Charles and Otis Redding, is genuine. He is a communicator. His stage presence palpable. His twitching stage manor fits his personality. Surely that will never change. But his home address may.
“I’d eventually like to move down there and open up a SAW’s Seafood Shak,’’ he said.
Pictured: Taylor Hicks at the Grand Ole Opry with golfing great John Daly and musician extraordinaire Vince Gill on June 16, the night Hicks performed his two recently released singles there; Hicks signing an autograph at a show on his Armed Forces tour this year, where he entertained troops at eight military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Djibouti; Hicks on stage at The Wharf with local guitarist and longtime bandmate Jon Cook.