IDOL FILES
SEASON 5 of American Idol had one of the most shocking finales when Taylor Hicks was declared the winner over Katharine McPhee.
Here's what the American Idol winner has been up to since winning the show.
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After winning, Taylor went on to make music but mostly stayed out of the spotlight.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 7, 1976, he moved to the suburbs when he was eight years old.
Taylor's hair started turning grey when he was 14, which has since become his signature look.
His parents divorced when he was a teen and shared custody of him until he turned 18.
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He also has a half-brother, Sean, who convinced him to audition for American Idol.
During that time, he started to turn to music, specifically blues and soul music.
These genres were chosen as solace for his difficult childhood.
His fans soon became known as the Soul Patrol.
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MUSICAL BEGINNINGS
Taylor's music career began when he bought himself a $2 harmonica at a flea market when he was 16.
He taught himself how to play the blues harp and really developed a love for music.
The singer wrote his first song when he was just 18 years old called In your Time.
Because of his passion for music, Taylor bought a guitar and church organ at 19 and taught himself how to play them.
Taylor took his love of music all the way through college where he joined a band named Passing Through, a Widespread Panic cover band while studying business and journalism.
He later quit that band to pursue a solo singing career.
In 2004, Taylor was a paid passenger on Jam Cruise.
IDOL CHANGED HIS LIFE
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Taylor auditioned for American Idol in 2005 in Las Vegas.
Hicks gained two yes's from Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.
However, judge Simon Cowell told him he would never make it to the final round.
Simon called back to his comment on Taylor's first live performance and told him he was wrong.
Taylor, Katharine, and Elliott Yamin were the top 3 finalists.
He became the oldest contestant to win Idol at the age of 29 and the first male to win without ever being in the bottom two or three.
His life changed forever after he was declared the winner.
LIFE AFTER IDOL
The Idol winner signed with 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records, which was managed by the show's creator Simon Fuller, in May 2006.
His debut single, Do I Make You Proud, was released that year, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The same year he won Idol, Taylor released his debut, self-titled album in December.
The album debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 charts and it was certified as a platinum album by the RIAA on January 17, 2007.
Taylor went on the American Idol LIVE! tour with the top ten finalists on that season.
He eventually went on a solo tour to promote his album.
While working on his music, the singer released his memoir, Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way, which was released in July 2007.
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BROADWAY AND LABEL DROP
After his album charted well, his label dropped him in January 2008.
The drop was due to low album sales.
At the time, Taylor had the lowest selling American Idol winners album.
In June 2008, the Idol winner gained the role of Teen Angel in the Broadway production of Grease, performing in an 18-month tour.
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He went on to star in over 20 Broadway shows.
That same month, Taylor signed a distribution deal with Vanguard/Welk records to distribute a compilation album, Early Works.
The compilation was released two months later.
CREATING HIS OWN LABEL
After his Broadway stint, Taylor went on to create his own label called Modern Whomp, in 2009.
Under that label, he released his second album, The Distance, in March 2009.
The first single from the album, What's Right Is Right, reached number 24 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
That same year, Taylor made Forbes' Top 10 Earning American Idol Stars list, coming in at number 10 with h over $300,000 earned from album sales and Broadway roles.
CHANGING CAREER PATHS
In 2011, Taylor put music on hold and turned his focus toward another passion- food.
He opened ORE Drink and Dine restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama in May of that year.
Birmingham Magazine readers voted ORE as Birmingham's "Best New Restaurant" in the fall of 2011.
The restaurant rebranded itself and reopened in 2012 as Saw's Juke Joint, a barbecue and live music bar.
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He performed at a few benefit concerts over the next few years while still focusing on his restaurant.
Taylor started to get back into music around 2012 and made an appearance on American Idol again where he announced his Las Vegas Residency.
He was the first Idol winner to have a residency.
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Carrie Underwood, who won season 4, is currently performing in Las Vegas until this Summer.
MUSIC AND OTHER VENTURES
In 2013, Entertainment Weekly announced that he and other celebrities would be a part of the FOX dating show, The Choice.
In July of that year, Taylor attended the Evolution 2013 fighting game tournament as a competitor for Super Smash Bros. Melee.
He finished tied for 257th overall out of 709 players
Taylor became the first male Idol to be featured on a Grammy-winning album for his song Friday on Jimmy Fallon's Blow Your Pants Off, which won Best Comedy Album in 2013.
He performed the National Anthem in 2015 at the Opening Day MLB game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants.
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In 2016, the singer performed on American Idol once again for their farewell season with LaToya London.
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WHERE HE IS NOW
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Taylor has performed here and there, on Broadway, at conventions, shows, and other places.
His most recent single, Six Strings and Diamond Rings was released in 2017, which was his first music release in eight years.
From 2016 to 2018, Taylor hosted Slate Plate via the INSP channel, where he featured iconic dishes and ingredients from each state in the United States.
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In March 2019, he made his debut starring role of Charlie Anderson in the Serenbe Playhouse production of Shenandoah.
Taylor continues to act on Broadway and make music and his relationship status is unknown.
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