Taylor
Here's some background on the man that has won America's hearts
Bio
Name: Taylor Hicks
Age: 31
Birthday: October 7, 1976
Sign: Libra
Birthplace/Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Pre-Idol Occupation: Musician/songwriter
Musical Style: Blues, soul, rock
Influences: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke
Favorite Female Singer: Cyndi Lauper
Fan Club: The Soul Patrol
Audition City: Las Vegas
Contestant #: 74094
Performances
Boys Semi 1: Levon
Boys Semi 2: Easy
Boys Semi 3: Taking It To The Streets
Top 12-Stevie Wonder: Living For The City
Top 11-Songs of the 50s: Not Fade Away
Top 10-Songs of the 21st Century: Trouble
Top 9-Country Songs: Take Me Home, Country Roads
Top 8-Queen: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Top 7-Great American Songbook: You Send Me
Top 6-Love Songs: Just Once
Top 5-Birth Year/Billboard Charts: Play That Funky Music, Something
Top 4-Elvis Presley: Jailhouse Rock, In The Ghetto
Top 3-Clive Davis'/Judge's/Idol's Pick: Dancing In The Dark (Clive's pick), You Are So Beautiful (Randy's pick), Try A Little Tenderness (Taylor's pick)
Finals: Living For The City (Encore), Levon (Free Choice), Do I Make You Proud (Idol single)
Discography
* In Your Time (1997)
* Under The Radar (2005)
* American Idol Season 5: Encores (track #6: Taking It To The Streets)
* Do I Make You Proud (single)
* Debut album (release date December 5)
Awards and Honors
* Key to the city of Birmingham, May 12, 2006
* Named People Magazine's Hottest Bachelor of 2006 and is also featured in the 2006 Sexiest Men Alive issue
* Debut single reaches #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, singles and pop charts, June 22, 2006
* 2006 Teen Choice Award nomination for Breakout Male Artist
* 15 weeks at #1 on the Canadian singles sales chart with "Do I Make You Proud"
* RIAA Gold award for "Do I Make You Proud"
* RIAA Platinum award for his debut album
Post-Idol
* Released his autobiography "Heart Full of Soul" in 2007
* Made his Broadway debut in the revival of Grease as Teen Angel, June 6, 2008
Fun Facts
* He has some Cherokee blood in his heritage
* Was voted Most Musical by his high school classmates
* He admits to being a fan of Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles (he owns their CD)
* Parodied twice on Saturday Night Live
* Also parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic on his album "Straight Outta Lynnwood"
* Of all his co-finalists, he is very close friends with Elliott Yamin and Paris Bennett (whom she calls her "big brother")
* Celebrities who are fans of Taylor include Rebecca Romijn (who asked him to do an encore of "Jailhouse Rock" during the final 4 results show), Michael McDonald, Mandy Moore, Jay Leno, Sandra Bullock and even Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Idol Facts
* Taylor is the second male winner in American Idol history, and the second winner from the city of Birmingham (season 2 winner Ruben Studdard was the first)
* He is one of 4 Idol finalists past and present with ties to the Birmingham area (along with Ruben, Diana DeGarmo from season 3 and Bo Bice from season 4)
* He is the oldest Idol winner at age 29 (among all Idol winners in North America and internationally)
* He is the first and only male at present to win against a female in the finals
* The first white male to win the competition
* The third person to win the competition without ever being in the bottom 2/3 (both Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood before him, as well as Jordin Sparks and David Cook after him, achieved this feat)
* He is the first man ever to win without being in the bottom 2/3 (Clay Aiken of Season 2 and David Archuleta of Season 7 were never in the bottom 2/3, yet both finished second)
* Taylor became the first artist of 2006 to top the Billboard singles sales chart for more than 5 weeks
* He is also the first male American Idol winner to have a #1 debut single
And I bet you didn't know this, but...
* If you add up the digits in Taylor's contestant number (74094), you get 24 - as in May 24, the date of the AI5 finale. Destiny was definitely in the numbers!