Published: August 30, 2007 05:20 pm      

BACKSTAGE PASS: From Alabama's bars to America's 'Idol'

Like any “American Idol” winner, Taylor Hicks has seen his life and career change in monumental ways in just a matter of months.

For more than a decade, he was just trying to carve out some semblance of a career as a working musician around his Alabama home base. Now Hicks is one of America’s best-known new artists, with a self-titled CD that has sold more than 1 million copies, appearances on magazine covers and even the designation from People magazine as America’s hottest bachelor to his credit.

Yet Hicks seems to have had a smooth transition into the spotlight, and he gives his years as a struggling musician much of the credit for enabling him to helping him deal with his newfound fame.

“When you go 20 years of your life dreaming about this, those minivan rides at night on the back roads of Alabama allow you to implement the vision you’ve always had when it actually materializes,” Hicks said in a recent phone interview. “For me it’s really been a blessing. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be able to implement my vision as a child, and it’s allowed me to handle this situation a whole lot easier.”

Born in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 7, 1976, Hicks was drawn early on to the soul music of artists like Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, and as a youth discovered his voice had the true pitch to sing.

By high school, Hicks was in a band, and soon after entering college, he had released his first CD, “In Your Time.”

Along the way, he got to open shows for such notable artists as Tom Petty, James Brown, Keb’ Mo’ and Jackson Browne. But most of the time, Hicks scratched out a living playing bars, beach clubs, VFWs, and other venues around Alabama and the Southeast.

In 2005, Hicks released his second independent CD, “Under the Radar,” and it was that year that a twist of fate helped put him on the path to “American Idol.”

He was in New Orleans for a wedding the day before Hurricane Katrina hit. With the storm approaching, his flight out had been canceled, and Hicks was given a voucher for a free trip. He had thought about auditioning for “American Idol” in Memphis earlier that year, but that casting call was canceled. So he decided to use his voucher to fly to Las Vegas, where another audition was being held.

Some eight months later, Hicks was voted the “American Idol” winner.

Hicks has stayed busy ever since. He recorded his first single, “Do I Make You Proud,” which debuted at No. 1 on several key radio formats upon its release in June. Then Hicks joined the other finalists for the 2006 “American Idol” tour, which continued into the fall.

At the end of the tour, Hicks went right into the studio to make his recently released self-titled CD.

Circumstances, though, were less than ideal for the project. Because of Hicks’ busy post-“Idol” schedule and the need to get the CD in stores in time for the holiday shopping season, Hicks had only five weeks to finish his CD.

Taylor accepted the need to meet the tight deadline.

“This album needed to be done in a timely fashion to really get it out there and strike while the iron’s hot,” Hicks said. “That’s definitely the broke musician’s mentality.”

The lack of time meant that Hicks had little time for songwriting and had to rely on covers for the bulk of his material on the CD.

Hicks feels he made the best of a challenging situation with the CD.

“I never lost my musical integrity on it,” Hicks said. “That’s something that as a 30-year-old singer/songwriter and musician, something that I really put my foot down and didn’t let happen. My fans, they really enjoy the record. I enjoy the songs on the record. And I think they’re great songs.”

Hicks is now on the road with a full band, and is performing songs not only from the “Taylor Hicks” CD and a newly released concert CD, “Live at the Workplay Theatre,” but from his two earlier independently released CDs. He is also excited to have taken a step up to nicer venues because of his “American Idol” success.

“I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I’m very excited about the opportunity to get out here and really tour these musical venues,” Hicks said.