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Alabama’s favorite son continues to be in “The Right Place” since becoming the fifth-season winner of American Idol. During the last three years, Taylor Hicks has seen his debut album certified platinum, performed with the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, The Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson, toured through Asia, penned a brisk-selling Random House memoir, and made his Broadway debut in Grease.

In March 2009, the platinum-selling singer/songwriter released his latest album, The Distance, with complete control of direction and ownership of his masters on his solely owned and operated, Modern Whomp Records label via Artist To Market (A2M).

Produced by Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill), and tapping the talents of guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, bassist Nathan East and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., The Distance features eleven tracks, including his latest single “Seven Mile Breakdown.” This country-driven track not only highlights Taylor’s versatility, but also showcases that country-soul influence that shines through during his live performances.

Additional tracks on the record include some co-written by Hicks: “Wedding Day Blues,” notes Hicks “is a great story tune, in the vein of past singer-songwriters. A man attends an ex-lovers wedding and ends up in his own honeymoon.” The country flavored “Nineteen,” is an all-American, patriotic song about a teen’s call to duty. Other notables include “I Live on a Battlefield,” “Maybe You Should,” “Once Upon a Lover of Mine,” “Keepin’ It Real,” and the title track, “The Distance.” According to Hicks, “‘The Distance’ has a world message. It’s a rock song with a great message for all of us as a people. I wanted to try my hand at writing a harder edged song with a universal message, but not leaving my personal influences behind. The message is really important to me. If we all glanced at the world as a whole, ‘The Distance’ between us will fade.”

Currently, Taylor is on the road continuing his run as Teen Angel for the national tour of Grease. Beginning summer of 2008 in New York City, Taylor assumed the role, singing “Beauty School Dropout,” and performing eight shows a week at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. While also showcasing his harmonica skills, Taylor appreciates the opportunity as “a perfect fit for me to experience Broadway theater,” in a musical much-loved for its memorable songs.

Taylor was eight when his family moved from his native Birmingham to nearby Hoover. Due to his parents’ divorce, early hardship quickly led him to the warm and tender mercies of soul music. As a youth he realized he had perfect pitch, and taught himself to play guitar and a blues-wailin’ harmonica. After graduating high school in 1995, he studied business and journalism at Auburn University and shepherded the release of his first independent album, In Your Time.

His personal twist of fate came in New Orleans, at the wedding of an Auburn friend, the night before Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. Due to his flight getting cancelled, he was given a free airplane voucher. Taylor eventually used that voucher to travel for a Las Vegas holiday; coincidentally American Idol were auditioning in Vegas during his vacation.

By February, as the fifth season got well underway, two dozen semi-finalists had been chosen. From the start, Taylor’s material set him apart. By May 12, “Soul Patrol!” fever was everywhere as Taylor was brought to Birmingham for a weekend celebration, a concert in his honor and a personal meeting with Governor Bob Riley, who officially proclaimed Monday, May 16 as “Taylor Hicks Day.”

It was an emotionally uplifting night – May 24, 2006 – when Taylor won the fifth season of American Idol. Viewers tuned in to watch the season finale, the year’s third-largest audience for a televised event after the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. More than 63 million votes were cast in crowning Hicks the winner. Already becoming a well-recognized international personality, Taylor’s success through Idol, and other ventures like Grease, have opened up exciting opportunities that are allowing him to explore new territories. The story continues…