NASHVILLE, Tennessee- As I learned last year in my original interview, Season 5 American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks is a diverse entertainer. Besides being a soulful singer and songwriter, the artist is an actor and restaurateur. A few weeks after our last interview, Taylor Hicks was asked to make his Grand Ole Opry debut, a milestone desired by many Southern singers.
He made his debut on June 18, 2023. Hicks said, “As long as I’ve been doing this, being able to grace the Opry Stage was something that I will never forget. It’s a big deal. I’ve had a lot of great invitations, and this was definitely up there for sure.”
He performed “Teach Me to Dance,” a song that was originally written for Garth Brooks by Candy Parton and Victoria Shaw.
“When [Shaw] played it for me, I knew that this song was for me,” he said.
The song is sure to be a staple at weddings for many years to come.
Now, he is back performing in the Nashville area at the historic Franklin Theatre, where he will perform his favorite Bob Seger hits along with some of his own.
Covering one as iconic as Seger is an ambitious endeavor, but if there was one artist that would be up to the task, it would be Hicks.
He explained, “When I was younger, Seger was one of four or five artists that I really did a deep dive with. To cover my heroes like Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, and Seger fits right into my mold. It is especially great to do it at intimate venues like the Franklin Theatre.”
Knowing his voice and range, I knew instinctively that Hicks was up to the task. When I heard a sample of it, I was proved to be correct.
Being methodical in creating new music, Hicks has spent the last ten years recording songs in Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Studio in Nashville and Sun Records in Memphis. He has several new tunes ready to go and is waiting for the right time to release them. He is putting a tour together for 2024 and has dates scheduled already in his home state of Alabama and in Canada as well. Be sure to follow him on his website and social media to find out when he is coming to a town near you. A Hicks show is one that you won’t want to miss!
You can buy tickets to his Franklin, Tennessee, show on January 19th here.
You can follow Hicks on his website, Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter).
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X (Twitter).
