That one man was none other than the Season 5 American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. It changed his life without a doubt, but his fans lives were also changed. My story is just one story in a whole Soul Patrol fan base of stories.
I was watching the show with my husband and kids, we saw a couple we thought were OK, but nothing really grabbed our attention. Then we saw a grey hair guy dancing and acting silly. To be honest we did not expect he would be good. Then the audition started. Simon asked him “Why are you here?” he replied “I want my voice heard.” I remember my husband laughed and said “Well, we don’t.” I told him to hush and just listen because he might be good. He started with Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change is Gonna Come.’ I loved it and even my husband said “Ok, he is bad.” Paula smiled and said “I did not expect that, you can sing, but she asked for a few seconds of something else. He sang “Suwanee River “, and I loved it. Thankfully, Randy and Paula saw Taylor’s talent and he made it through.
It wasn’t long and I was hooked. I went to the American Idol website to see what else I could find out about him. I went to the Taylor Hicks chat on the site and saw how many people were enjoying him as much as I was. The Soul Patrol is a strong fan base and we all came together with a purpose to see that Taylor Hicks became the next American Idol. Friendships were formed as well and even this many years later we still support Taylor, and lasting friendships have stayed as well.
The night Taylor won I was extremely happy and the whole Soul Patrol was ecstatic.
I had been writing about Taylor and the fan base for a while, but shortly before his CD was released I was given the opportunity to interview Taylor Hicks. I had never interviewed anyone in my life. I was super excited, and super nervous. I was fan girly and all, and when I listen to the interview now I realize how fan girly I sounded, but that interview was the start of a chain of events that was going to change my life. To be Continued…
