Taylor Hicks at The Franklin Theatre

For Taylor Hicks, winning “American Idol’s” blockbuster fifth season was just the beginning. Hailed as “part Stax, part Motown and part honky-tonk” by The New York Times, Hicks’ intoxicating blend of soul, blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll quickly rendered him a household name as he progressed to the show’s record-breaking finale in 2006, a historic television event which drew an audience of more than 200 million viewers. Hicks immediately followed his “American Idol” victory with a No. 1 Billboard single and an RIAA®-certified platinum debut, and soon went on to make history as both the first male “American Idol” champion featured on a GRAMMY-winning record (Jimmy Fallon’s Blow Your Pants Off), and the first to land a prestigious Las Vegas residency.