Taylor Hicks has to run
A sense of destiny, and his drive to control it, has made taylor
Hicks more than a former American Idol. It has made him an
entertainer and businessman with an eye on the future.
By Joe O’Donnell
Taylor Hicks has to be tired. Who wouldn’t be? Here’s the itinerary: Red-eye from Los Angeles; golf at the Regions Charity Classic; interviews. And it is still early in the afternoon. There is practically a whole day yet to come.
Hicks doesn’t seem to mind though. In fact, when he talks about the music business that has been his life since he was a kid, Hicks seems about as energized as a teen.
“I can remember at 17 saying I was going to be a successful entertainer. I had this sense of destiny about it, like it was going to come true. There was this great moment when I realized destiny had to be at work because I just felt it so strongly. Ray Charles brought his band to City Stages and I sat in the bushes and cried the whole show. I knew this is what I wanted,” Hicks says.
“It is a demanding business, 24/7. I’m not tired of it, though, because I know this is what I am supposed to be doing.”
The risk inherent in believing in a destiny has been a companion to Hicks since the very beginning of his forays into the entertainment world. Out there on a stage, reaching out to an audience that may applaud or may look back at you stone-faced or just keep on talking to the rest of the people at their table, that was Hicks’ early life on the road. Then, of course, there was always the risk you might not get paid.
“The risk I took at an early age helped me to get used to the risk at this stage in my career. The biggest risk of all was taking that initial step to do what you imagine yourself doing,” he says.
In the three years since Hicks became the fifth-season winner of American Idol, 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 briskselling Random House memoir and made his Broadway debut in Grease.
Currently Hicks is promoting his new album The Distance, which came out in March. The platinum- selling singersongwriter has complete control of direction and ownership of his masters on his solely owned and operated, Modern Whomp Records label via Artist To Market.
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 11 tracks, including the first single “What’s Right Is Right.” “‘What’s Right Is Right’ is the soulful love song of the album,” says Hicks. “I think its wonderful message about love that people can relate to. The saxophone subtones as they are called, is where you can actually hear the breath from the instrumentalist before he actually plays the next note. Capturing the sound is almost like a music lesson within a soulful love song. Subtones are a lost art in music today. These musical nuances do not limit themselves only to ‘What’s Right Is Right,’ but are heard throughout the whole album.”
While the entire economy has been in flux for the past year or more, no industry has seen as much change as the music business. When he won American Idol, Taylor Hicks found himself at the heart of a changing business, a new shiny cog in a publicity machine and American phenomenon. But there are very few rules left and very little protection or care for an artist searching for an audience.
So instead of being tethered to the American Idol machine, Hicks changed the direction and went his own way—and with a little help from his Birmingham friends—took control of his career his destiny.
Mike Douglas is an attorney at the Birmingham law firm of Friedman Leak. “Taylor and I met in college at Auburn. He was recommended to me through a couple of friends to sing in the band I was in. He came to the house one day when he was a freshman.
We were juniors at the time. He sang ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ and it was an amazing vocal performance. I recognized immediately he had immense musical talent,” Douglas says.
They played together in a band, Passing Through, touring the college circuit throughout the South. Douglas graduated and went on to law school.
“Taylor and I were still very close. He was still playing the local circuit. It was difficult and tough to watch sometimes. He is very talented, but he did not have much negotiation power. He moved to Nashville and recorded an album. We were keeping up with each other, and I was helping with some legal work then on a pro bono basis,” Douglas says.
“He called me from Las Vegas to tell me about American Idol. I went out to one of the taping of the shows. It is amazing how big and how much of a machine that all is.”
Once Hicks won American Idol, he fulfilled all of the obligations he had under the original agreement and then he went out in search of a new destiny. “We met with [record industry legend] Clive Davis to discuss future deals and we made a mutual decision to part ways with American Idol,” Douglas says.
“At that point we had our own touring company set up for Taylor. We set up two national tours for Taylor as a solo artist,” Douglas says.
“It was a good-size national theatre tour so that he could keep developing as a national touring artist, but under Taylor’s control as a business entity.
Both tours were profitable. In 2007 he had the 27th highest grossing tour.
That gave us the financial lift to start our own company.” Modern Whomp Records was born, along with a touring and merchandising company, all controlled by Taylor Hicks.
Taking advantage of new tools in the entertainment industry and new developments in the way artists reach audiences, Taylor Hicks took control. “Taylor is instrumental in all of this. He is very attentive to detail.
He wants to be totally in control of the artistic side—having more control over what comes out,” Douglas explains. “Gaining total control was important, and this way made the most sense.”
The music has always been paramount to Hicks. The latest album is being supported nationwide by Hicks’ role in the national touring company of Grease. In city after city, he plays the role of Teen Angel singing “Beauty School Dropout” on stage. Then he will play club dates late in the evening, playing the music he loves to a totally different audience.
Add in the regular media interviews and you have a potent marketing mix to build an audience. The goal is to sell his album steadily for the next 18 months, releasing two or three singles, while performing on the stage. “He stays very, very busy,” Douglas says.
“My management has really kept up with the cutting edge of how an artist gains an audience. That’s not easy because it is an ever changing mode of business in the recording industry. My antenna is always up for wisdom after all these years on the road,” Hicks says.
Foodimentary
In one of those extraordinary cases of serendipity, John-Bryan Hopkins created a voice and a word at nearly the same moment. Now he’s using the newest of communication technologies to broadcast that serendipity to the world as the Foodimentary Guy, one of the most popular practitioners in the new art of Twitter. As the Foodimentary Guy, Hopkins has approximately 80,000 followers and resides on the top 300 list of all Twitterers.
“Foodimentary just came to me. There was just this great sense of excitement in coming up with a word someone else had not yet uttered. Foodimentary became a life-changing moment for me.
On Twitter I found I had something to say about food,” Hopkins says. The Birmingham native’s previous non-Twitter life included a long stint as an interior designer.
“In 2007 I decided for sure I wanted to get out of interior design. To be a real success in interior design you have to do the same thing over and over, and I just did not want to do that. Interior design is about life experience. It is about the person living it, not the person purveying it.
The core idea of food is similar to the core idea of interior design. We live in a Food Network society but there is a whole world of food out there that is not being explored. Food is fun, personal.
Foodimentary is a way of rediscovering what food is all about.
“My purpose is to start that dialogue. I’ve created a voice and I am exploring it.” Hopkins says.
New media could even intersect with old media some day soon in the world of Foodimentary. There could be a book or two in the offing.
Hopkins is also working with Pepper Place market and developing a general store for the popular Birmingham Foodie destination. Hopkins says he finds the market dovetails perfectly with his notion of the importance of local food, grown locally, sold locally and appreciated locally. —Joe O’Donnell
W xyz bar
What? W xyz bar, in the aloft Birmingham Soho Square hotel Where? aloft hotels and W xyz bars (a vision of ultra swanky W Hotels) are found in 25 cities, including Montreal and Beijing and soon to open in Brussels and Abu Dhabi. “It is a true international brand,” says aloft General Manager Richard Davis.
Why’s it hot? That’s easy. “We were the hottest opening aloft hotel to record,” says aloft General Manager Richard Davis of their April 2 opening. “The bar had 300 people through it on the first night.” Davis also says Birmingham’s aloft is the nicest built to date, with special features including the two story lobby, home of the W xyz bar. The W xyz bar is central to the aloft concept. “Really, our lobby is a bar rather than being a lobby,” says Davis. “It surprises a lot of people when they come in and see it.”
And you’re likely to rub elbows with a celebrity while having drinks with coworkers during happy hour. “We are the place celebrities stay when they come to Birmingham,” says Davis. “I think that’s another appeal of the bar is that really, you never know who you’re going to see. I can tell you in the last two weeks, we’ve had a wellknown rock band and well-known actor staying in the hotel and hanging out at the bar.”
What you’ll find: In addition to signature drinks, they make their own infused liquors—a pineapple chipotle tequila, a wild blueberry infused vodka and a Bazooka bubblegum infused vodka. And all of their liquor is “ultra top shelf,” says Davis. “There’s no Jim Beam at the bar, in other words. Period,” says Operations Manager David Coram. They also have all four of Good People Brewery’s beer on tap and don’t own a single champagne flute. Champagne is served in single packaged servings—such as the Sofia Mini blanc de blanc, that comes in a perfect pink can with matching straw.
Don’t miss: Diva DJ on Thursday nights from 6 p.m. to midnight, a game of pool on their purple top pool table and the wall of art featuring work for sale by local artists.
Visit alofthotels.com. —Mary Ellen Stancill
Black Jacket Symphony
Who? The Black Jacket Symphony is a rock ‘n’ roll music project—not a symphony at all—founded by long-time Birmingham musicians J. Willoughby (Newboys) and Damon Johnson (Brother Cane, Whiskey Falls). The two met while playing in bands around town 20 years ago. Now, as Black Jacket Symphony, they are recreating classic albums in a live setting. “The theory behind the whole thing is to do a classic album and handpick who would be perfect for that album,” Willoughby explains. They’ve dubbed it “the symphony for our generation.”
Where? Black Jacket Symphony kicked off the project by covering The Beatles’ Abbey Road at WorkPlay on May 28. The theatre was packed with a range of music fans—those who bought Abbey Road when it was released in 1969, those who were born after John Lennon’s death in 1980 and even those born after George Harrison’s death in 2001. Fans of all ages danced with abandon and sang along as Black Jacket Symphony covered the album note for note. Some of the Beatles’ greatest hits comprised the second set.
Why? The music industry has changed, Willoughby says, and in the process it’s moved away from the album. When he was a kid, he anticipated each new album by his favorite bands. “It was an event. It’s not that way anymore,” Willoughby explains. Black Jacket Symphony shows recreate that experience.
Beyond Birmingham: Black Jacket Symphony has talked about touring regionally, perhaps in Montgomery, Atlanta, Chattanooga and other nearby cities.
Willoughby says each performance would originate in Birmingham before going on the road.
What’s up next? Though the next album had not been selected as of press time, Willoughby and Johnson have discussed covering albums by The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and other classic bands.
Want to know more? Become a fan of Black Jacket Symphony on Facebook. —Carla Jean Whitley
Scott Register
Who? If you don’t know him by name, you probably recognize Scott Register as the smooth voice that eases you into your Sunday routine on Reg’s Coffeehouse. Register programs and hosts the radio show, which airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays on Live 100.5, but his role in the music industry extends off the air. Register is also marketing director at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, an A&R consultant (or talent scout) for The Artist Organization and—his most important job— father to 6- and 9-year-old boys.
Why is he hot now? When Live 100.5 took to the air in August, the first thing listeners heard was a special Friday morning edition of Reg’s Coffeehouse. The station was influenced by the show—a great honor, Register says. “For there to be a station where we can expose people in this town to some of the music we can’t hear anywhere else—hopefully it’ll keep growing,” he says. “I just think radio shot itself in the foot when it started playing the same playlist in every town.” But Live’s approach has been very local, from the music they play to the station’s involvement with events around town.
How’d he get started? “Radio was never a goal of mine,” Register explains. He studied journalism at Auburn, and his only radio experience was as a student occasionally reporting news and sports on WEGL. But then he met Dave Rossi, now Live 100.5 program director, through City Stages. “We just connected musically,” Register says. Rossi was working on the now-defunct Birmingham station The X, and wanted to incorporate the music Register liked. Reg’s Coffeehouse was born in 1997 as a onehour program. The show has grown in popularity and length, and for the past several years Register has been programming and hosting a four-hour radio show of singer-songwriter music.
When else can you hear him? In mid-spring Register increased his workload by taking on the morning slot at Live 100.5. He now hosts Reg’s Coffeehouse on Sundays and Reg’s Morning Blend from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays. Register incorporates a few songs from the specialty program, both to appease the coffeehouse listeners and to introduce new listeners to his weekend work.
How has Live 100.5 affected the local music scene? “I definitely think it’s helped get some more artists to town,” Register says. The station has a symbiotic relationship with several area venues, and working together they’ve increased Birmingham’s draw. But Register says the station is still growing. “I see us expanding out what we do more and more as we get older,” he explains. “I think we’re still getting to know our listeners.” —Carla Jean Whitley
Ryan Russell
Who? Meet Ryan Russell, a 28-year-old Birmingham photographer.
Where? Russell was born and raised here in Birmingham, and while he still lives here, he frequently travels all across the country for work.
Why is he hot? With a classic photography style and natural talent, Russell deserves to be part of this year’s hot list. His black and white shots of bands performing on stage feel like the essence of old-school rock ‘n’ roll. Also, he’s worked with nationally-known bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Paramore, Tegan and Sara, and Dashboard Confessional, to name just a few.
How did he get started? While he was a graphic design major at UAB, Russell created websites for bands. When there weren’t any pictures for the websites, Russell bought a cheap camera, went to the bands’ shows and started taking pictures. He kept going to shows over the next few years and soon those smaller bands were opening for bigger bands, and Russell’s name began buzzing around the music scene. He finally decided to stick with photography. “It ended up being the photos were stronger than any kind of layouts I could come up with as a graphic designer,” Russell says. Where have his photos appeared? Rolling Stone, Spin, Playboy, the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and more. Favorite spot to shoot in Birmingham? Without hesitation Russell names Irondale Café. “I’m obsessed with trains,” he says. “For years, I’ve hung out and watched trains up there, and I just walk around and take photos.”
Why does he love what he does? Plain and simple, “Everyone loves photos,” Russell states. He also says that he has met the bands he loves, traveled with them and essentially has documented the past years of his life.
“That’s what fun is.”
What’s up next? In the near future, Russell is art directing Paramore’s new album as well as helping Birmingham band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster with their album artwork.
To see more pictures, check out ryanrussell.net
—Sarah Kate Boltz
Gin Phillips
Who? Gin Phillips is the author of The Well and the Mine and the 2009 winner of the prestigious Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award in fiction.
Where? Phillips was raised in Montgomery and is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College. After living in New York and Washington, D.C., and working as a journalist, Phillips now writes fiction from her Birmingham home. “I had never intended to write Southern fiction,” Phillips says. But the anecdotes about growing up in the Depression-era, coal mining town of Carbon Hill passed down from her grandmother and great aunt stayed with her. It only took a year for Phillips to write her first novel, released in May 2008 by Hawthorne Press.
Why’s she hot? As 2009 began, Phillips thought the interest in The Well and the Mine had tapered off for good. Then in March, she received the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award. “Then things changed fairly dramatically, more than I expected them to,” Phillips says. Within a month of winning the award, Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin USA, picked up the book and re-released it. “It’s still completely stunning and doesn’t feel completely real yet,” Phillips says. And The Well and the Mine is still topping the charts, at No. 22 on Barnes and Nobles’ bestsellers list at the time we went to press.
Why’s it hot? “People like to read about characters they can like, that people can feel the personal connection to and care how things turn out,” says Phillips. The Well and the Mine paints an intimate portrait of a family enduring a brutal way of life that’s still peppered with moments of beauty. Through each of the five family members’ voices, their story unfolds, and they emerge as changed and more complete people.
Phillips also points out that in today’s world, people can relate to a story centered with themes of economic hardship.
What’s next? Phillips is almost finished with her next novel (yet to receive a title), set on an archaeology dig in New Mexico. She describes the story as part mystery, part love story.
Gin Phillips will sign copies of The Well and the Mine at Alabama Booksmith on July 7 at 4 p.m. Visit alabama booksmith.com for more info. —Mary Ellen Stancill
Gary Warner
Gary Warner is not a member of the Secret Service or a CIA agent, but he is helping keep the world safe, and he’s doing it from his office in Birmingham.
Warner is director of research in computer forensics at UAB. He specializes in computer security, phishing and network intrusion and often works with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies around the world to investigate cybercrimes. If you’ve ever received a suspect email from a bank or other business seeking personal information, Warner and his team of students at UAB have likely been involved in investigating the scam.
“We work with the FBI, the ABI, the Secret Service … At 1:30 this morning I was talking to law enforcement in Hong Kong.” Warner says. “We’ve identified 50,000 sites pretending to be banks. We work to identify the people who are behind the attacks.”
About 18 students makeup Warner’s core research team, which has been involved in investigating some of the “very largest cybercrimes in the state and world,” Warner says.
What makes him hot now? Warner’s efforts to protect the world from cybercrimes have gotten the attention of Microsoft. Earlier this year, the company selected him as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in Enterprise Security. While Microsoft selects thousands of MVPs each year, only a handful have been selected in the area of Enterprise Security.
Warner is one of only 57 in the world to receive such a title. “It’s really a great honor that they believe in our program like that,” he says. “There are also some benefits that go along with it that are extremely helpful.”
As a Microsoft MVP, Warner and his students get early access to new technologies and other resources from Microsoft.
Warner is a 1989 graduate of UAB with a degree in computer science. In 2007, he became the school’s first director of research in computer forensics, which is an initiative of the UAB Department of Computer and Information Services and the UAB Department of Justice Sciences. —Laura McAlister
