第五届（2006年）“美国偶像”冠军
年龄：29
出生地：Birmingham, AL
海选城市：Las Vegas
个人介绍：泰勒希克斯出生于美国阿拉巴马州，从小就展现出音乐天赋，不仅喜欢对着陌生人唱歌，还常拿着吉他自弹自唱创作歌曲。大学时泰勒主修商业学，但因兴趣缺缺一年后便休学，随后便搬到田纳西州的纳许维尔和乐坛老将Percy Sledge学习音乐。其实在赢得美国偶像之前，泰勒就已独立发行过两张专辑。除此之外，泰勒也是大型婚礼歌手的热门人眩这再显示出泰勒倍受肯定的歌唱实力。
对其貌不扬，满头银发的Hicks来说，起初几乎无人看好他，海选阶段还差点惨遭淘汰。连评委都直白地说："其实你更适合在幕后唱歌。" 然而Hicks的个人魅力随着比赛的进程慢慢展现出来。他沉稳浑厚的歌喉和歌曲高潮时迸发的激情，征服了评委和观众，并最终为他赢得了"美国偶像"的头衔。
获得冠军后，Hicks已经拥有了一大票忠实的歌迷，他们自称为"Soul Patrol"，这个名字来源于Hicks在比赛中的口头禅。 Hicks没有受过任何专业的音乐训练，他自学了唱歌，吉他和口琴，并在大学时退学去纳什维尔发展，组织乐队四处巡演。他的音乐风格受"灵魂乐之父" Ray Charles的影响深远，以至他后来每次演出时都要带上偶像的小塑像。如今，不懈努力的Hicks顺利与唱片巨头Clive Davis的RCA唱片签下合约，并推出典型的Taylor Hicks式的单曲《Do I Make You Proud》。
With his raspy, soulful voice and salt-and-pepper hair, Taylor Hicks was one of the unlikeliest contestants to make it to the final round of American Idol, but his quirky charm and rousing delivery of songs like "Takin' It to the Streets" won Hicks a devoted legion of fans called the Soul Patrol and the title of the fifth-season American Idol. Born in Birmingham, AL, and raised in Hoover, Hicks grew up listening to classic soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam Cooke -- which he said he could to relate to even as a child due to the divorce of his parents and other troubles -- and singer/songwriters like Van Morrison, Bob Seger, and Billy Joel. His chief influence, however, was Ray Charles, whom he admired so much that he carried a little statue of Charles with him whenever he performed. Though Hicks had no formal musical training, he picked up singing, guitar, and harmonica on his own. He began performing for his family at an early age and won a talent contest at his high school (at which time his hair started turning gray). While studying business, communication, and marketing at Auburn University, Hicks formed the Passing Through band, and left school early to try his luck in Nashville. As a touring performer, he opened for artists ranging from James Brown to Drive-By Truckers and also performed at the Playboy Mansion. Hicks released two albums with his band: In Your Time, a live album, and Under the Radar. In 2005, he auditioned for American Idol; the Memphis tryouts were so crowded that Hicks couldn't get in, so he went to the Las Vegas auditions. Despite the doubts of judge Simon Cowell, Hicks' differences from the typical pop star look and sound worked for him rather than against him in the competition, and his performances of "Levon," "Living for the City," and "Dancing in the Dark" helped put him over the top. After winning American Idol, Hicks signed a record deal with Clive Davis and 19 Recordings Unlimited, and released the single Do I Make You Proud that summer. Hicks also performed with the American Idol tour and began work on his major-label debut album. His self-titled debut arrived in late 2006. Live at the Workplay Theatre, a concert album recorded in summer 2006, was released in 2007.