'American Idol' Winner Taylor Hicks Comes to MSU Riley Center on April 4

Feb. 5—Genre-spanning singer and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks will appear in concert on Thursday, April 4, at the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts in historic downtown Meridian. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Hicks combined influences from soul, blues, country, and rock 'n' roll, plus an energetic stage presence, to wow "American Idol" audiences. More than 200 TV million viewers watched him triumph in the fifth-season competition finale in 2006.

Since then, he has, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the single "Do I Make You Proud," performed as Teen Angel in the Broadway musical "Grease," acted in the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," become the first male Idol winner to be featured on a Grammy Award-winning album — Jimmy Fallon's "Blow Your Pants Off" —, performed in an extended residency in Las Vegas, hosted the reality TV series "State Plate", became co-owner of a barbecue restaurant and live music venue called SAW's Juke Joint in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and performed on country music's most famous showcase, the Grand Ole Opry.

"Taylor Hicks' musical talent, onstage charisma, and down-home approachability make him a must-see performer," said Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, Associate Vice President and head of Mississippi State-Meridian Campus. "If you've only seen him on television, you owe it to yourself to experience the energy that he pours into his live shows. The intimacy of our beautiful theater and its crystal-clear acoustics will make it seem as if he's singing personally to each member of the audience."

The singer, guitarist and harmonica player famously referred to his Idol fans as the "Soul Patrol." Lately, he has attracted the ears of country music fans with such singles as the lilting ballad "Porch Swing" and the fiddle-tinged "Teach Me to Dance." He debuted "Porch Swing" last year on the Nashville-based radio program "The Bobby Bones Show" and also performed it on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and "Huckabee".

"Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers and other great country singer-songwriters have paved the way for this kind of music," Hicks said of his new material. "I want to put my best foot forward as an artist."

The MSU Riley Center extends special thanks to The Riley Foundation for grant money that makes shows by such sought-after artists possible. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.msurileycenter.com or call 601-696-2200.