There is a 1951 Mercury sitting in Taylor Hicks' garage that has been there for twenty years. Its name is Alpia, and the story of how it got there is one of show business lore. Shortly after his American Idol win, during a stretch of two and a half consecutive years of touring, Hicks found himself sitting next to Little Richard at a hotel in Nashville. They got to talking about show business and life, and somewhere in the conversation, the Architect of Rock and Roll looked at the young Alabama singer and said point blank, "You haven't got you an old car yet, Taylor." "I haven't yet," Hicks replied. "Well, we've got to get you a car." Hicks, knowing full-well he should take Little Richards' advice, said, "I think that's what I'll do." And the rest is history. "That was my second purchase after my Idol win. My first was a camera to document things and then the second was a 51 Mercury that Little Richard told me to buy."
That story is the perfect metaphor for Taylor Hicks. The man has spent twenty years collecting these types of momentous stories and making enduring friendships. In fact, 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Hicks' season five American Idol win, the moment in 2006 when the gray-haired kid from Birmingham with the harmonica and the unmistakable voice won over America and launched a two-decade-long career. The anniversary has given him reason to look back.
"This past year's obviously nostalgic considering the 20th anniversary of the Idol win," he says. "Being able to go back on the show and perform and see a lot of the people that I was a part of that show with, whether it be some of the contestants that were on the show or some of the production and some of the crew."
The production assistant who guided him through his very first cattle call audition, who was, in his words, "the gatekeeper that allowed me to go through the gate initially" was still on the show, still working, and still there to get a big hug from Hicks. "I always loved seeing her," he says. "And those kinds of moments from the show were a really great way to kick off my year."
As for how his approach to performing has evolved over twenty years of stages, television sets, and everything in between, Hicks says, "I think the approach has always been kind of the same, give it hell or don't go on stage," he says. "But as far as understanding how to perform in different avenues, whether it be musical theater or film or hosting television, there's a common thread there and that's to make sure that your emotions are involved because when you emote, the audience, they can feel it."
If the American Idol anniversary gave Hicks a reason to look back, his latest television project has given him a reason to hit the road. The Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition, hosted by Ian Ziering of Beverly Hills 90210 fame, took Hicks and a cast of fellow television personalities from Chicago to Santa Monica along the full length of Route 66, stopping at cities and towns across the country to raise money for local charities and host car shows along the way.
"I'd never really seen Route 66," he says. "I've always heard about it, but being able to travel it and also raise money for different charities across the country was extremely special for me."
The cast is like a who's who of television nostalgia. One morning, Hicks called his father to check in. "I told him that I was having breakfast with Eddie Munster, Bo Duke and Ponch from Chips," he says. "And Dad said, 'Doesn't surprise me one bit.'" Those are the moments, he says, that he lives for.
Oklahoma City was a standout stop, a city he had never spent meaningful time in before and found genuinely beautiful. Each stop along the route included a celebrity challenge and a car show, something Hicks, a self-described car aficionado, embraced with enthusiasm. The show premiered in September and is currently airing weekly with the finale airing later this month on November 25.
The Great American Road Rally is not Hicks' first foray into travel television. His 2016-2018 show State Plate took him across the country to sample the signature cuisines of different states, a natural fit for a man who grew up in Alabama and has strong opinions about what it means to eat well.
"If you're from the South, you're just born a foodie," he says. "And if you're from Alabama, the Alabamians will let you know if you can do three things — sing, cook, and throw a football."
Behind every chapter of Hicks' career has been a commitment to charitable work that reflects his gratitude for everything the last twenty years have given him. He is deeply involved with the Marines Toys for Tots program, hosting a signature annual show at the Lyric Theater in Birmingham where the Marines arrive with boxes of toys destined for children in need. "When you actually see a physical toy that's going to go to a child, it definitely makes me happy," he says.
He is also connected to the Friends of the Jacqueline Foundation, an organization born from his television work that makes dreams come true for children with terminal illnesses.
As for now, Hicks says a new Christmas song is on the way. "I'm very blessed to be able to be going on two decades of show business and I just really appreciate people coming along on the journey," he says.
Twenty years in, the Soul Patrol is still rolling. And if Alpia the 1951 Mercury is any indication, Taylor Hicks knows how to pick something built to last.
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"I'm very blessed to be able to be going on two decades of show business."
"That was my second purchase after my Idol win. My first was a camera to document things and then the second was a 51 Mercury that Little Richard told me to buy."