OPENING
Westside Cultural Arts Center opening party with Taylor Hicks. 6-9 p.m. Thursday. Free. 760 10th St., Atlanta. 678-218-3740, www.westsideartscenter.com.
Seven years ago, exuberant gray-haired soul singer Taylor Hicks captured the “American Idol” crown over fetching runner-up Katharine McPhee.
His victory came during the show’s most popular season ever, averaging more than 30 million viewers a week.
And while the show’s wattage has dimmed significantly since then, Hicks has kept himself busy in recent years, spending two years traveling the country with the musical “Grease” and now playing nightly at a Las Vegas casino. He visits Atlanta on Thursday to perform at the opening ceremony for the Westside Cultural Arts Center, a converted 10th Street warehouse with space for art galleries, performing arts and event rentals.
“It’s important we keep the cultural arts alive as much as we can,” Hicks said in a recent interview.
Hicks became friends with the center’s owner James Chappuis awhile back and plans to show up as a favor.
He never became a chart-topping pop singer but pops up on TV every so often. In 2011, he and his ubiquitous harmonica made a surprise appearance with Stephen Colbert to sing Rebecca Black’s YouTube hit “Friday.” Last year, he showed up on the short-lived Fox dating game “The Choice.”
Since the summer of 2012, he has been in Vegas performing at Bally’s, then Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, where he headlines a 300-seat showroom the Napoleon accompanied by a three-piece band. He sings songs he did on “Idol,” original material and Vegas show tunes. And he gets to meet fans from all over the world who had seen that season’s “Idol.”
“It beats fighting over beers and Cheetos on a tour bus,” Hicks said. “It’s a really cool gig.”
How did he get such a cool gig? He said he was at a Harrah’s with Charles Barkley in New Orleans and was introduced to executives of Caesars Entertainment. “We got together, started fleshing out ideas,” he said. “It was a great fit.”
He is under contract through the end of the year but may end up extending it.
Hicks is also shrewdly working on an album targeting country fans, who have been receptive to “Idol” contestants in the past, including Josh Gracin, Kellie Pickler and most notably, Carrie Underwood.
“I consider the music I’ve always done very roots-oriented,” he said, noting his Alabama ties. “It will definitely be on the soulful side of country.”
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