Idol Scrapbook: Taylor Hicks

See why the newest American Idol earned his own Soul Patrol – from his audition to the road ahead. By Julia Wang

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DANCE FEVER

When Hicks got down – way down – to sing "Play that Funky Music," judge Simon Cowell likened it to a "horrible wedding performance." Still, Hicks stands by his style. "My vision as an artist, when I first heard Ray Charles at 12 years old, was to try to inject some more feeling and soul and depth into my music," he says.