'American Idol' Taylor Hicks signs record deal >> Tour dates and concert ticket info >> LiveDaily

'American Idol' Taylor Hicks signs record deal

Published June 1, 2006 03:39 PM

By Jon Zahlaway / LiveDaily Senior Writer

Taylor Hicks [ tickets ], who last week became the latest winner of Fox-TV's "American Idol" talent competition, has signed a recording contract with "Idol" creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Arista Records.

The 29-year-old Alabama native won't dish his debut album until "later this year," according to a press release, but he plans to tide over fans with the June 13 commercial release of his first single, "Do I Make You Proud," which he sang during the final two episodes of this season's "American Idol."

"Do I Make You Proud" will be available at retail outlets and via digital-music services, according to J Records. The song's B-side will be Hicks' rendition of the Doobie Brothers classic "Takin' It to the Streets," which also appears on the recently released "American Idol Season 5 Encores" album.

Hicks was crowned the newest "American Idol" last Wednesday (5/24) after beating out fellow contestant Katharine McPhee. Following the pair's final face-off last Tuesday (5/23), viewers cast more than 63 million votes to determine the winner.

Previous "Idol" winners and runners up have sold a combined total of 33 million records, according to a press release. That figure includes music from Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice. Clarkson, who was the first-ever "Idol" winner, bears the additional distinction of winning two Grammy awards earlier this year.

Hicks, McPhee and this year's other Top 10 finalists will join forces for a 60-date summer tour that gets underway July 5.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

'American Idols Live' tour

July 2006
5, 6 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
7, 8 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
9 - Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center
11 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
12 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
13, 14 - East Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
15, 16 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
18 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
19 - Cleveland, OH - Wolstein Center
21 - Rochester, NY - BlueCross Arena
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
23 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
25 - Bridgeport, CT - Arena at Harbor Yard
27 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
28 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
29 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
30 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum

August 2006
1 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Bobcats Arena
2 - Columbia, SC - Colonial Center
3 - Duluth, GA - Arena at Gwinnett Center
5 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
6 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
8 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
10 - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Entertainment Center
11 - Columbus, OH - Value City Arena
12 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
13 - Saint Louis, MO - Savvis Center
15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
16 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
17 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds
18 - Louisville, KY - Freedom Hall
19 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
20 - Peoria, IL - Civic Center
22 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
25 - San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
27 - Anaheim, CA - Arrowhead Pond
29 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
30 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion At San Jose

September 2006
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
2 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
5 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
7, 8 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie
9 - Houston, TX - Reliant Arena
10 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
12 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center
14 - Huntington, WV - Big Sandy Superstore Arena
15 - Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center
16 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center
17 - Syracuse, NY - War Memorial at OnCenter
19 - Hershey, PA - GIANT Center
21 - Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center
22 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center
23 - Bridgeport, CT - Arena at Harbor Yard
24 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Center