"American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks [ tickets ], who is in the midst of his first US outing, has added a run of summer dates in the South and on the East Coast.

Hicks has been on the road non-stop since February, playing clubs and theaters from coast to coast. His March 10-11 performances in his hometown of Birmingham, AL, sold out immediately and were turned into benefit shows for victims of the recent tornadoes in that state.

After a short break later this month, Hicks will continue his tour starting with a June 2 performance at the Elvis Festival in Tupelo, MS. Several more festival dates follow through the end of August. Details are listed below.

Hicks swept Fox TV's "American Idol" competition a year ago and released his self-titled debut in December. The album, produced by Grammy winner Matt Serletic (Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty), entered The Billboard 200 chart at No. 2.

The set's first single, "Do I Make You Proud," hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the magazine's best-selling single of 2006, according to Hicks' website. The latest single, "Just to Feel That Way," is currently heating up adult contemporary charts and is streaming at Hicks' website and MySpace page.

The singer, who describes his brand of soul, funk and blues as "modern womp music," struggled for 10 years to make it in the music business before "American Idol" made him an "overnight success" with the help of a horde of fans who call themselves "The Soul Patrol."