tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58231560828385099132009-06-27T08:16:49.235-06:00Mandy's BlogSteffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16937508388700765904noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-2599678740377095802009-03-26T21:13:00.006-06:002009-03-26T21:20:55.871-06:00The Traveling Circus Rocks at the RoxyThe Roxy was the place to be to hear the most new music from Taylor Hicks. That’s what I had heard from several reliable sources. Armed with airline ticket and hotel reservation, the Traveling Circus set off for a West Coast adventure with our honored ringmaster, Taylor Hicks.The Roxy, a small club on Sunset near Hammond, had reserved seating for VIPs and standing room only for the rest of us. RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-49882268745279406452009-02-11T22:26:00.002-06:002009-02-11T22:29:26.221-06:00The Traveling Circus Takes Over BaltimoreWOW! What a week-end! And I’m still having moments of recurring memories and giggles to go with them! Baltimore will never be the same after this past week-end. No sir or ma’am – the city won’t be the same after the Traveling Circus converged at the Hippodrome Theatre and Rams Head OnStage!Nice thing about an early flight – I can usually take a nap in route! Good thing I did, because I certainly RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-37330048577167015202008-11-21T13:36:00.001-06:002008-11-21T17:16:07.164-06:00Taking Time for Being ThankfulThe leaves are turning magnificent colors, the air is getting that nose nipping chill, the pumpkins are plump and the shops are decorating for the holidays. Our last holiday of the fall season is next week, a day of bounty, family, friends, memories, parades and ballgames. A day to reflect on what we have to be thankful for. For some, it may not be a good day, for others, it will be a day to be RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-87312372461497656662008-11-02T01:32:00.001-06:002008-11-02T01:34:00.799-06:00Our Own Taylor Hicks JourneyTaylor Hicks has been on his own personal journey, but so have his faithful followers known as the Soul Patrol. And man, what a wonderful journey we, those fans, have had……Have you ever read something that left you with that ‘wishing you had written that’ feeling? Well, just the other day I was reading a new blog and that day’s entry at http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/ and that’s justRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-69742292525984321662008-10-12T17:21:00.006-06:002008-10-12T17:40:26.527-06:00Taylor Hicks: His Trip Around the SunI bet with a title like this you think Taylor Hicks is about to board a spaceship for a trip around the sun! And the past couple of years may just seem like he has been skyrocketed….to stardom that is!You see it takes 365 days and nights for our planet to make just one trip around the sun, or a year. Considering all that has happened for Taylor Hicks during his latest trip around the sun, it has RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-42695678213973229352008-08-31T21:02:00.003-06:002008-09-01T13:51:02.879-06:00Those Summer Nights - A "Grease" ReviewAfter returning from a fast trip to the Big Apple, the words kept going through my brain, “Those summer nights” (all 3 syllables of summer) followed by the quick beat of “You’re the One That I Want”! The more it played, the more I began to see a pattern – a blog title! So how I would I write such a recap of the week-end, seeing the musical twice in a span of eight hours?Just like the words imply,RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-62438592093979760332008-08-16T21:18:00.005-06:002008-08-17T18:44:24.214-06:00Taylor Hicks and "Early Works"On August 12, 2008, Taylor Hicks fans were able to purchase “Early Works”, a compilation of pre-America Idol recordings previously only available from limited sources. If you weren’t lucky enough to know about Taylor Hicks before he claimed the Season 5 American Idol crown in 2006, weren’t a bidder on eBay or didn’t attend any concerts during Taylor’s first solo national tour, where these early RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-56110375306796914242008-07-30T20:39:00.002-06:002008-07-30T20:43:34.012-06:00If You're Doing the "Hand Jive" Then "Grease is the Word"What a whirlwind week-end in the Big Apple I had! When I came back from seeing Taylor Hicks in “Grease” a few weeks ago, my daughter thought a trip to New York City would make a great birthday present. After all, “Grease” was her favorite movie when she was just a kitten. Being the terrific mom that I am, she got her wish!As long as we were going to the Great White Way, we might as well make RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-18393477144876952552008-06-29T13:41:00.005-06:002008-06-29T17:28:30.476-06:00On Broadway - Under the Radar No MoreAs I was driving to work the other day, playing nothing but Taylor Hicks music as usual, a song from Taylor’s 2005 independent CD, “Under the Radar” started to play. A rather interesting number, given where Taylor Hicks can be found for the next several weeks: playing Teen Angel in “Grease” on that magical strip in New York City known as Broadway!Written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weill, Jerry LeiberRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-54095593121815293612008-06-22T22:40:00.003-06:002008-06-22T22:43:55.422-06:00Grease is the Word..... I have a confession to make! After watching Taylor Hicks perform “Beauty School Dropout” on Regis and Kelly and a couple of other ill gotten videos, I fully expected that Grease would be some silly, cheesy and less than stellar Broadway production that would rival only the best theatrical productions, off Broadway of course. Now don’t get me wrong here, I was fully expecting Taylor Hicks’ RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-49214018697083626682008-06-08T17:02:00.002-06:002008-06-08T17:03:37.513-06:00From Bar Room to Broadway!Can’t you just feel the pride, the exhilaration, the excitement, the joy that Taylor Hicks is experiencing right now! I know I can, and I wasn’t even there for his Broadway debut in Grease. That doesn’t matter. The fact remains that in less than three short years Taylor Hicks has gone from performing in bars and restaurants to Broadway! Broadway!Taylor Hicks, by his own admission, spent ten yearsRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-2257320022087919532008-05-21T21:06:00.005-06:002008-05-21T21:24:46.088-06:00Taylor Hicks - A Night of Boots, Blues & BBQWhat a wonderful night for a BBQ! The sky was clear, then cloudy, then overcast, and then darkening. A storm was brewing. I’d been watching the sky for several hours, hoping that in spite of the gathering winds that the storm would blow over. After spending a couple hours watching several bands at Sloss Furnaces, with Madge (my GPS) in command and another car following me, off to the BBQ I RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-37498899934588541342008-05-14T10:54:00.003-06:002008-05-14T10:57:35.353-06:00I Dare You - A Soul Patrol ChallengeWhen I was graduating high school many decades ago, I was honored to win the "I Dare You" award. During times like we have experienced this past week-end, I'm reminded of this book, a book which is based on daring us to make a difference. So right now, I dare each of you to make a difference - a Soul Patrol Challenge, if you will. None of us are happy with the amount of donations that were RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-33482447364590184002008-04-20T16:46:00.008-06:002008-04-20T17:25:54.400-06:00Finding a Cure for the Taylor Hicks BluesAfter an aggressive 2007 spring and summer tour for Taylor Hicks, I can certainly understand his need for down time to not only write and record a new album, but to also recharge his musical batteries. The week-end travel for me certainly took its toll and I’m almost twice Taylor’s age! Youth, that’s the only way anyone would be able to survive a musician’s life-style!With all the free week-ends RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-74765230114824656322008-03-15T10:09:00.003-06:002008-03-15T19:23:20.032-06:00A Brick, a Granite Stone or a Bronze StarWe’ve enjoyed the videos, pictures and stories from a special night not too long ago when Alabama Music Hall of Fame’s America’s Music Award was given to Taylor Hicks. And now we have an opportunity to show Taylor just how proud of him we are and say thank you to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Just how do we accomplish these tasks, you want to know!The Soul Connection, the free e-zine published RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-83565650666028951712008-02-24T17:33:00.011-06:002008-03-15T11:06:16.985-06:00The Stars Shine Bright in AlabamaA well-kept secret, at least for me, was about to be let out. A natural resource of the State of Alabama was about to be revealed as its entertainment industry. What I didn’t expect was the extent of that resource, the talent, the star quality, or how deeply rooted it was in all music genres. Or how diverse it was!Friday night, February 22, the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, AL, was the site ofRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-46305962618945402092008-02-11T21:44:00.000-06:002008-02-11T22:18:21.131-06:00The Only One Missing Was Taylor HicksI needed a week-end get-away to recharge my batteries, see old friends, have some thinking time, a change of scenery. You know what I mean – I just needed a break. I’ve been missing all the traveling like did this time last year. So off I went, headed down US 78 towards Birmingham, Alabama.Several weeks ago I heard Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, affectionately known at LiMBO, was going to be RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-83069105975134453992008-02-03T23:13:00.000-06:002008-02-05T12:46:20.453-06:00Because I Want My Voice HeardI had been working a number of late nights that month, typical for a January anyway. Year-end tax provisions, various calculations, long hours. Typical January in my line of work. In addition to working, I had been doing a Bible study on Tuesday for the past couple of years, and either skipped because of working late, gotten home early from class, or perhaps we just didn’t meet that night. AnywayRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-56230375006052728512008-01-22T17:50:00.000-06:002008-01-23T07:28:40.902-06:00Perhaps Another Anthem for Taylor HicksTaylor Hicks has been quoted as saying the song closest to being his own personal anthem would be his own original song, “Soul Thing”. I must admit the main lyrics do sound pretty much like Taylor’s life as a traveling musician. Taylor has often talked and written about the long drives, the sometimes loneliness, the visiting muses, and playing blue-eyed soul. Yes, the words do sound a lot like RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-85896315513272970052008-01-08T23:16:00.001-06:002008-01-08T23:25:14.515-06:00The Best is Yet to Come!After days and hours of press and speculation about his American Idol recording contract, Taylor Hicks has finally let the Soul Patrol know what’s going on! Straight from Taylor’s MySpace page:“To all my fans and The Soul Patrol, I want to take a moment to talk about the recent news that my label and I have mutually parted ways. The important thing for all of you to remember is that I've been a RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-44839426755228223852007-12-30T00:52:00.001-06:002007-12-30T14:59:32.690-06:00The Traveling Circus is Liberated at the Liberty BowlThe only thing better than beautifully wrapped presents and Santa Claus as December comes to a close would be a great party, a bowl game and Taylor Hicks. Sad to say, I don’t really understand the need to chase some pigskin with pointed ends or the need to fall in some heaping pile of male bodies. Now watching Taylor Hicks sing and dance – that’s my idea of a great game! But when the audience RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-43946681778178341772007-12-08T22:43:00.001-06:002007-12-08T23:17:17.432-06:00RagsQueen's Letter to Santa for the Traveling CircusDear Santa,I've been a very good girl this year. I've supported the local economies around the areas wherever there was a Taylor Hicks concert by staying in local hotels & eating at local restaurants all under the guise of being there to see Taylor Hicks in concert. I've even bought lots of Taylor Hicks tour merchandise under the misguided misconception that I was putting food on the merchandise RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-41901748374544143832007-11-28T23:05:00.000-06:002007-11-29T09:26:09.079-06:00A Concert With TaylorOne of my favorite poems to read or recite is “A Visit From St. Nick” or “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”. I personally own several versions of this holiday poem, including a version for cat lovers (go figure!). So for this entry, I thought it would be fun to take that famous poem and rewrite it as if I were attending a great Taylor Hicks’ concert! So as you read the lines, do so with the RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-42102899803882201322007-11-17T17:34:00.000-06:002007-11-17T17:39:11.818-06:00The Measure of a ManPlato said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”Samuel Johnson said, “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”Plato and Johnson speak of the measure of a manRagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-41796476611062858282007-11-04T23:28:00.000-06:002007-11-04T23:37:16.109-06:00The Traveling Circus Has Its Golden Night in Pearl RiverIt was a beautiful Friday afternoon in Memphis as I left work for the drive, alone with Madge, for a far away town in the depths of Mississippi called Philadelphia. Not a cloud in the sky, a nice slow breeze, the entrapments of fall, and time to think were mine for the next four hours. Music in the CD changer of a gray-haired soul guy that had taken me to places I’d never been and probably never RagsQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117435913724605844noreply@blogger.com8