Newton, North Carolina
Newton is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,968. It is the county seat of Catawba County. Newton is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History.
Newton was established in 1845 and incorporated in 1855.
Geography.
Newton is located at the center of Catawba County. It is bordered to the north by Conover and to the northwest by Hickory. Claremont is to the northeast, and Maiden is to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.37%, is water.
Demographics.
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2020 census.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,148 people, 5,076 households, and 3,332 families residing in the city.
2000 census.
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,560 people, 5,007 households, and 3,314 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,368 housing units at an average density of . The racial composition of the city was: 77.58% White, 12.33% Black or African American, 9.52% Hispanic or Latino American, 3.40% Asian American, 0.43% Native American, 0.03% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 4.63% some other race, and 1.60% two or more races.
There were 5,007 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,696, and the median income for a family was $44,330. Males had a median income of $27,237 versus $22,963 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,427. 12.1% of the population and 8.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.1% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Places of interest.
Listings on the National Register of Historic Places for places in Newton, North Carolina:
References.
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Bobby Hicks
Robert Caldwell Hicks (July 21, 1933 – August 16, 2024) was a Grammy Award-winning American bluegrass fiddler and musician with more than fifty years of experience. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
Life and career.
Hicks was born in Newton, North Carolina, and learned to play the fiddle before he was 9 years old. He attended several fiddlers conventions and at the age of eleven, he won the "North Carolina State Championship" playing the tune "Black Mountain Rag". He joined Jim Eanes's band in the early 1950s.
In 1953, he was, through the bluegrass festival organizer Carlton Haney, hired as a bass player in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. He did not record with the Bluegrass Boys until December 31, 1954, by then he had switched to fiddle. During this period, he learned to play "Nashville swing" by the session fiddler Dale Potter, a style Hicks often used when playing with Bill Monroe on the road. Monroe dubbed Hicks "the truest fiddler he had ever heard". He recorded seven tunes with Monroe but left in 1956 to join the army. In 1958, after his discharge, he rejoined the Bluegrass Boys, recording ten more songs. He left in 1959 to join Porter Wagoner. Later in 1963, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and became a fixture on the Judy Lynn Show for the next seven years. In 1981, he joined Ricky Skaggs, a stint that would last for 23 years.
In the mid and late 1980s, he frequently performed with Bill Monroe on stage and on records. He was inducted into the "Fiddlers Hall of Fame" in 2002. He appeared as a member of "Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys" in 2003. The next year, he performed with "Hazel Creek".
In 2004, he celebrated 50 years at the Grand Ole Opry. Bobby Hicks is a 10 time Grammy winner. His discography includes over 10 albums.
Hicks died from complications of heart disease on August 16, 2024, at the age of 91.
References.
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Robert "Bob" Hicks House
Historic house in Louisiana, United States
The Robert Hicks House, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, was the home from 1965 to 1969 of civil rights leader Bob Hicks (1929–2010) and the site of civil rights meetings in the city. The house, built in the early 1950s, is a one-story building with similarities to 1950s ranch houses and 1930s bungalows. It has weatherboard siding and is built on concrete piers.
The property also includes a 1906-built "mill house" built by the Great Southern Lumber Company when it developed the company town of Bogalusa from the ground up in 1906–1907.
History.
Hicks was a co-founder and leader of the local chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice, founded in February 1965 and affiliated with the original group founded in Jonesboro, Louisiana. They organized men for armed self-defense in order to protect civil rights activists and their families, under attack in those years by the Ku Klux Klan. He was also a leader of the Bogalusa Civic and Voters League (BCVL), which was seeking to register black voters.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It was deemed significant for its role in the Civil Rights Movement in Bogalusa and for its association with leader Robert Hicks. The house served as the headquarters for the executive board of the BCVL, and for the Deacons for Defense and Justice.
On February 1, 1965, the house was threatened with bombing by whites seeking to intimidate the activists of the BCVL. On February 21, 1965, Hicks and others founded the local chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice to protect activists and their families.
On May 17, 1965, Hicks participated in an attempt by blacks to use one of Bogalusa's public parks. Despite passage the previous year of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting segregation of public facilities, local whites continued to exclude blacks from parks and other places. Confrontations continued through the summer and in July 1965, the federal government used Reconstruction-era law to order the local police to protect the civil rights activists.
A historic plaque was erected at the house site. The Robert Hicks Foundation is supporting work for a civil rights museum at the site.
Text of the marker.
Front:
Robert “Bob” Hicks
Fueled by discriminatory practices & violent intimidation that permeated his community, threatened his family & friends, Mr. Hicks developed an unquenchable thirst for justice & equality. He "sparked the spirits" of people & communities. His involvement in planning rallies, marches, daily demonstrations, boycotts, organizing armed protection for targets of racially & politically motivated violence, & initiating successful legal challenges helped topple segregation ending "separate but unequal" practices in education, employment, law, government, voting rights, healthcare & housing. As an NAACP member, Treasurer of Prince Hall Masons, President of Bogalusa Chapter of Deacons for Defense and Justice, Pres. of Crown Zellerbach's segregated Union (International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite, and Paper Mill Workers), and first African American supervisor in the mill's box plant, Hicks remained a staunch advocate for justice for all Americans and was an ordinary man with the courage to do extraordinary things.
Reverse:
Robert "Bob" Hicks Street
On Feb. 1, 1965, learning of a Ku Klux Klan plan to bomb his home, Robert Hicks & his family were told by police that they could not protect them. The Klan was furious that Hicks was housing 2 white civil rights workers and demanded they leave that night. Aware of the danger, Hicks said 'no' to the demand. Hicks & his wife called friends to take their 5 children to a safe place & asked for protection. Armed black men stood guard during the night. On Feb 21, the Jonesboro Deacons for Defense & Justice visited Bogalusa to start a chapter citing the 2nd Amendment and carrying guns with the mission of protection against white aggression. Hicks took the lead starting a Bogalusa chapter. Deacons' confrontation with the Klan created history, started a Civil Rights Movement, empowering a people, & propelled the U.S. Government to enforce The 1964 Civil Rights Act to neutralize the Klan. The Hicks' home was the birth & meeting place for Deacons, foot soldiers, lawyers, civil & human rights advocates, and a safe haven for all. Decisions made in this home significantly impacted the future of the community, Louisiana & the nation. Hicks showed courage in defense of justice and equality.
References.
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Hicks, Louisiana
Unincorporated community in Louisiana, U.S.
Hicks is an unincorporated community in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States.
A post office called Hicks was established in 1887 and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1992.
Hicks High School enrolls nearly four hundred pupils.
The Hicks Pentecostal Church Cemetery located in the community. It is the resting place of 30th Judicial District Court Judge Jim Mitchell.
References.
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Hicks, Ohio
Unincorporated community in Ohio, U.S.
Hicks is an unincorporated community in Warren County, in the U.S. state of Ohio.
History.
A variant name was "Hick Station". The community has the name of one J. Hicks.
References.
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Bob Hicks (activist)
Robert Hicks (February 20, 1929 – April 13, 2010) was a prominent leader in Bogalusa, Louisiana during the Civil Rights Movement, whose activism helped put an end to segregation and discriminatory practices in education, housing, employment, public accommodations and healthcare. Best known for his leading role in founding the Bogalusa chapter of The Deacons for Defense and Justice, an armed African-American self-defense group, Hicks led daily protests on the streets of Jim Crow-era Bogalusa. He served as president and later Vice President of the Bogalusa Civic and Voters League, and the plaintiff in a series of civil rights lawsuits which achieved groundbreaking legal victories nationwide.
Early life and family.
Robert Hicks was born on February 20, 1929, in Pachuta, Mississippi, the youngest child of Quitman and Maybell Crawford Hicks. He moved to Bogalusa, Louisiana, with his family when he was a young child. In 1947, he graduated from the segregated Central Memorial High School, where he played both offensive guard and defensive end on the State Championship football team. He later played offensive guard for The Bushmen, an all-Black semi-pro team.
After high school, he married Valeira Payton of Bogalusa, who fully supported the struggle for African-American civil rights. After being denied admission to the Bogalusa Vocational Tech College, she traveled to New Orleans every day to earn her degree as a Licensed Practical Nurse. They raised seven children.
Hicks began his working life in construction and was eventually hired as a shop steward at Bogalusa's leading industry, the Crown Zellerbach paper mill, at a time when few blacks were employed there. He became an outspoken union organizer, serving as president of the segregated International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite, and Paper Mill Workers. Hicks' trade union experience and the deep ties forged between union brothers would soon provide the Bogalusa Civil Rights Movement with a powerful organizational foundation.
Beginnings of civil rights activism.
Robert Hicks was an active member of the Bogalusa chapter of the NAACP. After a Louisiana Circuit Court judge outlawed the NAACP throughout the state, Hicks joined the Bogalusa Civic and Voters League (BCVL), one of several local voting rights organizations formed in response to the state ban. In 1965, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) assigned two civil rights workers, William "Bill" Yates, a former Cornell professor, and Steve Miller, an Antioch College student, to Bogalusa to help organize "testing" and protests to desegregate local public accommodations. Aware that the white activists' lives would have been at risk had they stayed in any nearby hotel, Robert and Valeira Hicks courageously volunteered to let Yates and Miller stay at their home. It would be the first time any white person had ever spent the night in the "colored quarters" of Bogalusa.
On the evening of February 1, 1965, Robert Hicks and his family had just sat down for dinner with their guests when there was a knock at the door. Bogalusa Chief of Police Claxton Knight and Deputy Sheriff Doyle Holliday had come to inform Hicks that a mob of two hundred white men had gathered, prepared to murder the entire family and burn the house to the ground if he didn't put the white activists out, adding that they should expect no help from law enforcement: "We have better things to do than protect people who aren't wanted here."
Robert Hicks had a terrible choice to make. His decision would go on to alter the shape of the civil rights movement in America. He did not hesitate. When Yates asked if they could stay, he simply replied, "Hell yeah." He later recalled, "We just knew that if [they] left our house, we would never see them alive again." The Hicks family, including the children, went into action, phoning black men all over Bogalusa—friends, fellow mill workers, church brethren—asking them to come to the house as fast as possible with loaded guns. Meanwhile, Yates & Miller called CORE who alerted the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Louisiana governor's office. Once the calls were made, the children were hidden in the back of a getaway car and driven to a safe house. Within minutes, black men with shotguns began arriving from all directions. The two law enforcement officers, who had remained parked outside, stared in disbelief and drove off. The angry mob never appeared.
The events of that night marked the beginning of the Bogalusa civil rights movement, a movement that was unique at the time because it broke from the principles of non-violence espoused by Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders, and instead asserted the right to armed self-defense against white aggression. In an interview, Hicks explained: "Since we can't get the local officials to protect us in our community, our neighborhood, let's back up on the Constitution of the United States and say that we can bear arms. We have a right to defend ourselves since the legally designated authorities won't do it."
Deacons for Defense and Justice.
On February 21, 1965, Robert Hicks and fellow activists Bert Wyre, Fletcher Anderson, Charles Sims and others founded the Bogalusa chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice, headquartered in Robert Hicks' home and made up of many of the same men who had come forward with their guns to protect the family on February 1. The Deacons had been founded in 1964 in the mill town of Jonesboro, Louisiana as an armed self-defense organization of black men to protect local citizens and civil rights workers against the KKK and other white vigilantes. The organization went on to establish 21 chapters in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, but the Bogalusa chapter attracted the most national recognition for its militancy and repeated clashes with the Ku Klux Klan and local law enforcement.
The Deacons were headquartered in Robert Hicks' modest home, with the family breakfast room converted into a radio communications and command base. Radios were a necessity because the city not only monitored Hicks' calls, but also periodically shut off his phone lines. Whenever a call for help came in, whoever was manning the radio would send out an encrypted alert and the Deacons would assemble to protect and defend.
The Hicks house also became the meeting place for the executive board members of the Bogalusa Civic and Voters League, as well as local headquarters to organizations such as CORE and SNCC, the black-owned civil rights law firm of Collins, Douglas and Elie, and Richard Sobol of the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee. The attorneys commandeered the living room to prepare several groundbreaking lawsuits that set precedents nationwide. All the while, the Hicks family continued to offer their home as a safe haven for civil rights workers and citizens under threat from the KKK, and as a medical triage station for injured activists denied service at Bogalusa's federally funded state hospital.
On May 19, 1965, a day that became known as "Bloody Wednesday," Robert Hicks and fellow Deacon Sam Barnes notified local law enforcement and the FBI that they planned to lead a group of African-American citizens, including children, to the white-only Cassidy Park, the largest public park in Bogalusa. Soon after they arrived, a white mob approached accompanied by local police and began indiscriminately attacking the black adults and children with clubs and leather belts. Robert Hicks' 15-year-old son Gregory was bitten in the leg by a police K9 dog and a 75-year-old woman was knocked unconscious. Both were refused treatment at the Bogalusa Community Medical Center. Four days later, their sacrifice led to a major victory as the Mayor of Bogalusa signed a six-point desegregation agreement with the Bogalusa Civic and Voters League.
Another key achievement was the 105-mile, 10-day March from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge that began on August 10, 1967, and lasted ten days, with the Deacons providing protection. Despite being attacked in the Livingston Parish town of Satsuma and learning that the bridge over the Amite River was wired with explosives, the marchers made it to the steps of the Capitol in Baton Rouge. When the Deacons were originally formed, Martin Luther King had initially publicly disavowed the organization for its break with his philosophy of non-violence. But by 1966, he reluctantly acknowledged their usefulness and allowed the Deacons to provide security for the March against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi.
Legal battles for civil rights.
"Hicks v. Knight".
On June 25, 1965, CORE attorneys filed "Hicks v. Knight" against Bogalusa Chief of Police Claxton Knight. The suit argued that police "must protect black demonstrators instead of harassing them, beating them, arresting them and leaving them at the mercy of white mobs." The brutal events at Cassidy Park, especially the canine attack on Hicks' teenage son Gregory were presented as key evidence. On July 10, Judge Herbert Christenberry issued an injunction ordering law enforcement to protect protesters from "physical assaults and beatings" and to cease "preventing or discouraging the exercise of their rights to picket, assemble peaceably, and advocate equal civil rights for Negroes."
"United States v. Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan".
On December 1, 1965, US Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach filed "United States v. Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan" asking for an injunction barring Klan members from interfering with the civil rights of black citizens of Washington Parish. The suit noted that "an unusual feature of this litigation is the defendants' damning admissions. The defendants admit that the Klan's objective is to prevent Washington Parish Negroes from exercising the civil rights Congress recognized by statute." The case findings cited the Klan's continued harassment of Bogalusa black citizens, in direct violation of the "Hicks v. Knight" ruling.
"Hicks v. Crown Zellerbach".
In 1966, Robert Hicks filed "Hicks v. Crown Zellerbach", the first class action lawsuit under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The suit challenged racial discrimination in hiring and promotions at the local paper mill, owned by the Crown Zellerbach Corporation. The US District Court issued a sweeping order that served as a model for similar orders obtained in other cases in Louisiana and throughout the country, opening doors for black women who had never worked at the mill before, and providing black workers with access to managerial positions. After filing the suit, Hicks became the first black worker in the plant to be promoted to a supervisor position, a job he held until his retirement.
"Hicks v. Weaver".
On September 10, 1969, Hicks filed "Robert Hicks and Leon E. Rayford v. Robert C. Weaver in his capacity as Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development." The goal of this lawsuit against the US Department of Housing and Urban Development was to prevent the construction of more federally assisted, low-rent public housing in Bogalusa on the grounds that such construction perpetuated segregation. Hicks won the case and the proposed housing development was stopped.
"Jenkins v. City of Bogalusa School Board".
In 1965, Gayle Jenkins, Robert Hicks and other plaintiffs filed "Jenkins v. City of Bogalusa School Board" on behalf of their school-age children. Despite the 1954 ruling in "Brown v. Board of Education", the school system in Bogalusa had remained entirely segregated, with separate elementary and high schools for black and white students. The US Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit ruling stated that "effective immediately," school districts could no longer operate a dual school system based on race or color.
Legacy and honors.
On August 28, 2010, four months after Robert Hicks' death from cancer, East 9th Street in Bogalusa was officially renamed Robert "BOB" Hicks Street. Citizens, elected officials, and civil rights advocates gathered for the dedication ceremony to honor his life.
On August 4, 2010, United States Senator from Louisiana Mary Landrieu stood on the Senate floor and spoke to the nation to recognize the legacy of Robert Hicks: "I come to the Senate floor today to reflect upon the passing of Robert Hicks, a lion in the Louisiana civil rights movement whose legal victories helped topple segregation in Bogalusa and change discriminatory employment practices throughout the South."
On June 14, 2014, Robert Hicks was honored with a Civil Rights and Social Justice Award from the National Civil Rights Conference during the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Service for James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
On August 26, 2014, the first official Louisiana Historical Land Marker for an African American in Washington Parish was placed in honor of Robert Hicks in front of his former family home at 924 East Robert "BOB" Hicks Street. (For the text of the marker, see Robert "Bob" Hicks House.) The US Senator for Louisiana David Vitter acknowledged the legacy of Robert Hicks as a "civil rights hero" and the importance of the Hicks House in a statement for the US Congressional Record. On January 20, 2015, the Robert "Bob" Hicks House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was deemed significant for its role in the Bogalusa Civil Rights Movement and for its association with leader Robert Hicks. It was the first African-American history site in Washington Parish to be included on the National Register.
On November 7, 2015, fifty years after "Bloody Wednesday" when black men, women and children were brutally attacked by white citizens and police officers in Bogalusa's segregated Cassidy Park, a group of city officials, citizens and religious leaders offered a public apology to black residents for the city's racist past.
In popular culture.
The 2003 television movie "Deacons for Defense" chronicles the history of the Bogalusa Deacons for Defense. Forest Whitaker stars in a role inspired by the combined stories of Robert Hicks and fellow Deacons, A.Z. Young and Charlie Sims.
In 2016, Robert Hicks' story was featured on the Gimlet podcast "Undone," hosted by Eric Eddings. The episode, titled "The Deacons," also focuses on the opposition Hicks' daughter Barbara Hicks Collins has encountered in her work to start a civil rights museum in her father's name.
A shotgun used by the Deacons for Defense to protect the Hicks family and civil rights activists was donated to the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
References.
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Bob Hicks (American football)
American football player and coach (1921–2012)
Robert Bruce Hicks (July 12, 1921 – November 24, 2012) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Indiana University for one season in 1957, compiling a record of 1–8.
Hicks was born on July 12, 1921, in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He attended Hazleton High School, where he played football and basketball before earning a football scholarship from the University of Tennessee. Hicks died on November 24, 2012.
References.
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Hickory, Oklahoma
Hickory is a town in Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 86 as of the 2020 Census. It is about 11 miles northeast of Sulphur by way of State Hwy 7, State Hwy 1, and Madison Rd. The locale is old enough to appear on a 1911 Rand McNally map of the county.
Hickory was the birthplace and childhood home of Zack Mosley, the creator of the comic strip The Adventures of Smilin' Jack, an adventurous aviator, inspired by Mosley witnessing an early plane crash in Hickory.
Geography.
Hickory is located at (34.559558, -96.856941).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics.
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As of the census of 2000, there were 87 people, 32 households, and 24 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 40 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 71.26% White, 12.64% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 9.20% from other races, and 5.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.09% of the population.
There were 32 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% were married couples living together, and 25.0% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,000, and the median income for a family was $20,893. Males had a median income of $23,125 versus $13,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $6,932. There were 39.1% of families and 46.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 65.4% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Education.
Hickory is divided between Roff Public Schools and Sulphur Public Schools.

Hicksville, New York
Hicksville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The CDP's population was 43,869 at the time of the 2020 census.
History.
Hamlet namesake Valentine Hicks was the son-in-law of abolitionist and Quaker preacher Elias Hicks, and eventual president of the Long Island Rail Road. He bought land in the village in 1834 and turned it into a station stop on the LIRR in 1837. Hicksville was founded accidentally when a financial depression brought the LIRR to a stop at Broadway, Hicksville. The station slowly grew and though it started as a train station, it turned into a hotel then a real estate deal, even becoming a depot for produce, particularly cucumbers for a Heinz Company plant. After a blight destroyed the cucumber crops, the farmers grew potatoes. It turned into a bustling New York City suburb in the building boom following World War II.
Failed incorporation attempt.
In 1953, Hicksville attempted to incorporate itself as the Incorporated Village of Hicksville. Many residents felt that by incorporating as a village, the community would be run more effectively than by the Town of Oyster Bay. A petition had been signed with 6,242 signatures from residents in favor of the plan.
However, these plans were unsuccessful, and Hicksville remains an unincorporated area of the Town of Oyster Bay to this day, as of 2023.
Geography.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and 0.15% is water.
Climate.
The climate is borderline between hot-summer humid continental ("Dfa") and humid subtropical ("Cfa") and the local hardiness zone is 7a. Average monthly temperatures in the village center range from 31.9 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July.
Economy.
Metalab Equipment Company, a division of Norbute Corp, made laboratory furniture and cabinetry. Alsy Manufacturing manufactured electric lamps and lampshades from 1975 through 1991.
The Rubber Company of America (RUCO) built a manufacturing site in 1945. RUCO Polymer Corp. (Hooker Chemical Company) manufactured plastics, latex, and esters. Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) owned and operated this site from 1966 to 1982. The site was purchased by Sybron Corporation, then in 2000, the Bayer Corporation (Bayer MaterialScience) purchased the Hooker Ruco facility and in 2002 decided to close the facility. The facility was a freight customer of the Long Island Rail Road and New York and Atlantic Railway, served by a spur track off the Main Line next to the grade crossing at New South Road. The site was used for the production of polyester from 1982 until 2002. The LIRR removed the switch during track work sometime after the closure and demolition of the buildings on the property. The property remains fenced-off and vacant currently.
The presence of a major LIRR hub means that Hicksville developed as a major bedroom community of New York City. The LIRR has a team yard on West John Street, just east of Charlotte Avenue, served by the New York and Atlantic Railway, for off-line freight customers receiving or shipping cargo by rail to anywhere in the North American rail network.
Hicksville's North Broadway, positioned in the center of Nassau County, developed into a significant retail center. North Broadway was home to the Mid-Island Shopping Plaza (now known as Broadway Mall), a 156,000-square-foot Sears department store and auto center (which closed in 2018) and various other restaurants and retail stores.
Hicksville is home to a number of South Asian grocery stores, clothing shops and restaurants, due to its large proportion of immigrants from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Demographics.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 43,869 people, and 13,409 households residing in the CDP. The population density was 6,458.9 people per square mile.
The racial makeup of the CDP was 47.2% White, 32.8% Asian, 3.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 6.9% from two or more races, and Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.6% of the population.
For the period 2017–2021, the median annual income for a household in the CDP was $123,230. The per capita income for the CDP was $46,504. About 4.1% of people were below the poverty line.
Asian population growth.
By 1996 there were around four to five restaurants in Hicksville serving South Asian cuisine, and this started the ascent of a "Little India" there.
Between 2010 and 2020, Asian populations in Hicksville grew faster than the population as a whole. During this period, Hicksville's Asian population grew from 8,139 to 14,178, comprising 32.3% of the town's population. By 2020, Hicksville had become "a hub" of Indian-American life, with multiple South Asian grocery stores, clothing shops, and restaurants, serving the religious, economic, financial, and cultural needs of its many South Asian residents.
Government.
As an unincorporated hamlet within the Town of Oyster Bay, Hicksville is governed directly by the town's government, which is seated in Oyster Bay.
Politics.
In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the majority of Hicksville voters voted for Donald J. Trump (R).
Education.
School districts.
Hicksville is primarily located within the boundaries of the Hicksville Union Free School District. However, a small part of the hamlet's southeastern corner is located within the boundaries of the Bethpage Union Free School District while a small portion of the hamlet's northeastern corner is located within the boundaries of the Syosset Central School District. As such, children who reside within Hicksville and attend public schools go to school in one of these three districts depending on where they live within the hamlet. In 2023, Hicksville High School was ranked in the top 30% of New York schools by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Library districts.
Hicksville is located within the boundaries of (and is thus served by) the Hicksville Library District, the Bethpage Library District, and the Syosset Library District. The boundaries of these three districts within the hamlet roughly correspond to those of the three school districts.
Transportation.
Road.
Four state-owned roads pass through the hamlet: New York State Route 106, New York State Route 107, the Northern State Parkway, and the Wantagh State Parkway. Additionally, the Northern State Parkway forms portions of the hamlet's northern border.
Other major roads within the hamlet include Jerusalem Avenue, Old Country Road, Plainview Road, Woodbury Road, and South Oyster Bay Road.
Rail.
Hicksville is a major hub on the Long Island Rail Road, where the Ronkonkoma Branch meets with the Port Jefferson Branch to form the Main Line.
Bus.
The area is also a hub for the following routes operated by Nassau Inter-County Express:
Public safety.
Hicksville's fire protection is provided by the Hicksville Fire Department. Its police protection comes from the Nassau County Police Department's 2nd and 8th precincts, as well as the MTA Police and Nassau County Auxiliary Police.
References.
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Josiah D. Hicks
American politician
Josiah Duane Hicks (August 1, 1844 – May 9, 1923) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Biography.
Josiah D. Hicks was born in Machen, Monmouthshire, Wales. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and in the same year moved to Duncansville, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools of Blair and Huntingdon Counties. He moved to Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1861.
During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, as a private in 1862 and served nearly eighteen months. He reentered civil life as a clerk on the Pennsylvania Railroad. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. He was elected district attorney of Blair County in 1880, and reelected in 1883.
He married Josephine Barrick, a native of Frederick county, MD. She descended from the Harbaugh family. The history of the family is almost coextensive with the history of the country. The Harbaughs settled in Maryland in colonial times.
Hicks was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-fifth Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Patents during the Fifty-fifth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1898. He resumed the practice of law, and served as a member of the Altoona Board of Education from 1911 to 1919. He served as State commander of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1921. He died in Altoona in 1923 and is interred in Fairview Cemetery.
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Todd Hicks
American soccer player and coach
Todd Hicks (born November 3, 1974, in Cheverly, Maryland) is a former American soccer left back who played in the National Professional Soccer League, USISL and USL Second Division. He coaches youth soccer. His is currently a High School Assistant Principal for Carroll County Public Schools and currently lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
Hicks attended Bowie High School where he played on the 1990 and 1991 State High School champion soccer team.
He played several years for the Maryland ODP youth teams and the Region 1 regional team. In 1992, he entered Towson State University, playing on the men's soccer team until 1995. He played and started in every game while at Towson. He earned freshman of the year honors and was selected 1st team All-Big South his junior year and 1st team America East his senior year. He was the all-time leader in assist for a career (28), for a season (12), and in one game (4). In 2012, Hicks was inducted into the Towson University Hall of Fame.
In 1995, the Baltimore Spirit of the National Professional Soccer League selected Hicks in the NPSL Territorial Draft. He spent the six seasons with the team. In his first two seasons, the team used the Spirit name and in the next four they were known as the Baltimore Blast. In addition to his indoor career, Hicks played outdoor soccer. In 1996, 1998 and 1999, he spent the summers with the Delaware Wizards of the USISL. In 1997, he spent time playing in Germany and he played for the Baltimore Bays
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Wharekahika
Town in Gisborne District, New Zealand
Wharekahika or Hicks Bay (officially Wharekahika / Hicks Bay) is a bay and coastal area in the Gisborne District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated 150 km east of Ōpōtiki and 186 km north of Gisborne city, along State Highway 35 between Potaka and Te Araroa.
The area is named after Zachary Hickes, second-in-command of James Cook's "Endeavour", which sailed along the East Cape on 31 October 1769. On 10 June 2019, the name of the bay was officially changed to Wharekahika / Hicks Bay.
Demographics.
Statistics New Zealand describes Hicks Bay as a rural settlement, which covers and had an estimated population of 190 as of June 2024, with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the wider East Cape statistical area.
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Hicks Bay had a population of 162 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (5.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 15 people (10.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 54 households, comprising 75 males and 87 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.86 males per female. The median age was 26.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 57 people (35.2%) aged under 15 years, 30 (18.5%) aged 15 to 29, 57 (35.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 18 (11.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 14.8% European/Pākehā, 96.3% Māori, and 1.9% Pacific peoples. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 50.0% had no religion, 37.0% were Christian, 1.9% had Māori religious beliefs and 1.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (14.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 27 (25.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $20,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 9 people (8.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 39 (37.1%) people were employed full-time, 15 (14.3%) were part-time, and 9 (8.6%) were unemployed.
Climate.
Hicks Bay experiences a mild, temperate climate, with warm summers and mild winters. The area is known for its frequent rainfall, which helps to keep the landscape lush and green throughout the year.
Marae.
The local Hinemaurea ki Wharekahika Marae is a meeting place for the Ngāti Porou hapū of Ngāti Tuere, Te Whānau a Te Aotakī and Te Whānau a Tuwhakairiora. It includes the Tūwhakairiora meeting house.
In October 2020, the Government committed $520,760 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Hinemaurea ki Wharekahika Marae and Pōtaka Marae, creating 12 jobs.
Education.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti is a Year 1–13 Māori language immersion school. It had a roll of 149 as of November 2024.
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William Robert Hicks
William Robert Hicks (1808–1868) was a British asylum superintendent and well known humorist of the 19th century.
Biography.
Hicks, son of William Hicks, a schoolmaster, of Bodmin, Cornwall, who died 16 March 1833, by Sarah, daughter of William and Margaret Hicks, was born at Bodmin on 1 April 1808, and educated under his father until 1824, and then under a Mr. Harvey at Plymouth. From 1832 to 1840 he kept a boys' boarding-school in Honey Street and on the Castle Hill, Bodmin, and was noted for his extensive knowledge of mathematics. In 1834 he became clerk of the Bodmin board of guardians and superintendent-registrar.
Asylum superintendent.
In 1840 Hicks was appointed domestic superintendent of the Cornwall County Lunatic Asylum, clerk of the asylum, and clerk to the committee of visitors at Bodmin, and soon after was also named clerk to the highway board. The Earl of Devon afterwards procured for him the additional situation of auditor of the metropolitan district asylums. When Hicks became connected with the Bodmin asylum he found the old system of management prevailing, and in conjunction with the medical superintendent introduced more humane modern methods. One patient who was chained in a dark cell as a dangerous lunatic turned out to be a wit and a philosopher. He was found to be harmless, and employed to take care of the pigs and do other useful work. In 1865–66 Hicks was mayor of Bodmin, when he revived the custom of beating the bounds of the town. He was—according to the "Dictionary of National Biography"—a good man of business. He printed "Statistics respecting the Food supplied to Paupers in the Western Unions of Cornwall".
Humorist.
Hicks was a witty speaker, and especially famous for telling a story. He was popular in the two western counties (Cornwall and Devon), and had an established reputation in London, being known as the "Yorick of the West". His memory was excellent, and he was an admirable mimic. Hicks's wit, musical talent, and good taste in art made him a favourite in society, especially in company with his old friend George Wightwick, architect. They were frequent visitors of Sir William Molesworth at Pencarrow, near Bodmin. Many of his narratives were in the Cornish dialect, but he was equally good in the Devonshire, as well as in the peculiar talk of the miners. Among his best-known stories were the "Coach Wheel", the "Rheumatic Old Woman", "William Rabley", the "Two Deacons", the "Bed of Saltram", the "Blind Man, his Wife, and his dog Lion", the "Gallant Volunteer", and the "Dead March in Saul". His most famous story, the "Jury", referred to the trial at Launceston in 1817 of Robert Sawle Donnall for poisoning his mother-in-law, when the prisoner was acquitted. Each of the jurors gave a different and ludicrous reason for his verdict.
Retirement and death.
On 31 December 1860 Hicks resigned his connection with the lunatic asylum, retiring on a full pension. He died at Westheath (a residence which he himself had built), Bodmin, on 5 September 1868 and was buried at Bodmin cemetery on 9 September. His wife, whom he married in 1834, was Elizabeth, daughter of George Squire of Stoke Damerel, Devonshire; she remarried in 1876 J. Massey.
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Attribution
 incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:

C. P. Hicks
American politician from Arizona
Charles Payne Hicks was an American politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 4th Arizona State Legislature, holding one of the two seats from Yavapai County.
Biography.
Hicks was born in 1859 in Fayette, Missouri. He relocated to Arizona in 1879, settling in Prescott. In 1889, Hicks was elected city assessor in Prescott, Arizona. In 1894 he was selected by the Democrats to run for probate judge in Yavapai County, and was elected in the general election in November. In 1896, Hicks was again selected by the Democrats to run for probate judge, this time by acclamation. He won easily in the general election. The Democrats once again chose Hicks for their probate judge candidate in 1898, and he won in a landslide in November's general election. During the 1890s Hicks also served as the county superintendent of schools for Yavapai County. Hicks was also involved in the mining industry.
In February 1898, Hicks and his wife adopted a young 8 month old child, known as Baby Bell, and named her Violet Hicks. The child had been abandoned by her parents the week before by being dropped off on the bar of the Cabinet Saloon in Prescott, with a note. Judge Hicks took the child home, and immediately began the process to adopt her. The couple had another child, Myrtle. In February 1900, Hicks' wife became quite ill with dual bout of rheumatism and pneumonia. She died after a brief illness. The Democrats renominated Hicks for probate judge in 1900, and won re-election in November. Hicks was nominated by the Democrats again in 1902 and 1904, winning both general elections. This was followed by nominations from the Democrats in 1906, 1908, and 1910 with Hicks winning all three elections again.
When Arizona achieved statehood in 1912, the state constitution eliminated the probate court, with all matters pertaining thereto handled by the Arizona Superior Court. With the abolishment of the probate court, in February 1912 Hicks was appointed the deputy clerk of the Superior Court, handling all functions he previously did as a probate judge. He held the position until August of that year, when he resigned. Hicks served as the secretary of the state senate during the 3rd Arizona State Legislature. In 1918, the Democrats nominated Hicks, along with A. A. Johns, for the two seats in the Arizona State Senate from Yavapai County. Both Hicks and Johns won in the November general election, defeating Republican Charles Mullen and Socialist A. J. Eberwine. Hicks and Johns ran for re-election to the Arizona State Senate in 1920. However, both were defeated in the general election in November, by Republicans David Morgan and Charles E. Burton.
In 1923 Hicks remarried, this time to Mrs. Laura Rogers, widow of Colonel Rogers. The wedding took place on November 3, 1923, in the Supreme Court of Arizona. It was the first wedding ceremony to take place there. Hicks died in his home in Prescott on December 24, 1929, from pneumonia, after a short illness.
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Hicks, Illinois
Hicks is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Illinois, United States. Hicks is north of Rosiclare and Elizabethtown.
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Barbecue Bob
American blues musician
Robert Hicks (September 11, 1902 – October 21, 1931), known as Barbecue Bob, was an American Piedmont blues musician who played 12 string guitar which was popular in the Atlanta, Georgia area at the time. A record talent scout gave him his nickname because he worked as a cook in a barbecue restaurant. One of the two existing photographs of him shows him playing his guitar and wearing a full length, white apron and cook's hat.
Early life.
Hicks was born in Walnut Grove, Georgia. His parents, Charlie and Mary Hicks, were sharecropers. They moved to Newton County where his friend Curley Weaver's mother, Savannah "Dip" Weaver, taught Bob and his brother, Charley Lincoln, how to play the guitar. Hicks began playing the six string guitar but picked up the 12 string guitar after moving to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1924. He became one of the prominent performers of the newly developing Atlanta blues style which featured the 12 string.
In Atlanta, Hicks worked at various jobs, playing music on the side. While working at Tidwells' Barbecue in a north Atlanta suburb, he cooked for and sang to customers and became a local celebrity, coming to the attention of Columbia Records talent scout, Dan Hornsby who recorded him and dubbed him "Barbecue Bob" using Hicks's job to publicize his records having him pose in chef's whites and hat for publicity photos.
Career.
Between March 1927 and December 1930, Hicks recorded 68 songs for Columbia Records, becoming one of the best-selling artists on their race series, being outsold only by Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Blind Willie Johnson. "Barbecue Blues", his first song, was his first hit. The record quickly sold 15,000 copies. At his second recording session, in New York City in June 1927, he recorded "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues", a song inspired by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and a recording that firmly established him in the race market. This song and his other blues releases were popular and his records sold better than those of other Atlanta blues musicians.
After the song’s success, Columbia recorded Hicks every time they came through Atlanta with a mobile unit, twice a year plus a few more on the side.
With his brother, Charley Lincoln, (also known as Charlie Lincoln or Laughing Charley), he recorded "It Won't Be Long Now", a duet with cross talk, in Atlanta on November 5, 1927. In April of the following year, Hicks recorded "Mississippi Low Levee Blues", a sequel to "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" plus two songs with a singer he had known since childhood, Nellie Florence, Midnight Weeping Blues and Jacksonville Blues. In April 1930, he recorded "We Sure Got Hard Times Now" which contains bleak references to the Great Depression. As was usual with other blues singers, he recorded a few traditional songs and spirituals including "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Poor Boy, Long Ways from Home" and "Jesus' Blood Can Make Me Whole".
Hicks also recorded as a member of the Georgia Cotton Pickers in December 1930, the group consisting of Hicks, guitarist Curley Weaver and bluesman Buddy Moss playing harmonica. They recorded a handful of songs including their adaptation of Blind Blake's "Diddie Wa Diddie" recorded as "Diddle-Da-Diddle" and the Mississippi Sheiks' "Sitting on Top of the World" recorded as "I'm on My Way Down Home". They were his last recordings.
Hicks died in Lithonia, Georgia on October 21, 1931, at the age of 29 of a combination of tuberculosis and pneumonia brought on by influenza. His recording of "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" was played at his graveside before he was buried.
Musical style.
Hicks developed a "frailing" style of guitar playing more often associated with the traditional claw hammer banjo (as did his brother, and, initially, Curley Weaver). He regularly used a bottleneck on his 12 string guitar, playing in an open Spanish tuning (open G or open A tuning) reminiscent of Charley Patton. He had a strong voice which he embellished with growling and falsetto.
Influence.
Hicks had some influence on Atlanta blues musicians such as the young Buddy Moss but his way of playing was quickly overshadowed by the finger-picked Piedmont blues style which rose in popularity by the late 1920s and early 30s; this development can be heard in the recordings of Curley Weaver and the Reverend Gary Davis.
Eric Clapton played Hicks's "Motherless Child Blues" on stage and recorded it. John Fahey attributed his arrangement of "Poor Boy a Long Ways from Home" to Hicks in his 1979 "Best Of" book of tablature. Fahey attributed the song to the fictitious Blind Joe Death, writing that "Death learned this from an old Columbia record by Barbecue Bob [14246-D], which the Death household at one time possessed."
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Hicks City, Missouri
Unincorporated community in Missouri, U.S.
Hicks City is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.
History.
A post office called Hicks City was established in 1872, and remained in operation until 1906. The community has the name of Russell Hicks, an original owner of the site.
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Hickory Hills, Illinois
Hickory Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located principally in Palos Township, it is a suburb of Chicago. The population in 2020 was 14,505.
History.
The Hickory Hills Country Club was founded in 1917 in the area of the present-day city, with an 18-hole golf course designed by Scottish-American golfer James Foulis. The club exists to the present day.
The village of Hickory Hills was incorporated in September 1951 from the territory between 91st to 95th streets, and between 80th to 88th avenue. The village at the time of incorporation had around 450 residents. Voters approved a change from village to city form of government in October 1966.
In 1961, the Poor Clares nuns, a branch of the Franciscan order, acquired 20 acres of land at 89th street and Keane avenue with which to establish a new monastery. However, the monastery closed in 1992 due to dwindling numbers. The order returned to Chicago in 1999, moving to a new monastery in nearby Palos Park in 2003.
Geography.
Hickory Hills lies on the relatively hilly Tinley Moraine, a belt of ridges laid down about 14,000 years ago during the Wisconsin glaciation.
Most of present-day Hickory Hills lies in the northern part of Palos Township, excepting those parts north of 87th Street which lie in Lyons Township. The city's main east–west thoroughfares are 87th Street and 95th Street, the latter carrying U.S. Route 12 and Route 20 across the South Chicago suburbs. The city is bounded on the west by the Palos Forest Preserves, a nature reserve, and on the east by the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294). Neighboring communities are Palos Hills, Bridgeview, Justice, and Willow Springs.
Demographics.
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As of the 2020 census there were 14,505 people, 4,929 households, and 3,517 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,543 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.16% White, 3.26% African American, 0.44% Native American, 2.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.24% from other races, and 10.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.06% of the population.
There were 4,929 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.04% were married couples living together, 8.76% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.65% were non-families. 25.42% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.59% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.51 and the average family size was 2.87.
The city's age distribution consisted of 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $66,272, and the median income for a family was $76,417. Males had a median income of $46,541 versus $35,925 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,712. About 6.9% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
The top five ancestries reported in Hickory Hills as of 2020 were Polish (24.7%), Arab (11.5%), Irish (6.8%), Lithuanian (6.7%), and German (5.9%).
Government.
Since the 2021 redistricting, Hickory Hills has been in Illinois's 6th congressional district. It was in the 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2021.
Education.
Elementary school districts serving Hickory Hills include:
St. Patricia School, a private school, is in the area.
Hickory Hills is home to a satellite campus of Lewis University located near 95th street and Roberts Road.
Infrastructure.
The Roberts Park Fire Protection District serves the community.
Transportation.
Pace provides bus service on routes 379, 381 and 385 connecting Hickory Hills to destinations across the Southland.
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Taylor Hicks
American musician
Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who won the fifth season of "American Idol" in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. Upon winning "Idol", he was signed to Arista Records, under which his self-titled major label debut was released on December 12, 2006.
His energetic stage performances and influences derived from classic rock, blues, and R&B music had earned him a following of devout fans dubbed the "Soul Patrol". Hicks performed on Broadway in 2008 and on national tour in 2009 in "Grease" playing Teen Angel, the role originated by Alan Paul. He is the first Idol winner to secure a long-term residency at a Las Vegas casino. He began his residency at Bally's Las Vegas in June 2012 and moved to a larger venue, Paris Las Vegas, in January 2013. In 2016, Hicks began hosting the INSP original series "State Plate", and released a single, "Six Strings and Diamond Rings", in 2017.
Early life.
Taylor Hicks was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 7, 1976, to Bradley Hicks and Pamela Dickinson. He and his family moved to the suburb of Hoover when he was eight years old. His hair started turning gray by the time he was 14. His parents divorced, and stepmother Linda shared custody of their son until he came of age. Hicks has suggested his difficult childhood as the reason for his turning to soul and blues music for solace. He has a younger half-brother, Sean, who later convinced him to audition for "American Idol".
He bought his first harmonica when he was 16, for $2 at a flea market in Bessemer, Alabama, and taught himself to play blues harp. He discovered that he possessed perfect pitch when he was able to recognize the pitches of ordinary noises and mimic them on the harmonica. Hicks was 18 when he wrote his first song, "In Your Time", and he taught himself to play electric guitar and the church organ when he was 19. When he was in college, he played in a Widespread Panic cover band.
Hicks graduated from Hoover High School in 1995. He played varsity baseball, soccer, and basketball while studying in Hoover. He then pursued a major in business and journalism at Auburn University.
Career.
Independent music.
While in college, Hicks was part of a band called Passing Through, which he later quit to start his own band. In 1997, he independently recorded "In Your Time", an album which included both studio and live tracks. In 2000, he moved to pursue a music career in Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked with Nashville veterans Billy Earl McClelland and Percy Sledge to record a three-track demo but was unable to find a label that would sign him. He left Nashville after a year due to what he called the "oversaturation of the market". Hicks returned to Alabama and launched a professional music career, performing at various venues and parties mostly around the Southeastern United States, including The War Eagle Supper Club (a popular college bar) in Auburn, Alabama. Hicks has performed with the likes of Widespread Panic, James Brown, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Drive-By Truckers, Robert Randolph, Snoop Dogg and Keb Mo. He also performed in the huge infield of Talladega Superspeedway in 2004 during a NASCAR race weekend.
He recorded, produced, and released a second album, "Under the Radar", in 2005. Despite releasing two albums prior to appearing on "American Idol", he did not violate their requirements for contestants, as he had never held a recording contract.
Hicks has allowed audience members to record his concerts for personal, non-commercial use, and has authorized the Internet Archive to create a section for fans to upload and share their recordings. The Archive does not accept the upload of concerts recorded after January 1, 2006, due to the terms of his "American Idol" contract.
"American Idol" 2006.
Hicks auditioned for "American Idol" in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 10, 2005. Hicks passed the audition with the approval of judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, but not Simon Cowell, who said that Hicks would never make it to the final round. On Hicks's first performance for the voting public, Cowell called back to this quote, admitting he was wrong.
On the May 10, 2006, results show, Hicks along with Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin, were announced as the top 3 finalists. On May 12, Idol producers brought Hicks to Birmingham for a weekend of promotional events including television interviews for the local Fox affiliate, a downtown parade, concerts, and an audience with Governor Bob Riley. May 12 was proclaimed "Taylor Hicks Day" and Hicks was given the Key to the City. Also on May 12, Gov. Riley issued a proclamation making May 16 "Taylor Hicks Day".
Hicks was named the new American Idol on May 24, 2006, winning the title over McPhee, with over 63.4 million votes cast in total. The proclamation was aired to a worldwide audience of 200 million television viewers. With his win at age 29, Hicks became the oldest contestant to win "American Idol". He was also the first male contestant to win the competition without ever being in the bottom two or three.
In June 2006, Ford Motor Company, the show's major sponsor, signed Hicks to promote Ford's "Drive on Us" year-end sales event. He was also named Hottest Bachelor by "People" for 2006, appearing on the magazine's cover.
Post-"Idol" career.
 Hicks signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records, managed by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, in May 2006. Hicks's debut single "Do I Make You Proud" debuted on the number one spot on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and was subsequently certified gold by the RIAA.
Hicks joined his fellow Top 10 "Idol" finalists on the American Idols LIVE! Tour which ran from July to September. The members of the former Taylor Hicks Band, formed by Hicks two years prior, regrouped as the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra and shadowed the Idols' tour route. Hicks occasionally appeared as a "special guest" when circumstances permitted, and was accompanied at times by the other Idols, such as Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Ace Young, and Bucky Covington.
In August 2006, Hicks's lawyers sued a producer with whom he worked in Nashville, for redistributing without permission songs that Hicks had copyrighted in 1997. The lawsuit was dropped when the masters were handed over to Hicks.
Hicks received a US$750,000 deal to write his memoir. Titled "Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way" and ghostwritten by "Rolling Stone" writer David Wild, the book was released in July 2007 by Random House.
On June 6, 2008, Hicks joined the cast of the Broadway musical "Grease" in the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. He played the role of "Teen Angel". Once his 18-month tour in the traveling Broadway show 'Grease' ended, Hicks performed in over 20 live shows.
2006–2008: "Taylor Hicks" and "Early Works".
Studio recording sessions for the eponymous major label debut "Taylor Hicks" ran in Calabasas, California, between October and November 2006, and took six weeks in total. The album was released on December 12, 2006, and debuted at the number two spot on the "Billboard" 200 charts. It was certified as a platinum album by the RIAA