Staring at the morning rain
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so cruel
But your love was the key to my peace of mind.
Aretha Franklin – “A natural woman”
Although the Queen of Soul first released this hit more than three decades ago, her feelings are just as relevant now as they were then. Today, all media vehicles are full of negatives. The browser pages on our computers greet us each morning with news about natural disasters, violent crime, and the ever-sinking economy. In those moments, we cling and cling to the breath wherever we find it. When we are truly lucky, we are directed to something whose intrinsic value is more far-reaching than immediate forms of respite and motivation. Often times, that “something” is a “someone”: a role model. Newbies in business have dedicated mentors; Sports figures have team captains and coaches. While these are avenues and examples of traditional role models, we sometimes find our guide lights through perhaps not as obvious routes as these.
When Taylor Hicks first entered our living rooms in January 2006 through American idol, seemed to have anything but “role model” stamped all over it. Picking up a single winner out of 100,000 applicants nationwide, Idol it represented the back door, the “hidden job market,” if you will, for Hicks. As one of the oldest contestants and the only one to sport premature gray hair, Taylor’s powerful, emotional voice had a retro-bluesy tone and an old-school soul flavor; his stage presence was reminiscent of the iconoclast and certainly spastic Joe Cocker. Hicks, a son born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, strayed 180 degrees away from the ultra-modern vocal style and fashion sense of the younger, more modern, and more commercial competition that had historically reached the top of the line. Idol stairs. Taylor knew very well that he was facing an uphill battle.
Yet when Simon Cowell unleashed a resounding “No” to this underdog’s entry into the competition, few could have imagined that Taylor would not just win. American idolbut becoming a role model for many, including the founders and members of charities that emerged in his honor, and those of us now facing seemingly fruitless job searches. Taylor, an obscure singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who toured the Deep South for nearly ten years, carried out his own kind of networking through his job search for a seemingly elusive record deal. Half musician / singer / songwriter and half self-promotion, Taylor fiercely promoted himself to all potential employers. Selling his self-financed, independently released CDs, “In Your Time” and “Under the Radar,” from the back of his truck, he introduced record producers, DJs, and other potential representatives: HR staff counterparts, hiring managers and recruiters. But all his knocks never opened a single door. Undeterred, Taylor reapplied to her job search with unwavering focus and drive.
He investigated, contacted, and nagged the booking agents with sweet talks, eliciting the occasional participation of established luminaries like Jackson Browne and James Brown, who allowed Taylor and his gang to open for them … without payment. The Never-say-die Alabamian also linked up with rising stars like Dierks Bentley, a friend from Taylor’s frustrating Nashville days and now a country music recording star.
The advances Taylor made, however, weren’t enough for a man driven to make a living exclusively by making, recording, and performing his music. Desperate, he headed to the one place where he was almost certain to meet defeat: a reality show whose audience seemed to yearn for younger, mouldable mature talents for commercial radio. By capitalizing on his hidden job market equivalent, Taylor realized his dream, boarding a train to victory paved with the tracks he had laid out with faith, focus, and diligence. With the majority of the final 63 million public votes, Taylor Hicks landed a million dollar contract with Arista Records. When this relationship was later dissolved by mutual consent and by Taylor’s desire for full creative control over his work, the winner continued to promote himself conscientiously, expanding his network of possibilities.
Taylor, who now flies under his own label, Modern Whomp, will release his most recent work, “The Distance,” on March 10, 2009, produced by Eric Clapton / BB King / Faith Hill collaborator Simon Climie. Additional, independently-earned accomplishments include a role in bringing down the house in the national Broadway gangbusters play, “Grease,” and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the renowned children’s medical research and services organization, Hospitals. Shriners for Kids. A clear winner on many fronts, Taylor is not resting on his laurels – he continues to constantly promote himself.
When trying to enter a job market saturated with competition, we, as job candidates, can be inspired by Taylor’s trials and triumphs. If job boards, print ads, and recruiters don’t provide viable opportunities, we need to network through less obvious routes. We must make connections and / or reconnect with members of industry / professional groups, school alumni associations, and various organizations, such as local Chambers of Commerce, as well as charities that we can volunteer with. (Taylor, by the way, was “giving back” to the community even as a musician in distress; mainly Kid One Transport and Studio by the Tracks). We must also seize the opportunities inherent in the growing membership population of Internet sites like Linkedin, as well as the large social media forums: Facebook, MySpace, and the recently popular Twitter. Like Taylor Hicks, with diligence, focus, and the courage to step “outside the box,” we can still emerge as winners.
