NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Taylor Hicks takes NBC’s “TODAY” viewers on a tour of his tornado damaged Nashville neighborhood in an interview with NBC News correspondent Sam Brock. The American Idol winner, who has called Nashville home for over 20 years, also showed the closet in his Germantown home where he sought shelter early Tuesday morning during the devastating tornado.
The second-deadliest tornado event in state history killed at least 24 people, injured several and left tens of thousands of households and businesses without power across Middle Tennessee. “We’re looking at trying to rebuild lives. Not just houses, not structures, but lives,” Hicks explained on “TODAY.”
Hicks also appeared on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” with Ed Henry to encourage people to donate money to the American Red Cross at www.RedCross.org and sign up to volunteer with Hands On Nashville at www.HON.org.
The office of Mayor John Cooper, in partnership with Hands On Nashville, has announced plans for organized tornado damage clean-up efforts this weekend. Sites for these efforts will be announced in the coming days. Emergency response personnel are on the ground assessing the situation and identifying high-priority areas.
WHO: Mayor Cooper’s Office Hands On Nashville Volunteers across Middle Tennessee
WHAT: Organized weekend tornado clean-up efforts
WHEN: Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8 Two shifts each day: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. / 1 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Clean-up sites to be announced soon
Those wanting to donate items (there is a major need for personal hygiene items, bleach, trash bags, gloves, box cutters, baby and toddler clothes, formula, underwear, bras, batteries and baby food) can do so by dropping off or mailing to the Community Resource Center at 218 Omohundro Place, Nashville, TN 37210. Food donations can be done through Second Harvest Food Bank.
To get the latest updates on volunteer needs, visit Hands On Nashville’s blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
To stay updated with Taylor Hicks, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and visit TaylorHicks.com.
About Taylor Hicks:
For Taylor Hicks, winning “American Idol’s” blockbuster fifth season was just the beginning. Hailed as “part Stax, part Motown and part honky-tonk” by The New York Times, Hicks’ intoxicating blend of soul, blues, country, and rock & roll quickly rendered him a household name as he progressed to the show’s record-breaking finale in 2006, an historic television event which drew an audience of more than 200 million viewers. Hicks immediately followed his Idol victory with a #1 Billboard single and an RIAA certified Platinum debut, and soon went on to make history as both the first male Idol champion featured on a GRAMMY-winning record (Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Blow Your Pants Off’), and the first to land a prestigious Las Vegas residency. A versatile artist, actor and advocate, Hicks has since ventured into theater and television, touring as Teen Angel in the popular Broadway musical “Grease” in addition to appearing on “Law & Order: SVU” and hosting the INSP series “State Plate,” which won the Cynopsis TV Award for Best Reality Series (Travel). After a lengthy hiatus from recording, Hicks returned in 2017 with “Six Strings and Diamond Rings,” the first single since his beloved 2009 sophomore album, “The Distance.” The stirring, stripped-down track offers up a tantalizing preview of Hicks’ highly anticipated third album, a deeply personal, roots-inspired collection recorded at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground studio in Nashville with contributions from four-time GRAMMY®-winning musician Keb’ Mo as well as Robert Randolph. Produced by Hicks along with GRAMMY®-winning guitarist Bryan Sutton (Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley), the album is due out this year and will bring Hicks back on the road for extensive touring.
