Season 5's American Idol, Taylor Hicks, is celebrating a birthday today. When Taylor auditioned for American Idol, Simon Cowell – who shares a birthday with Taylor – said that Hicks would never make it to the final round of Season 5. After Taylor's first live TV performance for the voting public, Simon admitted he was wrong and that Taylor's personality is what makes him stand out. Taylor became the new American Idol on May 24, 2006, winning the title over Katharine McPhee, with over 63.4 million votes cast in total and in front of 200 million television viewers. Taylor became the oldest contestant to win American Idol, and he was the first male contestant to win without ending up in the bottom two or three.

After Idol, Taylor signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records. His self-titled debut album was released on December 12, 2006 and landed at number 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. One month later, the album was certified platinum. Taylor's first single, "Do I Make You Proud," debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold. In July 2007, Hicks released his autobiography, Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way.

On March 10, 2009, Taylor released his second album, The Distance, on his own label, Modern Whomp Records. The first single, "What's Right Is Right," reached #24 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. During a Season 8 results show, Taylor returned to the American Idol stage and performed the second single from The Distance, "Seven Mile Breakdown." Both "What's Right is Right" and "Seven Mile Breakdown" were made into music videos.

Currently, Taylor is touring the country in the role of Teen Angel in Grease. This month, the show will take Taylor to North Carolina, Texas, and Arizona. In May of 2009, Taylor made Forbes' "Top Ten earning American Idol stars" list, coming in at number 10 with over $300,000 earned from album sales and from his role in the national tour of Grease.

Grab your harmonica, shout "Soul Patrol," and do a little dance for Taylor Hicks!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

See Taylor's transformation from gray-haired guy-next-door to American Idol winner in his transformation photo gallery.