BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A long, cool, gulp of this city's water reveals no particular flavor, no telltale tinge that would explain why three men from the area have done (and are doing) so well on "American Idol."
Maybe it's the city's size - big enough for musicians to make a splash, but small enough to keep them from drowning - or it could be the region's gospel influences. Perhaps it's the South's natural saturation of talent. Whatever "it" is, it's probably a combination of several factors, says David Johnson, executive director of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
"There just seems to be an extreme amount of talent in Alabama in general," said Johnson, a former music producer. "I really don't have a good explanation for it, but it really is amazing the talent that's come out of Alabama in the last 100 years."
Birmingham's Idol relationship began when then 25-year-old Ruben Studdard beat out Clay Aiken in 2002 to become the country's second Idol. Next came Helena resident Bo Bice who finished second to American Idol winner Carrie Underwood last year.
Now Birmingham's silver-haired Taylor Hicks is in the top six, garnering both votes and loads of attention for his hair as much as his soulful blues singing.
That makes three Idol finalists from Birmingham in the past five seasons - four finalists if you count Diana Degarmo, who was born in Birmingham but moved to Snellville, Ga. at age 3. She finished second to season three winner Fantasia Barrino in 2004.
"I think there really must be something in the water," Buffalo Wild Wings manager Chris West said after a recent watch-party for Hicks at the Hoover restaurant. "We've had Ruben, Bo, everybody here is just really fired up about it. It shows there's a lot of talent here."
And, most are quick to point out, that talent has been in Birmingham, in Alabama, in the South, long before Idol judge Simon Cowell & Co. ever dreamed of the TV talent show.
Johnson said it's great that Alabama talent is being recognized on a national level and Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Dilcy Hilley agreed.
"It does show what amazing musical roots we have in our area ...," Hilley said. "There's blues and rock-and-roll and especially jazz was such a part of this city and I think it's only natural that there's a great pool of talent here today as there has been for decades."
Entertainment greats from Nat "King" Cole and Nell Carter to Hank Williams and Emmy Lou Harris all called Alabama home and the state's contributions to soul and blues rank right up there with its Southern counterparts.
The region's relationship with religion has no doubt contributed to its musical inclinations, with children often singing in their church choirs, observers say.
Studdard and Bice both sang in choirs as children and that's where her son first got a taste of performing, Emily Studdard said.
"It was very important because it gave him an audience," she said. "It came from a place where he could build his confidence ... he could get constructive criticism and feel comfortable there. The church was very important."
Also, there's often an expectation among Southern families that children would partake in music, said Frank Adams, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
"Back then, everybody in the family had to do something musical," he said during a recent tour at the hall, a clarinet clutched in his right hand. "(You had to) play an instrument, sing, something - else they'll talk about you. They'll say, 'What's wrong with her?'"
Before auditioning for Idol, Studdard was in the group Just a Few Cats and Bice was the lead singer for SugarMoney. Hicks has been touring for several years with the Taylor Hicks Band, his father, Brad Hicks, said.
"I think that Bo and Ruben and Taylor were all serious entertainers and really knew that they wanted to do this for the rest of their lives," the elder Hicks said. "I think all three of those guy are really hard workers and that's made a difference."
Emily Studdard and Bice's mother, Nancy Downes, both grew up singing in church and Downes was part of a gospel group called the Singing Jays.
She recalled how Bo (short for nickname Bogart - his real name's Harold) started singing at age three and would delight when people gave him change for his trouble.
"A quarter was just awesome," she said laughing. "He would just sing and sing and sing for a quarter."
Studdard has set up a foundation that awards college scholarships and recently announced the "The Music Alternative Project," a program aimed at keeping young people away from gangs by introducing them to behind-the-scenes aspects of the music industry.
Bice, who moved from Helena to Nashville after the show, let Hurricane Katrina evacuees stay in his Helena home as long as they needed to. He also recently donated the outfit his grandmother made for him to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
That Southern charm and hospitality has probably helped endear them to fans, Johnson said.
"They're more `people-people' - they're from the South," he said. "It's just the upbringing. You're raised in the South and we're friendly and we're nice and we like people. We like to show that appreciation back."
The die-hard Southern pride that makes Alabamians cry out "Roll Tide" and "War Eagle" has crossed over to the singing arena and bolstered Birmingham's hold in the competition, said Charnel Wright, a WBRC-FOX 6 NEWS reporter who's been organizing Idol watch parties since Studdard was on the show.
"When you have people who start talking about it like they do games at either Auburn or Alabama, then you know it's big," she said. "You get these people - even these hardcore sports buffs - saying 'Taylor did well this week, but I think Ace should be off,' and these are the same guys talking about Brodie Croyle and the NFL draft - people are treating it as if it were sports."
Having the solid backing of your home state helps on a show where the winner is chosen by the number of votes that are called in. While the excitement for Studdard and Hicks has been phenomenal, Helena's enthusiasm bordered on fanatical, Wright said.
"We started calling it Bolena," she joked.
Also working to their advantage is Birmingham's location and size, said Mark Harrelson and Courtney Hayden, both producers at Boutwell Studios in Homewood where Hicks cut a record about a year ago.
"Birmingham has given them that freedom to develop, I think," Hayden said. "If you were living in Philly and you were trying to break into New York, you want to be more like New York guys."
Source: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/14412188.htm
