Determination.....An Interview With Josh Smith!

We had an opportunity to ask Josh Smith some questions this week. In the process, we learned just how determined this 27 year old guitarist is. He is a native of South Florida, who moved to L.A. to further his career. Josh just completed a seven month tour with Taylor Hicks and the Soul Patrol was mesmerized with his versatile guitar playing. His first CD release in seven years, "Deep Roots" is a fantastic collection of traditional blues tunes.


How did you get the gig with Taylor Hicks?
Loren called me for an audition and the rest is history.




Who else have you toured with? How did that compare with Taylor?
I toured internationally and nationally with Virgin recording artist Ricky Fante for over 2 years along w/many national tours of my own music. It is all pretty much the same but this tour has had the best fans. I have done studio work and gigs around L.A. with a number of people as well. Most of that is Pop and Hip-Hop.




Any funny bus stories you care to share with the Soul Patrol?
Nope. We usually slept.


The tattoos on your arm are quite intricate. Is there a story there about the meaning behind the tattoo?
I actually have many tattoos on both arms. Most are music related with the exception of a flaming heart on my wrist (matching one my wife has on her wrist), a 335 Gibson on my arm in honor of my son Riley B and also his namesake BB king, a Marshall style amp on my arm with my daughter's name (Mackenzie) instead of Marshall. The largest tattoo is a dragon with a Samurai. This one is still not finished.





How long have you been in music?
I started playing guitar when I was 3 and lessons when I was 6. I began playing in clubs/bars when I was 13. I had 4 CDs of my own music out by the time I was 20 but the blues genre is a hard one. I moved to L.A. 5 years ago when I was 22 in the hopes of being a sideman and doing studio work. I had my first touring gig one year later. I have been lucky and have played with many people over the years from BB King to Chris Layton & Tommy Shannon from Double Trouble, Jimmy Thackery. I have been friends with Keb'Mo for about 15 years. He is the one who actually encouraged me to move out to California.


Who is your inspiration?
BB King, Freddie King, Albert King, Sam Cooke, Stevie Ray, Bruce Springsteen, Danny Gatton and many more.





Do you play any other instruments?
I can play just about anything but guitar was always what I was meant to play.











What do you do to prepare for a show and then unwind after a show?
Nothing much for either. I am usually the most boring ,as I don't drink so I usually end up back at my hotel trying to get in a video chat with my family.


Tell us about your CD.
I always wanted to make a traditional blues & roots CD. I am really proud of it. It gave me the chance to work with some really great musicians here in Los Angeles. It has been well received.






Taylor's Angels wishes to thank Josh Smith for spending some time with us and we wish him the best in his future endeavors!


Please leave comments for Josh to read in our comment section!


For more information on Josh Smith visit:
http://www.myspace.com/joshsmithguitar


Listen to Deep Roots !



Published by Teri (Cydter) and Taylor's Angels

Photo Credits: Josh Smith, Phantom, Ragsqueen

Video Credit: PaytheDevil

Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, Taylor's Angels

An Uplifted Spirit...A Letter to Taylor Hicks

Dear Mr. Hicks,

I know it is perhaps unusual for a fan to pen a letter to you, but I feel compelled to share my personal journey thus far with you and your Soul Patrol, which is highlighted by the kindness that has been extended. I do believe this kindness is a reflection of you, Mr. Hicks, for without your wonderful music the Soul Patrol would not exist.

Taylor Hicks shouting out to his collective fan base during American Idol is what first encouraged me to research you and your Soul Patrol. Therefore, I visited your fan sites. Instantly, it was evident that you and your wonderful music brought great joy to others. I realized something keenly unique was happening within the hearts and souls of your fans. I believe to the bottom of my soul that YOU and YOUR Soul Patrol are setting examples of kindness, thoughtfulness and charity that are having profound effects globally. Your music has uplifted millions of fans around the world. An uplifted spirit, even one fan at a time, will eventually influence another human being one person at a time. For this I offer you my deepest admiration.

Having recently returned from a summer vacation and seeing the neighborhood children make their way back to school, I am reminded of the past few months spent at a summer cottage. My summer was bittersweet, for a variety of reasons, and all too personal to mention, but I must admit that in some of my darkest moments it was thoughts of all the fun I had sharing your good music with the kind and caring souls that are your Soul Patrol that helped me emotionally. You have inspired great communities throughout your Taylor Hicks sites.

I never came to the Soul Patrol to make friends but it is impossible not to befriend your devoted fans. After reading their comments daily, you begin to know them in some small way. As actions speak loudly in our everyday lives, I see that it is our words that best express our person on the internet. And with mention of the internet, we come to your fan sites without boundaries. We bring our words, our thoughts, and our person to the screen without knowing country of origin, race, color, creed, economics, physicality ...and yet together because of you, Mr. Hicks, we are unified with a wonderfully uplifted spirit.

I will forever remember a group of women who befriended me by offering to purchase me a ticket for your first concert in Cleveland, Ohio. I cried for two days before I could even respond. I had never been offered anything from total strangers just because they sincerely wanted to make someone happy. I am still in awe of their kindness. Of course, I did not accept something so generous. There were other fans more deserving than I, but that gracious offer did indeed allow me to eventually see you live in concert. So, I guess in a way, their act of “Taying it forward” really did have a profound effect on me.

Around Christmas, I requested prayers from the Soul Patrol. Three of my aunts were dying and my mother was ill. I truly believe it was their prayers and kindness that helped me through those difficult days. One aunt passed away, but it was a glorious day full of sunshine and I believe that God and the Soul Patrol were with me that day, as I felt a strength that I had long forgotten.

When in despair, I looked to the Soul Patrol for comfort and I was never disappointed. I soon started corresponding with several ladies and still do to this day. Their kind words are forever etched in my soul and I know that we will remain friends throughout our lifetime.

Your Taylor’s Angels’ inspirational blog, Mr. Hicks, is a Godsend to all of us who need comfort, encouragement and inspiration. Many months ago, these same angels gifted me a membership for your headquarters site. These angels know the reason why. It is not necessary to go into that here but rather just to tell you that once again, they, your Soul Patrol, recognized and helped someone in need. You are probably seeing a pattern here and I hope that you are smiling!

I will forever be a fan of Taylor Hicks and your wonderful music. I had the good fortune of seeing you perform live during your spring tour, where I met friends from the various fan sites. I cried upon meeting them all. In this world of internet and email, I met these really wonderful and real people. It was an awesome experience. As privacy is a personal right for all of us, I have found a true sense of loyalty and a wonderful base for real friendships.

As for your concert, Mr. Hicks, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and those memories will remain with me forever. I should add that I was one of the fortunate fans that had a CD so graciously signed by you after your concert. It is now framed and hangs proudly in my office. It is a treasure I will cherish forever. I suppose the best way to express my awe is to compare it to how you must have felt in Ray Charles’ Studio. Now, you might better understand the impact you have on your Soul Patrol fans that have been graced by your presence. You are an inspiration to us all.

So, last but certainly not least, Mr. Hicks, I share that your music, passion, kindness, compassion, and spirit has been an inspiration to this one lowly fan. I can only say from the bottom of my heart, “Thank you”. May God Bless you and keep you strong and successful so that this circle of fans and friends collectively called the SOUL PATROL may continue forever. Because of it, the world is already a better place.

Sincerely,
graciecat

Edited by Tina (DidNotExpectThat)


Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, Taylor's Angels

A TIME TO REFLECT and REMEMBER

As Taylor Hicks concert tour is coming to an end in September we should take the time to reflect and remember all the wonderful memories we share of the artistry, musicianship and performances that Taylor has given his fans and supporters. It is also a time to look forward to the future to share more of the same when he returns from visiting his muses and is ready to give us more great music, songs and performances. It is a time to cherish the new friends that we have made along this journey and all the wonderful concerts and great times we had, making travel arrangements, meeting people that we met thru the fansites and only corresponded with thru emails or phone calls or PM's, then scrambling to buy tickets and trying to get the best seats available.

The good times traveling to cities we never dreamed we would be in all due to one person, Taylor Hicks, who inspired us to see one more concert which then turned into many more. His pure joy, passion and love for his craft comes thru when he is on stage. His concerts have been memorable, we walk away hoping they could go on for many hours instead of having to end for the night. The wonderful, talented group of musicians that backed up Taylor made the concerts all the more memorable. We will never forget their enthusiasm.

It is a time to look back at all the many new and wonderful, caring people that we have met along the way and the opportunities of giving back, that we have had on this journey for the past two years.

There have been many times when we have met or been made aware of those with a particular need, whether an individual or a charitiable organization that serves the need of many.

It has been because of the example that Taylor has set to give back to those less fortunate and give from the heart, not because you have to, but because deep in your heart you want to. It is giving from the heart to someone else in whatever small way we can that we gain so much more in return.

The next few months will be a time to look to the future while Taylor is visiting his muses and writing more songs to take us all on another journey. It will be a time of memories and reflection of a wonderful and caring man with with a deep love for his craft and for his fellow man.

The following I think, in some small way applies to Taylor Hicks.

"Be Who You Are"

Let the true spirit of who you are shine through in all that you do.
Let your hopes and dreams always guide you in the direction
that you definitely believe in.
Let the love that is within your heart never stop being the most
important and beautiful part of your life.
Travel through time not as one alone, but as one among many;
reach out to those who need your gentle spirit and caring ways.
Make your passage through time an endless journey of love.

"I will not pretend to be anyone but me - I am as I am.


Written by: Mary Ann Woloschuk
(maryann1)






Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, Taylor's Angels

Soul Patroller Tays-it-Forward to Taylor Hicks

So many times since the inception of Taylor’s Angels, I have found myself amazed at the generosity of the Soul Patrol. I don’t know why, since it is that very generosity that Taylor’s Angels is founded on; but I guess in this day and age where it is so easy to be inundated with negativity, the positive and heartfelt actions of someone make my world come to a stop and make me think about the goodness in the world. It’s also these actions that make me proud to be a Soul Patroller. Another such one of those moments happened this weekend in Dallas.

A couple of weeks ago, Taylor’s Angels received an email from a wonderful lady by the name of Jonnelle (“judyjs” on The Official Soul Patrol). She explained that she needed some help tweaking her plans to present Taylor Hicks with a gift at the Dallas Meet and Greet, for which she’d won a pass. In a moment of what was probably sheer desperation for her, she contacted us. Our minor role is nothing compared to what she did.

When Jonnelle was reading Taylor’s book Heart Full of Soul, she kept going back and going back to page 159 where Taylor mentions that he would love to have the voucher for the plane trip he used to get to the Las Vegas American Idol auditions. Everyone reading this probably knows the paragraph that I’m talking about. We all read it. And that’s just the point. We READ it. Jonnelle took it upon herself to contact the airline and actually find the voucher.

To her surprise, the airline still had a copy of it. That’s when the wheels really started turning. To make a long story and a lot of planning and phone calls short, Jonnelle assisted in presenting that very voucher to Taylor Hicks himself this past Friday in Dallas. Her entire recap can be read here HttP://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/forum/index.php?topic=26763.0

I wanted all of you to know about Jonnelle not just because what I think she did for Taylor was fabulous, but because what she did really shows her character and what a great person she is.



How many of us go about our day THINKING of doing something good for someone? I know I do all the time, but more often than not, that’s as far as I get with the project. Just thinking “oh, that’d be nice”. I do sometimes take it one step further and actually pick up a gift for someone, but I have the darndest time actually getting that gift delivered. I have a couple at the house right now that need to go in the mail. Jonnelle actually DID something about it.

Who is Jonnelle? She’s not a corporate executive or the mayor of some city, big or small. No, she doesn’t have that kind of pull. She’s a normal average person like most of us. But she wasn’t afraid to put her thoughts into action by starting with one small phone call. She wasn’t afraid to be told “no, this can’t happen”. In fact, when she came to a standstill in her plans, she still didn’t stop. She reached out to others for help, not knowing if her goal of actually getting the voucher to Taylor would ever materialize, Jonnelle wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. She didn’t give up, she didn’t give in, and she certainly didn’t take “no” for an answer.

It was this gift to Taylor that was Jonnelle’s way of thanking him for all of the wonderful music he has brought into her life. Like so many of us, Taylor’s music has had a profound impact on her life. She has Tayed-it-Forward to the man, himself.

Will you be able to put your kind thoughts into action? Will you be able to make that phone call that can change someone’s life for forever. The next time I’m in a situation where I find myself thinking “Oh, that would be nice”, I hope I stop and think about what Jonnelle did. I hope I stop and realize that all it takes is one person—no matter who they are—to make someone’s dream come true.

Thank you Jonnelle for inspiring me. You have made your mark on my life for years to come.

By Leslie Mozingo
(Lmo4taylor1)


Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, Taylor's Angels