A match forged by Soul

I am not one to write long dragged out blogs, but the Angels have asked me to write about my experience as a male member of the Soul Patrol, and how this devotion to our Soul Man has forged a love for more than just the music of Taylor Hicks, but a love forged by Soul.

The only experience with fan sites have been limited to sports boards, mainly Southeastern Conference boards, University of Alabama and University of Tennessee boards. I have been a music lover all of my life and nothing prepared me in my 42 years of life to what would transpire next. When I was Googling Taylor Hicks looking for some information, I stumbled across the board that is now known as The Official Soul Patrol.com. What I found great was the wealth of information on our Soul Man, but even more so, some of the finest posters on the Internet.

I was one of a few male members of TOSP, and it was still unusual to see men on the board, although there were a few, some that knew Taylor from his bar scene days on the Gulf Coast. Stumbled across the chat room and you could hear a virtual pin drop. A man has come into the chat room where there were all women. One in particular asked what my intentions were, and I flat out told her that I am a fan of Taylor Hicks. Sure enough, I had to prove my worth that I was in fact becoming a member of the Soul Patrol. I was in chat when Taylor made his appearance on the Rick and Bubba Show during Top 3 week on American Idol. At that time I was so proud to become a part of a great bunch of posters and a proud member of the Soul Patrol, and I am still proud to be a Soul Patroller today.

As for what I was not prepared for? A new poster came on TOSP named Tayloredforme and got up the nerve to start PMing me, SPChainGang( my original TOSP screen name). It was in a thread called the Dawg Pound she came in and became a member of the original Chain Gang, a circle of friends I had developed as a member of TOSP. We would continue to correspond on TOSP’s PM system and then on Yahoo Instant Messenger. We would get to know each other much more over the next few weeks, and found out that we had something more in common besides Taylor. We were both going through rough times in our lives. So we helped each for the months to follow.

It was during this time more than just friendship was felt between both of us. Sarah(TFM) sent me a message on TOSP saying that she loved me, and I responded back in true Soul Patrol style, WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! SOUL PATROL!!!! I love you, too!! Nonetheless, she was shocked to realize that I felt the same way. That was the beginning of a love forged by Soul.

We continued to correspond the best way we knew how. If there is a medium, we used it. YIM, PMs, Skype, and phone, we did it all. This went on for 7 more months. When the Modern Whomp Tour was announced in December, I saw there was a Chicago date on March 29, 2007. So, I ordered two tickets for the House of Blues show, taking a leap of faith that Sarah would join me.

I began to countdown to days until the great day when we would finally meet. The countdown began at 106 days until the concert, 105 until we would finally meet in person. The months passed and the day finally came, March 28, 2007, the day before the Taylor concert in Chicago. I was waiting in the terminal of Midway Airport checking the screens for when her flight from Portland would come in. When her flight said arrived, my heart started pounding. About 20 minutes passed, and then the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on came down the overhead bridge. “She’s here!! She’s here!!” I was thinking in my mind. She saw me, and I pointed at the script A on my Bama jacket. She was wearing a crimson sweater with a white Bama shirt, and we embraced for the first time. It felt so right, and we knew then and there we were in the Right Place!!

Not only would we be seeing each other for the first time, we would be enjoying a concert with the main reason we came one: Taylor Hicks. The day of the concert I took Sarah to the Sears Tower, and let her look out to see the magnificence of Chicago. We meet a few Soul Patrol friends, former members of TOSP who made their own board, one who we went to Milwaukee the night before to pick up from her flight from Atlanta. We saw them in the HOB hotel, and then went to dinner before the show. At that time we met Claire(webchic00) for the first time, and met more Soul Patrollers as well. I do not think anyone else was happier than our circle of friends that we finally met in person and hit it off so wonderful.



Whomping time came and we got a nice center stage spot, and Taylor comes out after a great opening act in Michael Warren. The Soul Man that indirectly brought Sarah and me together was performing as only Taylor can do. It began to feel even more so right between us, especially when our Soul Man did “The Right Place.” I can remember holding Sarah tight when he sang it. Sunday came and we had to part. IT was a very sad moment for us as we would not see each other for over a month before I was to go out to Oregon to visit her and to see two more Taylor concerts in Portland and Seattle. We did not let go of each other for at least 15 minutes before I had to encourage her to get down the concourse. As I was driving home, I put in the Taylor CD, and looped our song, “Places I’ve Been” three times. I knew the tag line of the song fit us well: The only place I wanna be is with you.

Four Taylor concerts, with one more to come November in Mississippi, 3 trips for her to Chicago, with one coming in two weeks from when I wrote this, 4 trips to Oregon for me, with another planned in mid October, we have been through so much in the year we have been together online and in person that we are growing stronger everyday. Now, we work together in the real estate investment business, helping the two guys Sarah works with in Oregon. Someday, the only time we will need a plane is when we are traveling together on business, going to Bama football games, and going to support the main reason we are together today: Taylor Hicks. If you are reading this, Taylor, thank you from the bottom of our hearts and souls for your music that brought us together!! SOUL PATROL!!!



Danny Latham(SoulPatrolDanny,and unofficial Bosley of the Angels)
Sarah Adams(SmartBlonde)
Published by: Leslie Mozingo


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