tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913Fri, 02 May 2008 21:27:57 +0000http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/blog.htmlSteffBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-3348244736459018400Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:46:00 +00002008-04-20T17:25:54.400-06:00After an aggressive 2007 spring and summer tour for Taylor Hicks, I can certainly understand his need for down time to not only write and record a new album, but to also recharge his musical batteries. The week-end travel for me certainly took its toll and I’m almost twice Taylor’s age! Youth, that’s the only way anyone would be able to survive a musician’s life-style! With all the free week-endshttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/04/finding-cure-for-taylor-hicks-blues.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-7476523011482465632Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +00002008-03-15T19:23:20.032-06:00We’ve enjoyed the videos, pictures and stories from a special night not too long ago when Alabama Music Hall of Fame’s America’s Music Award was given to Taylor Hicks. And now we have an opportunity to show Taylor just how proud of him we are and say thank you to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Just how do we accomplish these tasks, you want to know! The Soul Connection, the free e-zine http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/03/brick-granite-stone-or-bronze-star.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-8356565066602895171Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:33:00 +00002008-03-15T11:06:16.985-06:00A well-kept secret, at least for me, was about to be let out. A natural resource of the State of Alabama was about to be revealed as its entertainment industry. What I didn’t expect was the extent of that resource, the talent, the star quality, or how deeply rooted it was in all music genres. Or how diverse it was! Friday night, February 22, the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, AL, was the site http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/02/stars-shine-bright-in-alabama.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4630596261894540209Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:44:00 +00002008-02-11T22:18:21.131-06:00I needed a week-end get-away to recharge my batteries, see old friends, have some thinking time, a change of scenery. You know what I mean – I just needed a break. I’ve been missing all the traveling like did this time last year. So off I went, headed down US 78 towards Birmingham, Alabama. Several weeks ago I heard Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, affectionately known at LiMBO, was going to be http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/02/only-one-missing-was-taylor-hicks.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-8306910597513445399Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:13:00 +00002008-02-05T12:46:20.453-06:00I had been working a number of late nights that month, typical for a January anyway. Year-end tax provisions, various calculations, long hours. Typical January in my line of work. In addition to working, I had been doing a Bible study on Tuesday for the past couple of years, and either skipped because of working late, gotten home early from class, or perhaps we just didn’t meet that night. Anywayhttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/02/because-i-want-my-voice-heard.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-5623037500605272851Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:50:00 +00002008-01-23T07:28:40.902-06:00Taylor Hicks has been quoted as saying the song closest to being his own personal anthem would be his own original song, “Soul Thing”. I must admit the main lyrics do sound pretty much like Taylor’s life as a traveling musician. Taylor has often talked and written about the long drives, the sometimes loneliness, the visiting muses, and playing blue-eyed soul. Yes, the words do sound a lot like http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/01/perhaps-another-anthem-for-taylor-hicks.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-8589631551327297005Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:16:00 +00002008-01-08T23:25:14.515-06:00After days and hours of press and speculation about his American Idol recording contract, Taylor Hicks has finally let the Soul Patrol know what’s going on! Straight from Taylor’s MySpace page: “To all my fans and The Soul Patrol, I want to take a moment to talk about the recent news that my label and I have mutually parted ways. The important thing for all of you to remember is that I've been ahttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2008/01/best-is-yet-to-come.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4483942675522822385Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:52:00 +00002007-12-30T14:59:32.690-06:00The only thing better than beautifully wrapped presents and Santa Claus as December comes to a close would be a great party, a bowl game and Taylor Hicks. Sad to say, I don’t really understand the need to chase some pigskin with pointed ends or the need to fall in some heaping pile of male bodies. Now watching Taylor Hicks sing and dance – that’s my idea of a great game! But when the audience http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/12/traveling-circus-is-liberated-at.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4394668177817834177Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:43:00 +00002007-12-08T23:17:17.432-06:00Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year. I've supported the local economies around the areas wherever there was a Taylor Hicks concert by staying in local hotels & eating at local restaurants all under the guise of being there to see Taylor Hicks in concert. I've even bought lots of Taylor Hicks tour merchandise under the misguided misconception that I was putting food on the http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/12/ragsqueens-letter-to-santa-for.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4190174837454414383Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:05:00 +00002007-11-29T09:26:09.079-06:00One of my favorite poems to read or recite is “A Visit From St. Nick” or “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”. I personally own several versions of this holiday poem, including a version for cat lovers (go figure!). So for this entry, I thought it would be fun to take that famous poem and rewrite it as if I were attending a great Taylor Hicks’ concert! So as you read the lines, do so with the http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/11/concert-with-taylor.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4210289980388220132Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:34:00 +00002007-11-17T17:39:11.818-06:00Plato said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” Samuel Johnson said, “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Plato and Johnson speak of the measure ofhttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/11/measure-of-man.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-4179647661106285828Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:28:00 +00002007-11-04T23:37:16.109-06:00It was a beautiful Friday afternoon in Memphis as I left work for the drive, alone with Madge, for a far away town in the depths of Mississippi called Philadelphia. Not a cloud in the sky, a nice slow breeze, the entrapments of fall, and time to think were mine for the next four hours. Music in the CD changer of a gray-haired soul guy that had taken me to places I’d never been and probably never http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/11/traveling-circus-has-its-golden-night.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-3953096666363610840Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:07:00 +00002007-10-17T22:16:32.652-06:00As I was driving to the airport to catch my flight, I wasn’t thinking about the hour of the morning or why I had chosen to fly into Baltimore and then drive to Millersville. I wasn’t even thinking that this was the last show for Taylor Hicks and the current band! I was thinking about seeing beautiful fall colors and meeting friends and adding to the traveling circus once I got to my destination. http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/10/traveling-circus-graduates-at.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-6544496947936781068Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:26:00 +00002007-10-03T21:34:05.616-06:00I’ve found the biggest advantage to traveling alone is that I have no timetable to stick to while the biggest disadvantage, aside from being alone, is that I have no one to keep me on track! But this week-end, in addition to catching two Taylor Hicks concerts, was to be a time to just drive, think, ponder and see the scenery. And let me tell you, the scenery was beautiful! As I drove from http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/10/traveling-circus-fairs-well-at-big-e.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-8915017186948394285Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:24:00 +00002007-09-29T08:38:16.695-06:00To make sure I plenty of time to drive from Philadelphia to Bloomsburg, I flew into Philly on Thursday night. I could sleep in a bit, get up and then make the drive. I considered going by way of Hershey or driving into downtown Philly to see a few of the historic sights. Downtown Philly won! And what a winning time I had! Narrow streets, impatient drivers, and lots of one way streets! But I madehttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/09/traveling-circus-takes-blue-ribbon-at.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-1583207623099965772Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:27:00 +00002007-09-20T11:28:15.327-06:00“I love being in Virginia” as Taylor would say. It’s not that far from where I grew up and spent a good part of my life. A very early morning flight was required to ensure getting to the concert on time. Very early morning flight! Should be illegal to require passengers to fly at that hour – 6:00 am, no less – and that was the flight time without the travel time and security check in time http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/09/traveling-circus-earns-its-degree-in.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-6257770610279590041Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:30:00 +00002007-09-13T21:40:30.996-06:00When the original Woodstock happened way back in August of 1969, I had just graduated from high school (yes, that makes me about 56 years old!) and my soon-to-be husband was about to enter the Vietnam-era military. Peace symbols were everywhere, the mini-skirt was in, and free-love was abound along with drugs and alcohol, long haired hippies, and tie-dyed tee shirts. At least that’s how I http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/09/traveling-circus-revisits-woodstock-at.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-6650289097966895893Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:56:00 +00002007-09-05T22:28:13.832-06:00Oh where to begin! Maybe a potty break or grabbing some of your favorite beverage should be first before you start reading my recap. It’s going to be long! The adventure really begins with a phone call from a Boogier with the offer of a condo on the beach. I already had a room at a local Orange Beach hotel but the offer of a condo for the cost of the cleaning fee shared with a group of other http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/09/traveling-circus-wins-2-for-1-in-orange.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-5525387550532514333Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:20:00 +00002007-09-03T20:38:37.602-06:00With a couple of ladies in the group having a meet & greet, we decided we would get away early Sunday morning. Not too early, but with sufficient time to leisurely drive to Orlando. As luck would have it, we would ride in and out of rain. I had rubbed my eye the other night, bruising it and leaving it red and swollen. The drive was proving to be more than I could handle so I turned in my rental http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/09/traveling-circus-rocks-hard-in-orlando.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-9207169430348617885Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:55:00 +00002007-08-30T22:26:13.367-06:00After the show in Clearwater, I wasn’t able to sleep all that well, so I decided to sleep in a bit before heading over to Pompano Beach. With the car packed, I typed in the address to the next hotel and took off in my silver PT Cruiser rental! What a nice piece of machinery it was! Since I had plenty of time for travel, I decided I would take a slight detour and see a few sights. Since it was http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-brings-clouds-to.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-7391525151626324861Tue, 28 Aug 2007 01:31:00 +00002007-08-27T19:39:01.155-06:00Today started out like most Fridays lately – very warm! I was catching a ride to work with my boss who is very much a morning person, so I had to be ready to go by 7:00 am! I’m usually just opening my eyes about that time, but not today! I have to be ready, so it’s a quick shower, finish packing, read my emails and give the cats some loving before I leave. The life of a corporate tax accountant http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-gets-immersed-in.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-5865933118331256726Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:45:00 +00002007-08-19T20:45:58.180-06:00After two weeks of not seeing a Taylor Hicks concert and just barely recovered from my Southern mini-tour of casinos (including four Taylor shows!), I am ready to head to Staten Island to see Taylor perform on the stage of the St. George Theatre. I’ve been warned that I may have to take the ferry from the airport to Staten Island, so I put some motion sickness patches in my purse earlier in the http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-ferries-to-staten.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-9139432887657868109Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:56:00 +00002007-08-16T22:56:30.083-06:00Most of us woke up wondering where the night had gone or whatever possessed us to stay out until dawn or why did I have to play so many slot & poker machines! I’m guilty as charged on probably all three counts. The last three nights with this band of escape artists has been a lot of fun, and tonight in New Orleans promises to only be better! We’re all quite tired from our late night outings sohttp://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-does-crawfish-crawl-to.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-7467044608909702639Mon, 13 Aug 2007 03:26:00 +00002007-08-12T21:32:06.582-06:00Friday morning made me want to sing “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day…” The sun was out, the temperature was hot, and we were checking out to head on over to Biloxi for our third show of the week-end. We loaded up the vans, cars and SUVs and headed out towards Jackson. Two vehicles were going to travel together, another had left quite early, and the fourth was going to do its http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-boogies-to-biloxi.htmlRagsQueentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823156082838509913.post-1535549227849263479Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:45:00 +00002007-08-09T06:46:22.454-06:00There’s nothing better when it comes to the anticipation and fruition of getting together with other Taylor Hicks fans who want to join the traveling circus! This week-end was going to be just one of those times! Four days with some of my favorite showmen and high flying artists! You know who you are! I’m going to protect your reputation by not naming you while I talk about you! Now I’m not http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/contributors/mandy/2007/08/traveling-circus-wins-battle-at_09.htmlRagsQueen