Taylor Hicks knows the power of perseverance. When Hicks picked up the harmonica as a child, he didn't know the first thing about harmonicas.

"It's funny," he says on the phone in Vicksburg, Miss. "I just picked it up. I started realizing I could play it. I started listening to harmonica sounds (on albums) and I started playing off those (recordings)."

The nation saw the fruits of Hicks' ability to keep at it during the fifth season of "American Idol," and those attending his solo concert at Merrill Auditorium in Portland on Sunday will see it for themselves.

Hicks also taught himself to play the guitar. "That was a fun and interesting time, learning those instruments," he recalls. "I didn't think I could teach myself chords, then I started getting progressively better." By keeping at it, Hicks showed himself he had what it takes to go after something elusive. Those early experiences groomed him for the challenges ahead when he chose to pursue a career in music.

Before his "American Idol" win, Hicks, a native of Birmingham, Ala., spent a lot of years performing the bar and club circuit. He released two independent albums but still couldn't break through to a larger audience.

It was the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina that gave him his chance. A flight cancellation provided him with a free airline voucher, which he used to get himself to one of the "American Idol" auditions.

Just weeks after his "American Idol" win, Hicks' first single, "Do I Make You Proud?" was released. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, Pop 100 and Single Sales charts. At the same time, People magazine declared Hicks the Hottest Bachelor of the Year.

Hicks' life since his "American Idol" win has been a whirlwind. His home, he says, is a tour bus. He toured with the "American Idol" fifth season finalists in the summer of 2006. After the tour, Hicks set to work on his first major label debut album and a biography.

His biography, "Heart Full of Soul," was released last month. His self-titled major label debut album was released in December. It entered Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart at No. 2. He's on his first national solo tour.

Hicks says the ride to national acclaim has been a long and hard one, but the rewards he's been reaping over the past year are more than he ever imagined. "I know how hard it is to catch a break in this business," he says. "I'm thankful every day."

The prospect of his current good fortune going away doesn't faze him. He's says without hesitation that he'd go back to playing in bars and clubs if he had to do so. "The older I get," says the 30-year-old soul singer, "the music has gotten better. I've become progressively more serious about it."