Billboard.com reported Wednesday that 63.4 million votes were cast, "more than any president in the history of our country has received," according to host Ryan Seacrest. Competing with sultry Katherine McPhee, 22, Hicks won most of the votes after Tuesday night's two-hour performance show, Billboard.com said.

    Competing with Katherine McPhee, 22, for the fifth crown, the 29-year-old Birmingham, Alabama, native won the most of the 63.4 million votes.

    Hicks had legions of fans from the start. He bagged a recording contract within the RCA Music Group as his prize.

    "I'm living the American dream," said Hicks, as he closed out the show with a performance of "Do I Make You Proud."

    Hicks, whose prematurely graying hair and manic dancing has made him a consistent favorite among the show's 30 million regular viewers, made his mark on Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" on Tuesday's show.

    Last season's victor, Carrie Underwood of Checotah, Okla., opened Wednesday night's finale, joining Hicks and McPhee on "I Made it Through the Rain" and later soloing on "Don't Forget to Remember Me."

    The show, airing twice weekly, has given the Fox network the biggest hit in prime time and propelled the broadcaster to first place this season in the ratings race for viewers aged 18 to 49, the audience most prized by advertisers. Enditem

    (Agencies)