 |
Full
Name: William Wendell Gilman Birthdate: May 24,1988 Place Of Birth: Westerly, Rhode Island Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue Height: 4'7'' |
|
His Voice exuding infectious enthusiasm, Billy Gilman is talking about
his goals. "All I really want is to please the people, the audience."
Spoken like a born entertainer. And if there's anyone these days who qualifies
for description it's Gilman. A singer nearly since the age of three and
a performer since seven, Billy, with the release of his Epic-Neshville
debut, One Voice, is now, at a ripe twelve years old, a recording artist
to be reckoned with. In a few short weeks the 4'7'' powerhouse edged out Brenda Lee to become the youngest person to ever have a song on Billboard Magazine's Country Singles Chart; "One Voice" broke into the top 5 in the SoundScan Singles Sales Chart even before radio stations started playing the song; and the music video was atop request the very hit the airwaves-- all of which took place weeks before the album reached the stores. An album of immediate appeal and remarkable assurance, One Voice is in fact the culmination of the young musician's earliest dreams. Delivered by the triple-strength production crew of David Malloy (Reba McEntire, Eddie Rabbit), Don Cook (Brooks & Dunn) and Blake Chaney (Dixie Chicks), the record features some of Music City's finest players and songs by a host of top-rate writers. Yet the voice - and what a voice - is all Billy's own. From the inspirational message of the little track and first sinngle (and its deeply moving video) to the danceable zest of "Little Bitty Pretty Onne" from a high-energy remake of Sixties classic"Little Things" to the uplifitng dynamism of "There's a Hero" this music that instantly engages the listeners - and then lingers in the heart and soul. Of his studio experience, he again waxes zealous, "It was more than fun. It was better than any dream I've ever had." Of the show-stopping stanfing ovation for his performance at the recent Academy of Country Music Awards he adds, "It was a life-altering experience."  And it's a true reflection of Billy Gilman. A rare combination intimidating talent and gensine boyish charm (Norman Rockwell could've painted his portrait), Billy is that unusual phenomenon - a natural. "At school, for Show 'n' Tell, the other kids would bring in comic book stuff or sc,ence projects," he says. "I'd always sing." While in recent months the singer has enjoyed his television debut on TNN,meeting with the impressive likes of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks, and sharing stages with George Strait and Tim McGraw, his upbringing is decidedly down-home, emphatically small-town American. Raised outside Providence in the tree-lined neighborhoods of Hope Valley, Rhode Island, Billy grew up listening to pure country. "Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Eddie Arnold, all the classics," he lists, of the records his grandparents played. Interesting fare for a New England youngster, but it was the emotional singing style of county's classic performers, he says, that hooked him. His mother annd father, while delighted their son's gift and supportive of his efforts from the start, are hardly stereotypical stage-struck parents hovering in the wings, egg,ng him on. "No," Billy says with a chuckle. "I always say that they're not bringing me into the music business, I'am bringing them" A family connection, however, did spur the boy forward. It was Billy's grandmother, Ginger, who introduced him to Angela Bacart, the vocal coach who would soon become his mentor, friend and co-manager along with rpm management (Tim McGraw, Jessica Andrews). With the boy already singing on local stages when most kids are just thinking about Little League, Amgela encouraged his innate gifts, sharpening his skils yet never sacrificing spontaneity (while his vocal are pitch-perfect, Billy's as fluidly emotional a singer as you're likely to hear). Ray Benson, of the legendary Asleep at the Wheel, became Billy's next guiding light. Ray recorded a demo with Billy in Austin, Texas and then introduced him to the Nashville scene. "He's a tall guy," Billy says, "but to me it's like he's 10 feet tall - and it's obvious that the boy is speaking not only about Ray's height but how large the man figures in Billy's estimation. Management contract and record deal in hand, Bily then pitched into the making of One Voice, "On stage, I can just go crazy," he says - and indeed he's a dynamo live, a whirlwind not afraid to cut loose and be himself - "but in the studio, you have to focus in a diffirent way." Whether on a ballad or a rocker, either "What's Forever For" or "The Snake Song," Billy delivered - and it's a an unforgettable voice, strong, supple and of crystalline clarity. One Voice,then, is his musical calling card - a kind of passport to the life of music-making he's long envisioned. "I can't remember when I didn't want to s,ng," he says, "This is what I've always dreamed of." And, whether it's a TV appearance with Rosie O'Donnell, a Grand Ole Opry performance, his first Fan Fair or recording a future Christmas album, Billy is ready. One gem on his album boasts a title that could serve as an apt description for his drive: "I Waana Get Ya." The odds are overwhelming that Billy will succeed. An expressive, del,ghtful, articulate annd powerful vocalist with a dynamic stage presence, he possesses qualities rarely reserved for young man of Billy's years. The Challange is not to justify those qualities but to embrace them and present them in a way that honors his talent, dreams and ambitions... |
|
|
>>>
FAQ
|
