GILMAN'S 'VOICE' HELPS EASE SAN DIEGO MOURNING IN WAKE OF
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS
By John Christian Hopkins - The Sun
WESTERLY - Billy Gilman's amazing 'Voice' has stretched from
Hope Valley to San Diego in an effort to soothe the suffering
of survivors and families of victims of one of the nation's
latest school shootings.
KSON-FM, a San Diego-area radio station has modified Gilman's
platinum hit "One Voice" to directly address the shooting
last week at Santana High School, which left two students
dead and 13 people wounded in the San Diego suburb of Santee,
Calif.
"There's not a lot we can do as a radio station other than to
organize relief funds," said KSON's Donald Angulo. "But we
wanted to do something to promote the healing."
On March 5, 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams allegedly
brought a gun to school and opened fire in a boy's room.
Police allege Williams then walked out onto a commons area
and continued to blast away randomly.
KSON took Gilman's song and spliced audio bites from local
news reports of the shooting over instrumental portions of
"One Voice" Angulo said. He gave credit for the idea to Tony
Randall and Kris Rochester, co-hosts of his station's "Tony
and Kris in the Morning" show.
"It has been huge, there's been a great response from our
listeners," said Angulo, the executive producer of "Tony and
Kris in the Morning."
Knowing that his song was being used to ease the pain of the
tragedy was "very, very overwhelming," Gilman said.
"I just went to my Web site because there's something new
every day and that's how I just found out (his song was being
used)," said Gilman, 12. "When I found out, it was just
really touching."
"I could cry," said his manager Angela Bacari, who had not
known of the song's use until asked her reaction. "That's
incredible. I could just cry."
The hit "One Voice" - which peaked at No. 2 on the country
charts - tells the plaintive tale of a student looking for
answers in the face of an ever more violent world.
"The song is perfect for this situation," Angulo said. "We
wanted to show people we sympathize, and we wanted to start
the healing process. People have been calling in and thanking
us for putting it together."
KSON has also worked with its local ABC affiliate to conduct
forums to help people cope with the tragedy, Angulo said. The
forums have included two students from Santana High School
and a school official from Columbine High School, he added.
A humble Gilman is hoping his song can help ease the
suffering of the survivors in the aftermath of such a tragic
situation.
Gilman has been busy rehearsing, and he leaves for Nashville
Monday to begin work on his next album, which is due in
stores May 8.
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