COUNTRY SINGING SENSATION BILLY GILMAN WORKING ON A NEW SOUND
By John Christian Hopkins - The Sun
WESTERLY - Remember Gary Paxton? Or Scott MacKenzie?
Paxton - in essence, he was the Hollywood Argyles - had one
huge hit song in "Alley Oop," before unraveling. For
MacKenzie, success bloomed with "(If you're going to) San
Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)" before
wilting just as suddenly.
Although the odds of getting one hit song to climb high on
the charts are astronomical, the prospect of doing the
impossible a second time can be even more daunting.
That's the situation Hope Valley's Billy Gilman finds himself
in as he returns to Nashville hoping to catch lightning in a
bottle one more time. He is back in the studio, working on
his new record.
Gilman, the 12-year-old country star, is chomping at the bit
to get his newest CD completed. The CD, to be titled "Dare to
Dream," is scheduled to be released May 8.
He found magic with his debut CD, "One Voice." The album -
and single of the same name - took on lives of their own and
soared up the charts, spending most of last summer in the top
five rankings. For nearly 40 weeks now "One Voice" has
remained strong, no lower than 14th on the country chart.
With the recent rash of school shootings, "One Voice" has
found a new audience. The song deals with an increasingly
violent world, reaching into the lives of children. Last
week, Billboard singled out "One Voice" as the biggest-gainer
on the country chart.
One of the hardest decisions for a performer is whether to
stay with a tried-and-true formula, or try to break into a
new direction.
Gilman and his advisers have already made that decision with
his upcoming CD.
"It's not going to sound like 'One Voice'," said Gilman, who
is rapidly closing on his 13th birthday. Then he hastily
defended his smash hit, saying he didn't mean to sound like
he didn't like "One Voice," his platinum-selling debut
effort.
Instead, country music's wunderkind wants to produce a more
mature sound.
"What I want is for people to take me seriously," Gilman
said.
The history of music is full of young acts - like the New
Kids on the Block - who reached the stratosphere of
popularity, but lacked the necessity for longevity. The New
Kids, and similar young acts, either outgrew their "roles" or
watched as their audience outgrew them.
But while it's tough to repeat the magic, there are plenty of
examples of those who were talented enough to beat the odds.
Michael Jackson comes to mind; a superstar by age 5, Jackson
- King of Pop or not - is one of the most gifted entertainers
of all time.
Even in his own country genre, Gilman need not look too far
for examples of continued success. Tanya Tucker and LeAnn
Rimes both scored mega-hits while barely teen-agers and
managed to continue lucrative and successful careers.
Rimes scored a huge hit with "Blue," before legal wrangling
over her career temporarily sidetracked her. But she was able
to bounce back with "How do I Live (Without You)," which
holds the Billboard record for the most weeks (32) in the Top
10.
Gilman hopes to emulate Rimes, one of the singers he looks up
to.
Lost in the monumental success of "One Voice" is the fact
that Gilman already had a second album near the top of the
charts - his "Classic Christmas" peaked at No. 5 on its way
to reaching gold record status.
Gilman hopes people don't take him the wrong way, he isn't
complaining about the phenomenal success of "One Voice,"
which spent more than 30 weeks in the Top 10 rankings. But he
wants to grow as an artist, to explore new boundaries, he
said.
"This will be a different sound for me," Gilman said.
Although "One Voice" included the powerful title track and
equally-poignant "Oklahoma," there were other lighter -
though still enjoyable - songs, such as "I Think She Likes
Me" and "The Snake Song."
But now Gilman is confident he can take his career up a notch
with his new CD.
"We're nervous, we're excited," said manager Angela Bacari.
Work has already started on the album, with about half the
songs picked out, she said.
"There's still a lot (of work) to do," Gilman said.
The new CD's anticipated May 8 debut comes almost a year
since "One Voice" took the music world by storm.
By any standards, "One Voice" was huge, garnering numerous
award nominations - including two for Grammys - landing the
singing star on various television shows and even being
played in the background of the Republican National
Convention.
Meanwhile, Gilman has brushed shoulders with celebrities and
politicos from Jay Leno to Britney Spears to his idol Pam
Tillis and to soon-to-be-President George W. Bush. He even
performed his hit song for then-President Bill Clinton.
Gilman is anticipating another hectic year - though he has
already made plans to play at the Washington County Fair in
Richmond in August. He has booked about 40 dates throughout
July and August for a planned "Dare to Dream" tour with
17-year-old star Jessica Andrews, Bacari said. Andrews
currently has the No. 3 album on the country charts.
"It's DARE, like the DARE project in classrooms," Bacari
said, referring to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(D.A.R.E.) program. "He tries so hard to encourage the youth,
encouraging them to say no to drugs and cigarettes."
Gilman said he will continue to show his appreciation for his
local fans.
"They were with me first, they supported me when I was
playing at the fairs," Gilman said. "I want them to know I
appreciate them."
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