Born William Wendell Gilman III on May 24, 1988, in Westerly, Rhode Island, he was raised in Hope Valley, Rhode Island.[1] Gilman began singing before he was in school, and gave his first public performance at age 7. At the age of 9, Gilman was discovered by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, who helped him record demos.[1] Gilman was then signed to Epic Records Nashville in 2000.
[edit] Musical careerOn January 23, 2001, he was voted the European’s most awarded music award in new country artist, becoming the youngest contender to ever win that prize. He was also given entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest singer to reach #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[2] In February 2001, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for his debut single «One Voice» and was nominated for Best Country Song for the songwriters, Don Cook and David Malloy. That same year, he appeared in the tribute album Country Goes Raffi, performing Raffi’s famous song «Baby Beluga.»
On September 7 and September 10, 2001, Gilman performed the song «Ben» at Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special in New York which was later televised. «Ben (song)» was originally sung by Michael Jackson in 1972.
Gilman was featured on Welsh soprano Charlotte Church’s album Dream A Dream and released a Christmas album in 2000 titled Classic Christmas, which was certified Gold by the RIAA. In 2003, Billy released his fourth album, Dare to Dream,[1] which was also certified gold. Although its singles «Elisabeth» and «She’s My Girl» both fell short of Top 40 on the Billboard country singles charts.
In 2004, Gilman took part of a reading for the then Broadway-bound musical A Tale of Two Cities (musical). He played «The Young Man,» who is Madame DeFarge’s brother.
His final album for Epic was entitled Music Through Heartsongs: Songs Based on the Poems of Mattie J.T. Stepanek. These songs were based on poems written by Mattie Stepanek, a poet with muscular dystrophy who died in 2004.[1]
Gilman signed to Image Entertainment in 2005 for the release of his fifth album, Everything and More. A self-titled album followed in 2006.
[edit] Personal lifeGilman lives in Hope Valley, Rhode Island with his parents Bill and Fran Gilman and his younger brother Colin, frequently flying back to Nashville to write and record.[citation needed]. He is also a Celebrity Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
[edit] Discography[edit] Studio albumsTitle Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country
[3] US
[4] US Indie
[5]
One Voice[A] Release date: June 20, 2000
Label: Epic Nashville
2 22 — US: 2× Platinum[6]
CAN: Gold[7]
Dare to Dream Release date: May 8, 2001
Label: Epic Nashville
6 45 — US: Gold[6]
Music Through Heartsongs Release date: April 15, 2003
Label: Epic Nashville
15 109 —
Everything and More Release date: May 3, 2005
Label: Image Entertainment
39 — 17
Billy Gilman Release date: September 6, 2006
Label: Image Entertainment
55 — 29
«—» denotes releases that did not chart
Notes
A^ One Voice also peaked at number 6 on the RPM Country Albums chart in Canada.[8]
[edit] Holiday albumsTitle Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country
[3] US
[4] US Holiday
[9]
Classic Christmas Release date: October 17, 2000
Label: Epic Nashville
4 42 5 US: Gold[6]
[edit] SinglesYear Single Peak chart positions Album
US Country
[10] US
[11] US AC
[12] UK
[13]
2000 «One Voice»[A] 20 38 29 84 One Voice
«Oklahoma» 33 63 — —
2001 «There’s a Hero» — — — —
«She’s My Girl» 50 — — — Dare to Dream
«Elisabeth» 56 — — —
2005 «Everything and More» — — — — Everything and More
«Hey, Little Suzie (The Cause of All That)» — — — —
2006 «Gonna Find Love» — — — — Billy Gilman
«Southern Star» — — — —
2007 «Crying» — — — — Non-album song
2008 «When You Come Home» — — — —
«—» denotes releases that did not chart
Notes
A^ «One Voice» also peaked at number 23 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[14]
[edit] Other charted songsYear Single Peak positions Album
US Country
[10]
2000 «Warm and Fuzzy» 50 Classic Christmas
[edit] Music videosYear Video Director
2000 «One Voice» Trey Fanjoy
«Oklahoma»
«Warm and Fuzzy» David McClister
2001 «There’s a Hero» Brent Hedgecock
«She’s My Girl»
«Elisabeth» Shaun Silva
2003 «I Am (Shades of Life)»
2005 «Everything and More» Alec Asten
«Hey, Little Suzie (The Cause of All That)»
