Billy Gilman

That's so funny you brought this up, I was watching Nashville Star last night, and I thought one of the contestants kind of looked like Billy Gilman.

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His big hit was a Columbine-era song with a quasi-spiritual element. "One Voice" I believe was the name. It was surprisingly moving and effective, with a very strong vocal performance and a catchy 'hook.' I remember it clearly -- about a boy throwing a gun in the river at the end. He sang it everywhere, but I recall seeing him on Rosie O's show -- the song certainly spoke (simplistically if on target) to one of her concerns. It was just an effective pop melody -- the lyric not as heavyhanded as it sounds.

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One his own Web site, the appearances stop at 2007, and the most recent ones are at fan fairs, casinos and Wal-Mart. Not a good sign!
Link

I saw him in a PSA recently (like last month). He still looks really cute. He's no Charlotte Church.

I like the version of "Ben" (yeah, the Michael Jackson song) that Gilman sang when he was a kid. You can find the video at YouKnowWhere.

A couple of years ago while at the dentist's office, I read an article about him in a christian magazine and it said that he had a bit of a hard time when his voice was getting deeper.