COHOES – At age 35, Billy Gilman has accomplished many accolades in his 24-year singing career.
Yes, we said 24 years.
At 11, Gilman’s debut single “One Voice” reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him the youngest artist to have a Top 40 single on the country chart.
In 2016, after taking some time away from music, he competed on season 11 of the hit TV show “The Voice” under team Adam Levine. With the help of viewers’ votes, Gilman became a runner-up finalist.
On Monday, Dec. 4, Gilman will return to the Capital Region to take part in Kevin Richards’ Country Concerts Close Up series for the second time. This will be his first appearance at the Cohoes Music Hall, which will present his show, “Billy Gilman: Close Up Christmas & Hits.”
Gilman’s first appearance at Richards’ production was last year at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls. Richards reached out to Billy and his agency about taking part in the country music series. At the theater, Billy was blown away by the fan response and the audience participation, which he loved, and was impressed by the whole experience of the production, he told TheSpot518.
“I remember saying to him as we were leaving the theater after the performance, I said, ‘Kevin, I really hope to do this again with you guys. It’s been a really, really neat thing,’” Gilman recalled. “Every so often you get to go back to a city or back to a certain area … but we made it work, and the audiences seem to be responding, and the tickets are going well so I’m very excited to go back, because the audience really touched me.”
Gilman will perform some new songs from his newest record, Christmas songs, hit songs from his career, including songs heard on his run on “The Voice,” in “Billy Gilman: Close Up Christmas & Hits”.
Since February, Gilman has performed across the nation in Maine, Ohio, Tennessee and Iowa, and his last regular show, which featured songs from his newest album and hit songs, was Nov.11 in Charlotte, N.C. For the remainder of the tour, he will perform 14 Christmas shows and will do a New Year’s Eve show before concluding touring February 2024.
The Christmas show
“I put a little bit of everything in there. I put some songs that people probably grew up listening to like “Don’t Stop Believing” and then I do my songs of course, the ones that people will remember if they remember my career as a kid, and they do, which is astonishing,” Gilman said. “I have new songs, some of them that have not been released, which people will love to hear. I do some songs that are from my time on ‘The Voice,’ so yeah it’s literally a bunch of everything, so you won’t be bored with just brand new songs that you can’t sing along to, I can promise you that.”
Gilman will also have a meet-and-greet with fans at his acoustic, intimate show featuring local act Mike-Bear and Jenna Sue.
The first time Billy came to Glens Falls to do his first show with Richards, he loved sitting with an audience and telling them a story behind his songs.
“I think it’s really, really neat. It gives them an opportunity to get to hear things that they wouldn’t ordinarily hear,” he said. “It’s been a long journey and I’m only 35-years-old, and it seems like I’ve been doing it for 135 years.”
Adolescence to ‘The Voice’ comeback
Born and raised in Westerly, R.I., and splitting his time between his Rhode Island residence and Bowling Green, Ky., where he spends his time songwriting and composing music with his band, Gilman has had quite the musical journey.
He took a break from music when he entered puberty and his voice changed, which almost damaged his vocal cords. It took a long time for him to regain his voice, and he had to be placed on voice rest.
“It was a very rough patch of growing up, especially growing up and using my voice as a singer and not just as a speaker or going to school and using it normally. I used it for different reasons,” Gilman said.
Gilman went to Nashville for a few years, where he worked in the songwriting community to write and co-produce music. It was during that period when “The Voice” first approached him about competing on the show. For four years, Gilman turned down the show’s producers.
“I just didn’t think that I wanted to be on a reality TV show,” Gilman said. “I mean, I was a kid, and if a kid can get a record deal just on the mere fact of singing, after doing all of that and all of that journey, why do I have to rely on a TV show? I didn’t have to back then.”
Eventually, his mood changed and he saw the show in a different light. He finally decided to give it a go in 2016
“I’m really happy that I finally said yes to doing it. I’m super grateful that people really understood that I wanted to come back, and this was the way that I felt it was necessary to be on ‘The Voice,’” Gilman said. “I’m happy that after that, people have continued to show up at the concerts, pay to see shows and the meet and greets, CD’s, and download the songs on whatever platform that you listen to your music on. I’m just super grateful that people are still invested and intrigued in what I want to show them.”
Being on “The Voice” was a great experience for Gilman as it also allowed him the creative freedom to choose and sing meaningful songs.
“I’ve done this, literally, my entire life, and I thought I’ve seen it all, heard it all, went through it all, but the work that goes into that show that you have to muster up the strength and energy to maintain, is really truly incredible,” Gilman said. “I’ve a newfound appreciation and respect for anyone that wants to go on that show because it’s a lot, especially if you make it to the finale. … It was a great experience, but it was a lot of work.”
New record
and past hits
Looking ahead, Gilman is excited to release his first bluegrass record next year. He has been wanting to create this record for 15 years, and he had difficulty getting the project off the ground.
Gilman eventually found a songwriting team, an agent, and a record label that believed in his idea. He and his songwriting team were able to co-write songs in Bowling Green, Ky., and record the singles in Nashville, which include “Delta Queen,” “Roller Coaster,” “Buried,” “States,” and “Until You Come Home,” to name a few.
“Delta Queen” was released as a single Oct. 13, and ”Roller Coaster” was released March 14. Both songs can be heard on all music platforms, along with his older hits “One Voice,” “Oklahoma,” and “Elizabeth.”
“For the first time, this sounds like a true record,” Gilman said. “Every record I made was always at the helm of everyone else telling me what to do, and this one sounds completely like a record from backwards to forwards and I’m proud of that. … I’m very proud of that consistency that we have on this record.”
The entire album will be released in early 2024.
With the show coming to Cohoes in less than a week, fans can expect to hear several of his new songs, old classics such as “One Voice” or “I Surrender,” and traditional Christmas songs “Old Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” and “The Bells of Saint Paul.”
Gilman said he loves to bring people new songs that they might not hear and then eventually, they become fans.
“It’s great to be able to do it more than once, at least you get to live it out a little longer and make it worth your while,” he said. “As much time goes into creating any kind of show, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do it just more than once.”
“If you’re looking to escape the craziness of the world and hear some great music that can inspire you and help you and make you feel good or make you feel something, don’t miss this show because I promise you that it will be one that you will never forget.” Gilman concluded.
To learn more about Billy Gilman, his music, and his upcoming tours, go to www.billygilman.com. Go to Cohoes Music Hall (thecohoesmusichall.org) for show and ticket information.
