ONE VOICE, THE VOICE: Billy Gilman gave a captivating outdoor performance Friday in front of the Lizzie Rose backdrop, taking the audience through major moments in his lifelong career. (Photo by Jack Reynolds)
It has been a tumultuous week in popular music, with current affairs as intense and unpredictable as the stormy summer weather on the Jersey Shore.
Heavy Hearts in Hip Hop. Harlem-born rap artist Marcel Theo Hall, known famously as Biz Markie, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 57 due to complications of Type 2 diabetes.
Markie came up in the mid ’80s – an early spearhead of beatboxing in hip hop. He was part of the Juice Crew, the Queensbridge-oriented rap collective formed by producer Marley Marl and D.J. Magic during the golden age of hip hop, featuring such rappers as Big Daddy Kane and Roxanne Shante.
Best remembered for his 1989 platinum hit “Just a Friend,” Markie was known for his massive personality and boundless sense of humor.
Though Markie’s reign in popular music was short-lived, he became a lasting cultural fixture. Most memorable features are his cameo in the film “Men In Black II” and his charming segment, “Biz’ Beat of the Day,” on the Nickelodeon children’s series “Yo Gabba Gabba.”
Numerous artists, including Questlove, Missy Elliot, The Alabama Shakes’ Britney Howard, The Beastie Boys, Ice Cube and Nas, took to the web to honor the fallen rapper and praise his many contributions to American culture.
Markie’s death follows those of Digital Underground’s Shock G, known for the fun ’80s tune “The Humpty Dance,” and DMX, who created late ’90s hit “Party Up (Up in Here).” Both rappers suffered untimely deaths in April of this year due to accidental overdoses.
Some positive light was also shed on the rap scene this month, however, when it was announced that Tommy Boy Records, the iconic hip hop label that represented Biz Markie, Digital Underground, Africa Bambaataa, Queen Latifah and many more, was acquired by Reservoir for $100 million.
Why is this great news? In 2019, De La Soul began what the group called a “Tommy Boycott” when its members learned the label would make the De La Soul catalog available on streaming services, but would give the rap group only 10% of the revenue. Nas and Questlove were among reputable names to join De La Soul’s boycott until a new deal regarding streaming rights of the group’s work could be negotiated. Unfortunately, after seven months in standoff over the rights to their masters, De La Soul publicly announced its decision to cut ties with the label completely, and warned the public against streaming or purchasing any De La Soul music made available, writing “De La Soul WILL NOT benefit or earn deservedly/fairly.” Consequently, a catalog spanning 30 years, which includes 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead and Buhloone Mindstate, seemingly vanished into the abyss.
Reservoir’s purchase of the label is a step in a good direction for De La Soul fans. Last month, a Reservoir representative went public regarding aims to negotiate a fair deal with the rap group and bring its music back to listeners.
Pop Star Growing Pains. About a month ago, pop princess Britney Spears finally broke her silence with regard to her allegedly abusive 13-year-long conservatorship, confirming long-held suspicions of fans and serving as fodder for conspiracy theorists. While everyone involved with her, either on a familial or professional basis, has spent the following weeks pointing blame at one another, Spears exercised her newfound freedom to speak for herself – for the first time with brutal honesty – via Instagram. Her most recent win was the ability to assign herself a legal representative of her choosing.
As every detail of Spears’ life undergoes public scrutiny, one is challenged to consider the situation ethically. The string of events that led to her initial diagnosis, forced hospitalization and loss of autonomy for well over a decade was triggered and exacerbated by the relentless harassment by paparazzi and constant criticism by gossip-focused media. It continues even now, while the “Baby One More Time” star has made it perfectly clear she not only is capable of speaking for herself, but would prefer to do so rather than have others delve deeply and analytically into every move she has ever made.
Still, junk media outlets insist upon making headlines out of her daily posts, which most of the universe has already read, extrapolating bombastic theories and picking apart every detail of her message and appearance. Even diehard #freebritney advocates feed into the cycle, so what is the movement actually about? What happens if and when full freedom is granted? Will crazed fans, critics and gossip columns drive her back over the edge from whence she came? Can Britney fans dream up a less “Toxic” world, where a performer’s personal life is respected when off-stage? Unfortunately, a quintessential ’90s phrase applies: “Don’t hold your breath.”
Starstruck in Little Egg Harbor. Meanwhile, Lizzie Rose Music Room patrons had the unique opportunity to accompany 33-year-old recording artist Billy Gilman on a journey through his storied career. Gilman treated his fans to a stadium-quality performance in the unlikely but intimate setting of a pavilion in Atlantic Shore Pines Campground. Despite the sultry summer heat, Gilman pulled out all the stops, captivating listeners with Jagger-esque moves and a booming voice – one that has gone platinum and, many years later, proved itself a major contender on NBC’s “The Voice.”
Gilman was born and raised in Rhode Island, but knew where he was going by the time he was 4, when he packed his bags and told his parents, “I think I’m going to go to Nashville!” The boy, who sang before he spoke, knew it was music that pursued him, not the other way around.
He performed as a young boy, the same way many stars begin, but he struck gold almost instantaneously. When he was just 9, he recorded his first demo. He sent his demo to Austin, Texas, where it caught the attention of Asleep at the Wheel, a nine-time Grammy winning country and western swing band. “Asleep at the Wheel took me under their wing and let me record a song,” he explained during an interview with The SandPaper. “I started to have success with my first round of singles. My videos hit number one.”
His first record, One Voice, released on June 20, 2000, was a smash hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album was certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The title track was a chart-topping success as well. At the age of 12, Gilman became the youngest male solo artist in history to have a top 40 hit on the country charts. He went on to release a Christmas record, which went gold, and two additional records that garnered considerable success.
Gilman cited a host of inspirational artists, ranging “anywhere from Adele, who comes and pours her heart out and leaves, or Jamie Cullum, who is just so inspiring in the way he plays, and the way he sets the tone and creates.” Gilman also toured with country star Reba McIntyre as a child, and looked to her as another mom. He also named Pam Tillis, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban as artists who touched him, many of whom he now calls friends.
After achieving fast fame, Gilman explained he had Mother Nature to contend with, as his voice began to mature. After almost damaging his voice, he underwent extensive vocal rest. During that interim phase of his development, he got deeply involved with charity work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
During his late teens and early 20s, Gilman began to retrain his voice. “I wanted to go to Nashville and get into the publishing companies and just create from the ground up,” he explained. “I’m so grateful I did that, in hindsight.” Now he has a wealth of experience, not to mention songs, to pull from. “Some of them (songs) went to other artists, and now I’ve put some back in my show and they sound brand new – some of these songs are 10 years old!”
During his Lizzie Rose performance, Gilman gave his audience a full tour through his career, beginning with his childhood fame and traveling through his experience competing on national television in more-recent years. Throughout, he treated listeners to the stories behind his songs, and the experiences that have shaped him.
While performing his first hits, Gilman, now 33, expressed his gratitude for having excellent songwriters as a child. “They gave me such timeless songs,” he said. “Songs I’d be proud to sing at 40 and 50 (years old).”
He performed tear-jerking hit “Oklahoma,” which he explained to the audience was the story of a boy who was moved from foster care to foster care, while his father never knew he existed. Between intensely emotional lyricism and his spell-binding voice, the crowd grew still. One could hear a pin drop during each pause.
Gilman also performed a song titled “God’s Alive and Well,” off his second album, Dare to Dream. “I’ve never performed this live before,” he announced, adding that after the last year, the world could use a boost of inspiration.
Just when emotional tensions peaked, he lightened and brightened the mood with a more recent, soulful pop tune, “Get It, Got It, Good.” Listeners, totally silent just moments before, erupted into a wave of movement, dancing and clapping along to the beat.
Gilman dedicated the next segment of his performance to his experience competing on “The Voice.” He gladly shared with the audience, many of whom had followed his journey each week. “A nice opportunity fell into my lap.” After a pause, he added, “A nice opportunity fell into my lap about five times.”
While many vocalists dream of the chance to compete, Gilman’s instant reaction was to decline. “I said no for about five seasons,” he explained. “I don’t know what I thought. I didn’t want them to make a joke out of me. I didn’t want this to hurt me in any way going forward.”
After the fifth call, Gilman decided to reach out to some of his former managers and mentors for advice. In the end, each of them reiterated the same sentiment: “What have you got to lose?” Gilman continued, “So I said, you know what, an opportunity like this only comes once, and it came to me five times.”
He decided to reintroduce himself to America, this time as an artist who has grown into his own identity. He knew there would be a portion of the audience who had never seen him before; on the other hand, there would be a large number of people wondering where the child star had gone, and perhaps having an expectation of who Gilman might be now.
“I needed to spin it in a way that was surprising to the people who knew me and intriguing to the people who didn’t know me.” Rather than put on a stage persona, he said, “I just wanted to be Billy from the heart. I didn’t want to formulate it and seem disingenuous.”
Of course, Gilman’s audition was met with the epic turning of the chairs, followed by his first surprising move: choosing to join Adam Levine’s team, rather than country star Blake Shelton’s. “The first words out of my mouth (to Levine) were ‘Please don’t tell me what to sing.’” Each week, Gilman sang something completely different, showcasing his full vocal range, capability and artistic sensibility.
“Some of those songs I had always wanted to do since I was a young kid. … Now I was doing them in front of 5 million people every Monday and Tuesday,” he said, laughing. Though he was enjoying the creative freedom – as was his audience, who voted him in week after week – by the end of the show he realized he might not want to win. “Through the show, you meet record company people that you could potentially work with,” he explained, adding that by the end, he grew afraid of what winning would mean.
One major realization Gilman had by the end of the show was that he was a mainstream country artist, through and through. “I realized I needed to start bending my way back towards country music. That’s where I gravitate; how I sing a song; how the audience responds,” he shared with The SandPaper. “I have to go home, if you will, to country music.” With that in mind, if he could travel back in time, would he have chosen Shelton? “I think I did the right thing,” he said of his choice to go with where his heart guided at the time.
To his fans in Little Egg Harbor, he expressed sincere gratitude. “If you voted for me, thank you.” He performed a medley of vocally ambitious fan favorites from the show, such as Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Adele’s “All I Ask.” Gilman poured his soul into his favorite hit, “Anyway,” by Martina McBride. He even went on to fulfill a request for Celine Dion’s “I Surrender,” which reemerged on the charts after Gilman sang it for the televised competition.
Gilman won runner-up, which fortunately garnered him the exposure he had hoped for, without the commitment. He immediately hit the road to tour, engaging with his following in every city.
Then, of course, the pandemic saw the eclipse of music entirely, and Gilman, like all other performers, had to adjust. “I had a moment of what the hell is this? Then I said, you know what? It’s ridiculous that we have this situation, but it is what it is. It became the reality of our lives.”
He switched gears and returned home. “They said keep your circle small. I want my circle to be my family.” A major believer in philanthropic work, he focused much of his time performing for virtual charities. Then he began livestreaming concerts, performing only his songs. But after a few weeks, he found himself bored, especially without the face-to-face crowd interaction.
“The main purpose which fulfills me the most is being the messenger, having people coming together in a theater or arena, helping them, inspiring them, uniting them. We need this so much, yet we’re not allowed,” he expressed, lamenting the social limitations of the pandemic.
To keep things interesting, Gilman added covers to his livestream mix, and would do themed performances. “I did a ’70s and ’80s night, a movie night … all kinds of things.”
During quarantine, Gilman’s following increased from 75,000 to 300,000 followers.
“I never thought sitting in front of two iPhones, you could create emotion. It was really neat,” he said. “There were definitely moments when I was down and frustrated, but then my team would relay messages, like from a nurse in Indiana who just saw 15 people die, and I realized it’s not about my bad mood,” he shared. It inspired Gilman to know people were taking the time to listen to him sing, regardless of what they were going through. “There’s no greater prize.”
The Lizzie Rose “Pavilion in the Pines” concert marked Gilman’s first live performance since March 2020. “Give it up for the Lizzie Rose Music Room,” he encouraged his audience. “They had to spin their wheels a bit, but they made it happen.”
Gilman finished out the evening with a segment inspired by the show “Carpool Karaoke,” performing a few high-energy hits such as Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” with help from the audience, which was happy to oblige. He performed a three-song encore, capping off the evening with his debut smash, “One Voice.”
“‘One Voice’ just had its 20-year anniversary,” Gilman explained. To commemorate the anniversary, he re-recorded and released it with a cappella country group Home Free, along with a stunning music video. The ever-poignant hit song addresses the importance of mental health. According to Gilman, the song was inspired by the tragic event of Columbine.
“It’s crazy how, coming out of this pandemic, we needed to hear this,” he emphasized. After his dazzling encore, the audience sent him off with a standing ovation. Visit billygilman.com to follow his journey. Visit lizzierosemusic.com for tickets to more national acts performing under the pavilion in the pines.
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