Billy is currently racking up the frequent flier miles promoting his album across the country. He's been on the Rosie O'Donnell Show, where she told him he "was going to be a big star someday." His memorable performance of Bob Wills' "Roly Poly" with Asleep at the Wheel on March's Academy of Country Music Awards is being compared to Ricky Martin's breakthrough appearance on last year's Grammy show. Billy has also strutted his stuff on the George Strait Country Music Festival, the Today show and CNN, and is profiled in the Aug. 7 issue of People magazine.

The Rhode Island native has been performing since the age of three, when he first saw Pam Tillis singing on a Disney special. When he was seven, he became a "professional," finding every opportunity to sing his heart out. Now the energetic fellow is hard at work on his first Christmas album, which is scheduled to hit stores late this fall. It's amazing how much one little voice can accomplish. (Donna Hughes)

A Star Is Born

Billy Gilman: "[The first time I knew I wanted to be a singer was] probably when I was about 3 years old, when I saw this Pam Tillis show . . . [and she was] singing "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial." I fell in love with that song and started singing it.

"I come from that little, teeny-weeny state on the East Coast -- Rhode Island. The story begins, my grandmother took me to this woman [Angela Bacari] that was taking on new students to train vocally . . . and I worked with her a couple of years and now she's my manager, along with Scott Siman of RPM Management.

"My manager and vocal coach, who has made my voice the way it is, knows this guy out of Connecticut -- he's a saxophone player and a vocalist. And so I sang at this party one day, and he happened to be there because he was playing too. So he goes, 'I love this kid. Can you get me a tape? I'm going down to Austin, Texas, to do the Austin City Limits and I'll bring one to Ray Benson, who's from Asleep at the Wheel and who's my buddy. I'll take it to him and he'll take it somewhere.' He sent it down to Ray. Ray flipped. He sent me to his studio in Austin, Texas. We did a demo. He sent it to Ray and all the recording companies, and now I'm with Sony."

One Voice Was Heard

"A couple of my producers wrote ['One Voice'] and they said, 'Hey, Billy, try this song out.' And I had to, like, hear it more and more to get used to it, and then once I heard it for the sixth time, I said, 'I love this song.' So we did that on my album. It's basically about seeing the world's problems through a child's eyes, with guns and violence and schools, but it has a real positive ending."

That's Not Usually the Way They Do It

"It was cool because [my producers would] send all the songs up to Rhode Island and we'd work on them. And the ones that I wasn't into, Angela would call and say, 'Well, Billy's not into this song really well. We'll try it down at the studio and if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for anyone else.'"

Studio vs. Stage

"[In the studio] I had to stand in front of the mic . . . and I'd just get into the groove, you know? The hardest part of it was that I couldn't hold the mic. The mic hangs down."

Supportive Friends

"[My school friends] knew from first grade that this is what I'd been wanting to do, because in show and tell, they'd bring in toys -- they'd bring dinosaurs. I'd bring in a tape and I'd say, 'Do you have a stereo?' and I'd sing a couple of songs for them. Isn't that funny? So, all they say is, if they see me on TV or they hear me on the radio, they go, 'There's Billy.'"

Silly Love Songs?

"[The songs on One Voice are] mostly love songs and funny songs. One of the songs is called 'The Snake Song.' It's about a snake that falls in love with a hose -- so that's more on the kiddie side. There's this song called 'Never Gonna Spend Another Night.' It's basically about a boy seeing a girl for the first time and instantly falling in love with her."

Don't Let George Hear You Say That

"My family grew up on [country music], listening to Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, George Strait -- all the old legends."

Dreams Do Come True

"The first time I saw my bus, that was the moment I said, 'My dream has come true. I've conquered it.' I jump in and out of all of the bunks, go in and out of the bathroom, and finally everybody has to say, 'Billy, you're making us seasick.'"

Helpful Hint

"I've learned that if you say pineapple before you sneeze, it helps you. I've done it, and it's helped me, but [sometimes] I forget to say it."