Gilman was born on May 24, 1988, in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was raised in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, in the town of Richmond. He is the son of Frances "Fran" (Woodmansee) and William Wendell "Bill" Gilman, Jr., who works in maintenance. Gilman began singing before he was in school, and gave his first public performance at the age of seven. At the age of nine, Gilman was discovered by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, who helped him record demos. Gilman was then signed to Epic Records Nashville in 2000.\n', '

Gilman\'s debut single "One Voice", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 38. It also became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2000. 11 years old at the time, he became the youngest artist to ever have a top 40 single on the country chart.\n', '

His debut album, also called One Voice was released on June 20, 2000 on Epic Records, and was certified double platinum in the United States. The album included the title track "One Voice" and the follow-up singles "Oklahoma" and "There\'s a Hero". The single "Oklahoma" was released on October 9, 2000 making it to the Billboard Hot Country Songs top 40 peaking at number 33. It also cracked the main Hot 100 chart peaking at number 63.\n', '

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