Bringing the 'big vocals': Steve Hornbeak and Billy Gilman say their upcoming Cape show will have broad appeal

Cape Girardeau native and seasoned musician Steve Hornbeak and multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-nominated artist Billy Gilman will team up Sept. 26 for a three-hour show at Ray's Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau.

Gilman is remembered for his 2000 debut hit single "One Voice," which hit the top 20 on the Billboard country music chart, making him the youngest singer with a Top 40 hit on the chart. He recently released "Say You Will," his first single release since 2008.

Hornbeak and Gilman have been a team for more than a decade. Hornbeak has been Gilman's band leader and has toured with him since Gilman was 12. Now, at 26, Gilman enjoys success many people twice his age have yet to realize. Before he was 16, he was a multiplatinum recording artist, having sold five million CDs. He has performed with the legendary Ray Charles and Reba McEntire as well as Keith Urban, George Strait and Alan Jackson, to name a few.

Gilman characterized his style as being akin to that of Dan + Shay and Rascal Flatts.

"Big vocals and great choruses," is the way Gilman defined it in an interview with the Southeast Missourian.

Steve Hornbeak (Fred Lynch)

Hornbeak has performed with Lee Greenwood, Faith Hill, Richard Marx, Bob Hope, Olivia Newton John and Kenny Rogers, among other greats. Hornbeak credits Greenwood with giving him his big break when he was 24. Hornbeak has also been on the David Letterman Show about a dozen times with Faith Hill.

His desire now, Hornbeak said, is "to discover someone in Southeast Missouri I can take under my wing and teach them what I've learned working with artists. ... I want to try to help some local people."

Hornbeak and Gilman in August took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry -- something Hornbeak had done countless times, but his band had not.

"To take my own band with local guys from Southeast Missouri who never thought they'd get to do something like this was such a thrill for me," he said of performing on such a storied stage. "I feel like Santa Claus."

He has reveled in grand experiences with grander musicians, traveled to large cities and toured 30 countries, yet Hornbeak remains humble with a heart for his hometown, even though he loved living in Nashville, Tennessee.

"The small-town part of me was always [in Cape Girardeau]. ... When I come home, I really feel like I'm coming home," Hornbeak said. He attributes his ability to remain so grounded to his Christian upbringing and family.

Gilman, a native of Westerly, Rhode Island, credits his ability to keep both feet on the ground to family and friends, "who make you who you are." He said, "I have a great support system who just loves me and not my career. That's very important."

Both men expect the Cape Girardeau show to have broad appeal.

"Any chance to connect with an audience is amazing," Gilman said, adding he's always had "fans that spanned the generations" and that his style includes both old and new country music genres. Hornbeak's band -- Steve Hornbeak and the Mainstreet Players -- is a variety band. He describes the band's style as a little country, rock, Motown and Doobie Brothers that appeals to all ages. The meshing of these two talents over the years has proven to be a good combination.

Of this chemistry, Gilman said: "Steve was my piano player on my first big tour. He has been with me almost ever since. It's rare you get someone with such an amazing musicality that really understands an artist. He's also like a big brother, so it's really like a family affair. We have fun doing what we love, which is performing, and I think people see that immediately."

The respect is mutual. Hornbeak said that when he performed with Gilman last month at the Union County Fair, "the community just wanted to adopt him." He also praised Gilman for participating in a recent open-mic event, where the girls, especially, were fond of him. Hornbeak looks forward to Thursday, the day before the concert, when Gilman will be his guest, playing the acoustic guitar, in a Relay for Life fundraiser.

Hornbeak and Gilman also are working on separate projects. Hornbeak is a member of the cast of ABC's "Nashville," portraying the keyboardist for actress Connie Britton in the role of country music star Rayna James. The show's season premiere is Wednesday, and Hornbeak's debut appearance will be Oct. 1. Gilman is working on a video for his single "Say You Will," as well as additional music.

With his wife Kathy, Hornbeak owns Kiki's Coffee House in downtown Anna, Illinois, in the same building that houses his music studio, 326 Productions. The coffeehouse hosts open mic sessions at 6 p.m. Thursdays.

Doors for the Cape Girardeau event will open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m. The cost is $30 for dinner and the concert, $15 for general admission to the show, and $20 for dinner and the concert for children younger than 12.

Ticket information is available at facebook.com/stevehornbeak or by calling 332-1118.

Pertinent address:

3257 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO