YOUNG MAN, OLD HAND EARN INDUSTRY KUDOS.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

It isn't every year the Academy of Country Music Awards - not to be confused with the similar-sounding Country Music Association Awards - recognizes an artist who has made a killer comeback and a golden-throated kid who recently came out of nowhere.

Wednesday's ceremony at the Universal Amphitheatre will be doing just that as it shines the spotlight on 63-year-old Kenny Rogers and 12-year-old Billy Gilman who - despite their differences in age and experience - both want the same things: hit records, adoring fans and a chance to be heard.

The reality is that it's not so simple even for a kid with a hit record. ``I'm just loving every minute of this because you never know when it's going to end,'' Gilman admits.

Rogers had the good fortune of knowing what it's like to be an all-star before encountering a streak of bad luck a decade ago. These days, he describes himself as ``a one-day-at-a-time kind of guy'' who made his big comeback without the backing of a major record company.

The industry turned its back on Rogers, condemning the snowy-haired bear of a man as a has-been. But after having come so far in his career, Rogers wasn't ready to call it quits.

It was his breakthrough 1977 hit ``Lucille'' that set Rogers on the road to becoming a household name. A string of hits followed, including the 1979 song ``The Gambler,'' which was spun into a made-for-TV movie starring Rogers.

His duets were equally memorable. In 1983, Rogers paired up on ``We've Got Tonight'' with Sheena Easton, ``Islands in the Stream'' with Dolly Parton and ``What About Me?'' with Kim Carnes and James Ingram.

But America's most recognizable country music singer hit a rough patch during the 1990s just as country was going through a resurgence. He continued making records and performing concerts, but the industry had lost interest in the aging Rogers.

It was sexy new artists like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill and their pop-induced hits the industry was hot for. Rogers tried not to take the rejection to heart.

``The thing I have to remember is that a lot of the program directors weren't even born when I had a hit last time,'' says Rogers. ``Whatever I did was before their time.''

He may have fallen off the radar screen but Rogers was convinced there was still room in popular country music for his brand of twangy-sweet romantic ballads.

In 1999, he embarked on a grass-roots campaign by taking a song about a kid and a baseball game called ``The Greatest'' to ball parks across the nation. Requests started pouring in like crazy.

``That really brought him back to the forefront,'' says Fran Boyd, who is executive director of the Academy of Country Music. The ACM will be honoring Rogers with its Career Achievement Award.

The success of ``The Greatest'' led to Rogers showing up at radio stations with his guitar to perform the song live.

``You should have seen the phone lines light up,'' he says, chuckling.

Rogers immediately followed up ``The Greatest'' with the romantic single ``Buy Me a Rose.'' It went to No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart, making the alleged ``has-been'' the first singer over 60 to reach the top spot.

The song has earned Rogers a nomination for vocal event of the year.

``That was a huge, huge song for Kenny and for us here at KZLA,'' says Tonya Campos, music director at Los Angeles' only commercial country music station. ``We still get requests for it.''

According to Campos, the song's message about keeping the home fires burning in this age of two-hour freeway commutes is what strikes a chord with so many people. Especially in L.A.

``We had numerous phone calls about people that ended up having romantic dinners or established a date night after hearing that song,'' she says.

Similarly, Gilman's debut single ``One Voice'' hit just as hard. It earned him the title as the youngest solo artist to place on Billboard's country singles chart since Brenda Lee.

In fact, a talent like Gilman hasn't come along since 1996 when Leann Rimes burst onto the scene with her debut single, ``Blue.'' She was barely a teen-ager when she became a star just as Gilman is now.

While he admittedly stands smaller than most boys his age, the 12-year- old country crooner is a giant when it comes to singing.

``That's the big thing with Billy,'' says Campos. ``I think he's just a talented individual.''

Gilman is nominated for three ACM awards, including top new male vocalist, album and song of the year.

He began blasting out Broadway tunes and Pam Tillis songs around his Rhode Island home at age 3. But Gilman insists he knew then that he wanted to be on stage.

He wasn't the only one who had the ambition. His grandmother and mother seemed to see the potential of the talented tot who had grown into quite an accomplished singer by the age of 8.

They signed Gilman up for voice training, and through the teacher's connections landed the boy a meeting with the band Asleep at the Wheel. The next thing Gilman knew, he was on the artists' roster at Sony Music.

Boyd was so floored by an early demo she heard of Gilman singing the Tammy Wynette song ``Stand by Your Man'' that she invited the then 11-year-old to perform at last year's ACM awards, which got him a standing ovation.

``Let me tell you, that kid is fantastic,'' says Boyd. ``He's a real showman. ... He works the stage and the crowd like an artist who's been around for 10, 15 years.''

Now Gilman returns to the ACMs to perform the country-pop single ``She's My Girl'' off his new album, ``Dare to Dream.'' It's in stores today.

``It's a really cool song,'' says Gilman with amped-up enthusiasm. ``It's about this so-called flawless girl - I mean, I haven't seen her yet.

``Where is she?'' he says with a giggle, dropping a hint to all the female fans who flood his Web site (www.billygilman.com) with e-mails.

Gilman's Web site also keeps his fans informed about the latest news, from tours - he hits the road this summer with Jessica Andrews - to the release date of his latest album. His newest endeavor was produced by the same team of men - David Malloy, Blake Chancey and Don Cook - responsible for his last record. But ``Dare to Dream'' is more experimental than its predecessor.

``It's nowadays music,'' says Gilman, admitting it's more along the lines of his musical tastes.

As it turns out, he's a big fan of Britney Spears, 'N Sync and Lil' Bow Wow. But he also has a soft spot for old-fashioned faves Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra.

So while Gilman represents the new voice in country music, Rogers has proved alone that there's still plenty of room left for the old guys.

``Assuming we do things that are quality, I believe we can all reach our goals,'' Rogers says.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- cover -- color) Kenny Rogers

(2 -- cover -- color) Billy Gilman

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(3) The Academy of Country Music honors Kenny Rogers with its Career Achievement Award - and a nomination for his song ``Buy Me a Rose.''

(4) Billy Gilman, who has three Academy of Country Music Awards nominations, will perform a new song at Wednesday's ceremony.