'The Choice' All-Star Single Helps Deliver 30,000 Pairs of Shoes Worldwide

Posted Aug 7th 2012 3:30PM by Stephen L. Betts
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Frederick Breedon, Getty Images

Through the efforts of 19 of country music's biggest stars, including Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire and Alan Jackson, more than 30,000 people around the world, many of them children, have received a pair of shoes, thanks to the recently-released single "The Choice," which featured those artists and more on the tune, proceeds from which benefit the nonprofit organization Soles4Souls.

"I always took for granted the significance of owning a pair of shoes, but I never will again," says multi-platinum-selling singer Billy Gilman, who co-wrote the song and spearheaded the effort to bring all of the artists together.

Also heard on the song are LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Rodney Atkins, Montgomery Gentry, Amy Grant, Steve Holy, Wynonna, Richie McDonald, Steve Holy, Ronnie Milsap, Craig Morgan, Kellie Pickler, Diamond Rio, Randy Travis and Josh Turner.

"Every single download of the song will put a pair of shoes on someone in need around the world," says Billy, who was in Jacksonville, Fla., last week to personally help distribute some of the first shoes generated by the song. "It's as simple as that -- downloading the song in order to put one pair of shoes on a child. The trucks are just now starting to leave the warehouse and we are beginning to see the positive effect that this song is having. Thousands of people now have much higher self-esteem -- they are now less likely to catch a disease, and more likely to land a job. And we are just getting started."

Proceeds from each download of the song go to Soles4Souls, the nonprofit organization, based in Nashville, collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty.

"The Choice" was released by Cotton Valley Records in April. Download it here.