They might not be Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but a West Virginia firefighter and his daughter are generating some of the same musical magic as the "A Star Is Born" duo thanks to their rendition of "Shallow."
A video of Randy Gillispie, a member of the Charleston Fire Department, and Autumn, his 14-year-old daughter, belting out the Academy Award-winning single has been making the rounds online after Amiee Beth Gillispie, Randy's wife and Autumn's mom, posted footage of the duet on Facebook. So far, the impromptu performance has gotten more than 13 million page views. If a record turning platinum used to be the high-water mark for a single, then a track going viral is the new standard of excellence for a song in the 21st century.
"We had just watched the movie. And listening to the song, the passion (Cooper and Lady Gaga) sang it with, I just thought, 'Wow,' Randy Gillispie told WSAZ-TV about the genesis of the duet. "We are down here every evening doing this anyway, and Gaga's music is in Autumn's wheelhouse. So I said, 'Autumn, what do you think about this song?' She tried it out and destroyed it right off the bat. And I said, 'Well, I guess I will try his part,' and the next thing you know, we did it."
While singing together might be an ordinary activity for father and daughter, the attention they're receiving from it can definitely be described as extraordinary. After the video began spreading online, people within the TV and the music industries began contacting the Gillispies, and the family was flown out this week to record an appearance on the syndicated daytime talk show "Pickler & Ben" that will air next month.
"It's just hard to believe," Randy Gillispie told WSAZ. "We're just a working-class family from West Virginia and this has just gone worldwide. It's awesome. I thought, well this is just another one of those songs. But wow, I think I was wrong."
With the spotlight on his musical talents, will Randy Gillispie turn in his turnout gear and pursue a singing career? That's unlikely, but he and his wife would certainly support their daughter becoming a solo act.
"If she goes big, I'm going to be standing there," he told the TV station. "I'm just in the picture. I'm in the song, and there just needed to be a male voice in there. So as far as who was showcased and who the real talent is in this family, you've seen it for yourself. She's special. She was born a superstar, and this just validates that."
