Most of you are bound to remember a time when learning the backgrounds of your favorite celebrities wasn't as easy as clicking a link.

A long time ago, back before the Internet and, certainly, social media, if you didn't hear, say, George Clooney mention he was from Kentucky on some talk show, you just might not know.

MEET GAGE BUTLER

But now, you don't even NEED television to become a big star, even though it DOES help. That may be what 12-year-old Gage Butler of Crittenden, Kentucky is learning right now. While he may not yet be classified as a "big star" by the masses, his popularity is growing on Tik Tok, and, these days, that might just be enough.

Young Butler has WOWED social media audiences with his performance of the Boyz II Men classic "End of the Road." His mom posted it on Twitter...I mean, what's a mom to do when she has a son with THIS kind of talent. Here's the snippet that served as a major springboard for Gage.

HEAR GAGE BUTLER

AND WHY NOT...SEE GAGE BUTLER (ON ELLEN)

That performance--posted on Tik Tok, although I couldn't find it--is the springboard in question. Ellen Degeneres' people saw it and booked Gage for an appearance on Monday's episode of Ellen, during which he performed "Rise Up" by Andrea Day. WLWT-Cincinnati got a hold of a clip of the performance. Here, Gage performs Sam Smith's "Stay with Me" with one of his fans.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT FOR KENTUCKY'S GAGE BUTLER

What incredible vocal control this young man has. While he doesn't have millions of followers just yet on any of his channels--his oldest YouTube post just went up on March 2nd--I don't see why he wouldn't be well on his way if he keeps offering up performances like this one of an iconic Destiny's Child song.

I love how he's duetting with others on his videos. (Something occurs to me...while Tik Tok is the redhot video platform, videos can be much longer on YouTube--yes, I'd love to hear full songs.) But until such time, I'll enjoy posts like this one.

By the way, Gage already has a profile at Backstage.com, which I consider a promising development. I can't wait to hear what he has up his sleeve as his voice matures. The sky is most certainly the limit.

Popular Child Stars From Every Year

Below, Stacker sifted through movie databases, film histories, celebrity biographies and digital archives to compile this list of popular pint-sized actors from 1919 through 2021.

Popular Child Stars From Every Year

Below, Stacker sifted through movie databases, film histories, celebrity biographies and digital archives to compile this list of popular pint-sized actors from 1919 through 2021.

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