Gary Allan

Gary Allan Herzberg was born in Motebello, California on December 5, 1967. He was raised in La Mirada, on a California ranch. His major interests were surfing and country music. Among his influences are stars of the Bakersfield scene, especially Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. In his teens he began playing the honky-tonk circuit and accompanying his father’s performances at local bars and clubs. While still in high school Allan turned down a record deal. When he was twenty, he founded his own band and returned to the honky tonks. It took almost seven years for his demo to be heard by Decca, but in the meantime he honed his skills.

In 1996, Gary finally signed with Decca Records, releasing that same year his debut called Used Heart For Sale. In 1998 his second record, It Would Be You, was released. The single named after the album was able to enter the Top 10. In 1999, Decca closed its doors and Gary was one of the four artists picked by parent company MCA. With his new contract Allan had more time and resources at his disposal. All of this lead to the release of his third album, Smoke Rings in the Dark, co-produced by Mark Wright and Tony Brown. The album enjoyed good commercial success, being awarded platinum and including two successful singles. It even included a cover of the Del Shannon classic “Runaway”. Gary’s next album, Alright Guy (2001), brought two more hits one of them “Man to Man” which became the singer’s first number one hit. In 2003, Allan was nominated for the CMA Horizon award. That year he released his record See If I Care that featured several hit songs like “Tough Little Boys” and “Songs About Rain”. His next album came in 2005, his record called Tough All Over featured songs like “Best I Ever Had” and “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”.