Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967)[1] is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his country music debut with the release of his single "Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale, which was released in 1996 on Decca. His second album, It Would Be You, followed in 1998. Allan's third album, Smoke Rings in the Dark, was his first one for MCA Nashville (to which he has been signed ever since) and his first platinum album. His next albums, Alright Guy (2001) and See If I Care (2003), both were also certified platinum while Tough All Over (2005) and Greatest Hits (2007) and Living Hard (2007) were all certified gold. His next two albums Get Off on the Pain (2010) and Set You Free (2013) both reached the Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums charts, at numbers 2 and 1 respectively. Overall, Allan's ten studio and greatest hits albums have produced 26 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, including the number one hits "Man to Man", "Tough Little Boys" (both 2003), "Nothing On but the Radio" (2004), and "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)" (2013).
This article is about the recording artist. For the journalist, see Gary Allen. For speedway rider, see Gary Allan (speedway rider).
Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg
December 5, 1967
La Mirada, California, U.S.
Singer-songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
1996–present
Political views[edit]
In 2003, Allan told CMT that he believed Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger would be the best governor because he is not driven by money.[27] In 2021, he told People that he was "very much not a Republican."[28]
Sound[edit]
Allan's voice is described as "raspy and unpolished."[4] The New York Times describes his music as "elegant, often deadpan songs [that] tend toward manly understatement."[29] His sound is influenced by the Bakersfield scene, especially Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. He prefers this sound to that of the more pop country that is prevalent on country radio, because "the songs have got to have soul, have real meaning....Country music is...what happens during the week. Rock 'n roll is about what happens at the weekend."[5] Because his sound is different from many of the current crop of country singers, as their sound is considerably more pop or rock, Allan has, at times had difficulty getting radio to play his singles. He says he has to "walk a real fine line" to "make sure that I get traditional stuff on the radio."[4]
