Gary Allan Biography

Gary Allan (born Gary Allan Herzberg on December 5, 1967) is a country singer from Long Beach, California. Throughout his career, Allan has produced six albums: Used Heart For Sale, It Would Be You, the blockbuster Smoke Rings In The Dark, Alright Guy, See If I Care, and his most recent, Tough All Over.

Gary grew up on a California ranch. From early childhood, he was interested in surfing and country music. He was influenced by the stars of the Bakersfield scene, above all Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and he began playing music himself. As a teenager, he accompanied his father, who made appearances in local bars and clubs. At age twenty, he founded his own band. It took almost seven years before a demo tape was heard by Decca Records. In 1996, a record contract was signed.

His wife, Angela Herzberg, shot and killed herself around 2:00 a.m. on October 25, 2004 in their Hendersonville, Tennessee home.

Gary Allan is currently a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Gary also has three daughters, Maggie, Tanna, and Dallas.

In 1996,an album produced by Mark Wright called "Used Heart For Sale" was released. It advanced to the top 20 of the charts. The singles were less successful, because Allan's traditional sounding music was rarely played by radio stations. His second album,"It Would Be You," was released in 1998. The single of the same name placed in the top ten. At the beginning of 1999, Decca went out of business. Gary Allan, the "surfing cowboy," was signed into the MCA Label with his producer, Mark Wright.

His 1999 album "Smoke Rings In The Dark" finally brought him deserved sales and success. The album itself was awarded platinum, and it included two successful singles. In 2001 the album "Alright Guy" contained the single "Man To Man," which was number one on the country charts.