Country singer Gary Allan PHOTO/The Factory

Gary Allan Herzberg, known professionally as Gary Allan, is an American country music singer-songwriter born on December 5, 1967, in La Mirada, California.

Raised in a musically inclined family by his parents, Harley and Mary Herzberg, Allan was immersed in country music from a young age.

His mother ensured that guitars were always visible in their home, fostering a creative environment that shaped his passion for music.

By age 13, he was performing alongside his father in honky tonks, laying the foundation for a career that would span decades.

Allan’s gritty, soulful voice and traditional country sound, influenced by legends like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, have made him a distinctive figure in the genre.

Siblings

Gary has one sibling, a brother named Gregory Herzberg.

However, information about Gregory siblings is notably sparse, as he has kept much of his personal family life private.

Career

Allan’s career began in the honky tonks of Southern California, where he performed with his band, the Honky Tonk Wranglers, as a teenager.

At 15, he turned down a recording contract from A&M Records at his father’s urging to focus on education and develop his unique style.

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This decision proved wise, as Allan honed a Bakersfield-influenced sound that set him apart from mainstream country trends.

His break came in 1995 when a wealthy couple, impressed by a demo left in a truck’s glove compartment, funded his trip to Nashville, leading to a deal with Decca Records.

His 1996 debut album, Used Heart for Sale, featured the Top 10 single “Her Man” and earned gold certification.

After Decca folded, Allan moved to MCA Nashville, releasing Smoke Rings in the Dark (1999), his first platinum album.

Subsequent releases, including Alright Guy* (2001) and See If I Care (2003), both platinum-certified, produced number-one hits like “Man to Man” and “Tough Little Boys.”

The tragic suicide of his third wife, Angela, in 2004 deeply influenced his 2005 album Tough All Over, a raw, personal work that debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Allan continued to release successful albums, such as Living Hard (2007), Get Off on the Pain (2010), and Set You Free (2013), which topped the Billboard 200.

Accolades

Allan’s albums have achieved commercial success, with three certified platinum (Smoke Rings in the Dark, Alright Guy, See If I Care) and two certified gold (Used Heart for Sale, Tough All Over).

He has charted five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: “Man to Man,” “Tough Little Boys,” “Nothing On but the Radio,” “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” and “Learning How to Bend.”

His 2013 album Set You Free marked a milestone, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 with 106,000 copies sold in its first week.

In 2003, Allan was nominated for the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award, recognizing promising new artists, despite already having multiple hits.