Country Pop Bites: Gary Allan – December 4

Did you know that on this day in Country Music History in 2004 Gary Allan collected a #1 single on the Billboard country list with "Nothing On But The Radio"?

It's true! Listen to the song!

Here are 5 interesting facts about Gary Allan.

• Gary Allan Herzberg was born and raised in La Mirada, California, to Harley and Mary Herzberg.
• To ensure that the family would focus on music, Allan's mother insisted that the family's guitars would always remain visible in the home.
• At age thirteen, Allan began playing in honkytonks with his father. Two years later, he was offered his first recording contract, from A&M Records, but rejected the deal. His parents wanted him to finish his education and his father felt that Allan had yet to develop his own distinctive style.
• After graduating from La Serna High School in Whittier, California, Allan continued to play in the bars with his band, the Honky Tonk Wranglers. Many of the venues they played were packed, and promoters often tried to move them to larger clubs. The moves would have required him to stop playing some of the older country music, such as covers of George Jones songs, so Allan refused.
• He took a job selling cars. He left a demo tape in the glove box of a truck purchased by a wealthy couple. When the couple discovered that he was the singer, they wrote him a check for $12,000.