Born 4 February 1977 in South Fallsburg, New York, US, Gavin began his music endeavors at the age of 8 singing and playing the piano. Though his parents were not involved in music (his father was a prison guard and his mother was a detox specialist) he did receive musical inspiration form his older brother Joey, who is also a musician in addition to a venue owner and founder of a record label.
Gavin’s older brother gave him the push to pursue music and with him he formed several cover bands. Later on Gavin moved to Massachusetts to attend Berklee School of Music. By the late 90s Degraw rigorously began writing his own material and started to gain a following through his frequent live performances. It was not long until he was recognized by labels. Degraw eventually ended up signing a contract with Clive Davis and put out his 2003 debut album “Chariot” through J Records. The album was an instant critical and commercial success and became even more popular once the hit single “I Don’t Want to Be” was used as the theme song for the 2005 television show “One Tree Hill”. With the resurgence of that single, “Chariot” reached platinum status and charted No. 1 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers.
Degraw’s next album did not come out until 5 years later. Despite the wait, his self-titled sophomore release debuted at No.1 on the digital sales chart and No.7 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart. Degraw wasted no time at all putting out his third full length album. He recorded the entire album at the studio of his producer, Camus Celli, in less than two weeks and released it on 6 May 2009 (making it less than a year between the release of his last album). “Free” was not as commercially successful as his last two albums; however, it still managed to do commercially well, peaking at No. 19 on the US Billboard 200 charts.
Degraw switched record labels with the release of his fourth album and contrary to “Free” he recorded the album in multiple studios around the world, recruiting the help of producers Ryan Tedder, Butch Walker, Eric Rosse and Ron Aniello. The album contained the widely acclaimed single “Not Over You”, which became his first song to reach the top spot on the Adult Pop Songs chart.
In 2012 DeGraw collaborated with pop star Colbie Cailat for “Baby It’s Cold Outside” on her “Christmas in the Sand” album and did another joint effort with her for the Grammy nominated song “We Both Know”; which was featured in the “Safe Haven” soundtrack.
Degraw released his second album for RCA, “Make a Move” on 15 October 2013. Like his previous releases it did well on the charts reaching No. 79 in the UK and climbing all the way to No.10 on the US Billboard 200. The success of this album was followed by a US tour in support of Train. In 2014 Degraw released his greatest hits album “Finest Hour: The Best of Gavin DeGraw”. This compilation featured a well distributed mix of material including newer songs such as “You Got Me”, which was originally written for the “Dolphin Tale 2” movie.
Gavin DeGraw is one of those artists you have to see live to truly appreciate the depth of his talent. Whether he’s rocking the stage with a full band, or he’s just sitting at the piano singing along to an old Sam Cooke tune, his voice will hook you from the first note. Unlike many of the radio acts out there today, Gavin is one of those rare talents that sounds even better live than he does on the radio.
With an eclectic mix of his own original songs and soulful covers, Gavin rocks the stage like no other. His energy pulls directly from the crowd so the more engaged and interactive the crowd, the better his show gets. He might even throw in a surprise performance of “Let’s Get It On,” an old favorite from his days as a poor musician playing for tips in New York City. At a recent show in Nashville, he even brought along country superstar Martina McBride to sing with him on his hit “Soldier.”
There’s an intimacy to his style that sucks you into his circle and makes your feel like you’re the only person in the crowd. Don’t be surprised if you hear a story or two about his love of Billy Joel or his musings on relationships (spoiler alert: he doesn’t seem to think he’s very good at them). He’s been known to wander out in the crowd and hang out with the audience while he plays.
His passion for his craft and his love for his fans is unparalleled. You will leave wondering why you waited so long to check out a Gavin show and when you can go back for another one.
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