Gary Allan Doesn’t Want to Know Who Writes the Songs He Listens to for His Nashville Albums

Gary Allan is no slouch when it comes to writing the songs he puts on his records, but he’s not an artist who feels he has to write every song on every album he records. Yet one thing Gary is adamant about is not knowing who wrote the outside songs that are pitched to him for consideration. “All I want to see on a demo CD is the name of the song,” he’s told me more than once during our conversations through the years. “I don’t want to be influenced by the name of the hottest songwriter in town,” he says. “And I don’t want to hear an introduction to the song before I hear it for the first time. ‘This is a great tune about this or that.’ When someone hears a song on the radio, they aren’t told in advance who wrote it, and there’s not a story about why it was written or what it’s about. The song has to stand up on its own merits, and people either like it or they don’t. I like to put myself in that position when I hear it for the first time, too. I want the song to sink or swim with me with no outside influences.” And, while they may not always be singles, Gary likes to have some very deep songs, musically and lyrically, on his records along with the ones that are more immediately accessible for listeners. Click on GARY ALLAN to hear what he had to say to Country Kickers about the range of songs he records.—David Scarlett

Contact: dscarlett@nashville.com or jerry@nashville.com