Allan 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 honky tonks 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. Despite his commitment to finishing school, Allan reflects that he was rarely alert in class. "I played the bars at night, I was half asleep when I got to school. I thought sleep was what you did when you got to school." After finishing school, he 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.
Allan was introduced to songwriter/producer Byron Hill on August 28, 1993 by a mutual friend and talent-scout Jim Seal at a bar called the Lion D'or in Downey, California, where Allan was already regularly performing. Seal and Hill had asked Allan if they could showcase an unsigned act that they were developing there. Hill had arranged to bring the head of A&R from a major label to the show to see this other act perform. Allan kindly let them use his stage for the event, giving the new act the opening performance slot that night. Hill promised Gary that they would make sure the A&R person remained there to see his portion of the show. Everyone was knocked out with Allan's performance, and very impressed with his voice. From that point on, Hill began sending Allan songs. Without any serious funding at the time, Hill arranged for Allan to go into Seal's small studio in California to try his vocals on some of existing demo tracks that Hill had sent to Allan from Nashville, Tennessee. Meanwhile, Hill became head of A&R at BNA Entertainment on October 29 of that same year and immediately wanted to sign Allan to BNA, but the then current roster conditions and other circumstances related to the planned restructuring of RCA/BNA Nashville stood in the way.
In the meantime, Allan took a job selling cars. He left a demo tape in the glove box of a car purchased by a wealthy couple. When the couple discovered that he was the singer, they wrote him a check for $12,000. This independent funding allowed Allan to go to Nashville to record some of the songs that were on that early demo tape with Hill as producer. On September 11, 1995, they worked at Javelina Studios for a couple of days on the four songs that Hill immediately showed to labels. Allan's recordings brought serious responses from several labels including Mercury, RCA, and Decca. A meeting was then held at a Nashville hotel among Hill, Allan, and friend of Allan's, who was a program director for a radio station in California, to arrange two showcases in Los Angeles, California, to put Allan on stage at two of the radio station's regular nights at a local club. Byron arranged for staffers at the Nashville office of Decca Records to attend the first showcase held on November 1, 1995. Decca immediately wanted to sign Allan, and knowing that Byron was lining up other labels to see Gary, Decca asked them to cancel the second showcase. A rep from RCA was already booked to see the second showcase the following week, but the "bird-in-hand" deal offer was too tempting for both Hill and Allan, so they committed to the Decca offer.
His first deal, with Decca Records Nashville, produced the 1996 album Used Heart for Sale. The album was named "Best of the Month" by Stereo Review. It advanced to the top 20 of the charts, and produced a Top 10 country hit with the track Her Man (previously recorded by Waylon Jennings). Other tracks from the album, however, proved less successful.
His second album, It Would Be You, was released in 1998. Although Allan had been writing songs since he was a teenager, he does not hesitate to bump his work from his albums in favor of those written by other songwriters he respects. For his second album, Allan replaced one of his songs with No Judgement Day, written by Allen Shamblin. Although the song was a hidden acoustic track, radio stations began giving it heavy airplay. The song tells the story of a shopkeeper in Texas, whose children killed him in search of money. The title track of the album became Allan's second top 10 hit of the year, remaining in the top 10 after 21 weeks of radio play, "way beyond the tenure of most disposable radio hits." At the beginning of 1999, Decca Records folded, and when Allan moved to the parent label, MCA Nashville, It Would Be You was left in limbo.
In 1999, Allan released Smoke Rings in the Dark, an album he recorded while in the midst of a divorce from his second wife, Versace model Danette Day, after only seven months of marriage. Unlike his first two albums, Smoke Rings in the Dark made fuller use of background singers and stringed instruments, "resulting in a lusher, fuller sound." The new album avoided the "devil-may-care brashness" of the first two, instead presenting a tone balanced between youthful optimism and "the knowledge that some of life's experiences exact a high toll." Smoke Rings in the Dark was certified platinum, and it included two successful singles.
In 2001 the album Alright Guy was released. It contained the singles The One, Man of Me, and Man to Man, the latter of which became his first Billboard No. 1 hit. The same year, Allan married for the third time, to Angela, a flight attendant he met on an airplane.
Despite his previous success and eight years in the music business, Allan was nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award, typically given to newcomers, in 2003. The same year he released his fifth album, See If I Care. Allan had to fight to keep the title, which he felt epitomized his attitude towards the music business, that he would continue to make the music that he wanted to make regardless of whether the record label chose to back him or people chose to buy the album. See If I Care included his second and third Number One singles, Tough Little Boys and Nothing On but the Radio. Songs About Rain was a top 15 hit.
In 2003, Allan and his wife, Angela Herzberg, moved to Tennessee from California. On October 25, 2004, Angela Herzberg committed suicide after suffering from depression and migraines. Allan initially put his career on hold, but soon turned to music to deal with the loss of his wife. This resulted in 2005's "heart-wrenchingly personal album," Tough All Over. He included several songs which he wrote or cowrote, including Puttin' Memories Away and I Just Got Back from Hell, which dealt directly with his grief. Several years later, Gary discussed his wife's suicide on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Tough All Over sold over 99,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the magazine's Top Country Albums chart. It was subsequently certified gold by the RIAA as of December 20, 2006, and contained the top 10 singles Best I Ever Had (written by Vertical Horizon's Matt Scannell) and Life Ain't Always Beautiful, co-written by country singer Cyndi Thomson (under the name Cyndi Goodman).
Allan's first Greatest Hits collection was released on March 6, 2007. A Number One album on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts, the album reprised the greatest hits from his first six albums, as well as two new songs. One of these, titled A Feelin' Like That, was co-written by David Lee Murphy and Ira Dean (the latter a former member of Trick Pony); the single peaked at #12 on the country singles charts.
Allan's album titled Living Hard, was released on October 23, 2007. Serving as its lead-off single was the song Watching Airplanes, which spent more than thirty weeks on the country charts, where it reached a peak of #2 and went #1 on the Mediabase Chart. The song's music video was filmed during live concerts, including one at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Second single Learning How to Bend – co-written by Allan – quickly became another hit song, peaking at #13. The video was filmed during a live performance at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Following this song is third single She's So California, which Allan co-wrote with Jaime Hanna (of Hanna-McEuen) and Jon Randall, and it peaked at #24, becoming his first single to miss the top 20 since Lovin' You Against My Will in 2000.
Today was released on June 12, 2009, serving as the lead-off single to Allan's studio album, Get Off on the Pain, which was released on March 9, 2010. Title track, Get Off on the Pain, was the album's second single. It debuted at #42 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the highest-debuting single of his career. Kiss Me When I'm Down the album's third single released to radio in 2010. It debuted at #52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
http://www.garyallan.com/pain/
Nickajack Cave
Gary Allan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Johnny Cash came to his crossroad in a place called Nickajack Cave.
Little white pills and whiskey
Honky tonks and smoke
One night stands with his country band
Had him strung out on the ropes
Well, he cried out to Jesus
He already had one foot inside the grave
As he stepped into the mouth of Nickajack Cave
Everything was darkness
Wasn't no light at all
Just the cold dank air and the pitch black dirt
And the spiders on the walls
Well, he laid down beneath a ledge
And curled up there to meet his judgment day
The shivering came upon him wave by wave
Well, he could feel the breath of death in Nickajack Cave
Then high above him shone a light
He never would forget
Then he heard a voice say, "Johnny Cash,
I ain't through with you yet.
Get up, I ain't through with you yet.
I ain't through with you get Johnny Cash,
Get up."
Then he crawled out from beneath that ledge
And felt a gentle breeze
Tears and dirt smeared on his face
As peaceful as could be
Well, he knelt down upon the ground
Raised his eyes up to the light and prayed
He said, "Lord, I'll be your servant from this day."
That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave
That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave
Get up Johnny Cash, I ain't through with you yet
Get up
The lyrics to Gary Allan's song "Nickajack Cave" tell the story of Johnny Cash's legendary experience at Nickajack Cave in Tennessee. The song speaks about how every person comes to a crossroad at some point in their life, and for Johnny Cash, it was at Nickajack Cave. The verses before the chorus paint a picture of Johnny Cash's struggles with addiction and the dark places it took him, such as honky-tonks and one night stands. He reaches a point where he feels he is too lost to be saved, with one foot already in the grave. The chorus describes his experience in the cave where he was met with darkness, cold air, dirt, and spiders. He lays down, feeling death's breath approaching, and prepares for judgment day. However, he suddenly sees a light shining high above him, and hears a voice calling out to him, telling him that he is not yet finished. He crawls out from beneath the ledge, feeling a peaceful breeze as he emerges. Finally, he kneels down and prays to become the Lord's servant, which is how he becomes known as the "Man in Black."
This song tells a powerful story of spiritual redemption and survival in the face of darkness. It draws on the historical significance of Nickajack Cave and its reputation for being a treacherous and deadly place for those who ventured deep inside. The lyrics showcase how an individual in the depths of despair can find hope and a renewed sense of purpose even in the darkest of places.
Line by Line Meaning
Every man has to come to a crossroad somewhere along the way.
Everyone must make a defining choice at some point in their life
Johnny Cash came to his crossroad in a place called Nickajack Cave.
Johnny Cash faced his defining moment in life while in Nickajack Cave
Little white pills and whiskey
Johnny Cash struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism
Honky tonks and smoke
Johnny Cash frequented bars and clubs where he performed and smoked cigarettes
One night stands with his country band
Johnny Cash engaged in sexual relationships with groupies and band members
Had him strung out on the ropes
Johnny Cash's vices left him helpless and defeated
Well, he cried out to Jesus
Johnny Cash turned to religion for help and guidance
He said, "Jesus, I think I'm too lost to save."
Johnny Cash believed he was too far gone to be saved
He already had one foot inside the grave
Johnny Cash was near death due to his unhealthy habits
As he stepped into the mouth of Nickajack Cave
Johnny Cash entered Nickajack Cave, unsure of what would happen next
Everything was darkness
The cave was pitch black, with no source of light
Wasn't no light at all
There was no light in the cave
Just the cold dank air and the pitch black dirt
The cave was damp and full of dirt
And the spiders on the walls
The cave was inhabited by spiders
Well, he laid down beneath a ledge
Johnny Cash found a spot to rest and wait for his fate
And curled up there to meet his judgment day
Johnny Cash expected to face judgment for his actions
The shivering came upon him wave by wave
Johnny Cash trembled, fearing what was going to happen to him
Well, he could feel the breath of death in Nickajack Cave
Johnny Cash sensed death was near
Then high above him shone a light
Johnny Cash witnessed a bright light from above
He never would forget
The memory of this experience stayed with Johnny Cash forever
Then he heard a voice say, "Johnny Cash,
Johnny Cash heard a voice calling his name
I ain't through with you yet.
The voice promised that Johnny Cash had more to do with his life
Get up, I ain't through with you yet.
The voice urged Johnny Cash to continue living
Then he crawled out from beneath that ledge
Johnny Cash emerged from his hiding spot
And felt a gentle breeze
Johnny Cash experienced a calming breeze
Tears and dirt smeared on his face
Johnny Cash's face was marked by tears and dust
As peaceful as could be
Johnny Cash felt a sense of peace and calmness
Well, he knelt down upon the ground
Johnny Cash fell to his knees in gratitude and reverence
Raised his eyes up to the light and prayed
Johnny Cash looked up at the light and prayed to God
He said, "Lord, I'll be your servant from this day."
Johnny Cash vowed to become a servant of God
That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave
This was the turning point that led Johnny Cash to become the iconic "Man in Black"
That's how he became "The Man In Black" in Nickajack Cave
This was the moment that defined Johnny Cash's life and career
Get up Johnny Cash, I ain't through with you yet
The voice encouraged Johnny Cash to keep moving forward in life
Get up
The voice urged Johnny Cash to get back on his feet and keep going
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMIE O'HARA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind