Gary Allan One of People's People! Singer Makes Annual Sexiest Men List as 'I'll Take Today' Debuts at Country Radio.

Issue: Nov 5, 1998

Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Country artist Gary Allan has a way of turning up on Top 10 lists for his straight-up blend of traditional honky tonk music, so he's no stranger to being on people's lists. But the Decca recording artist was a little shocked when he heard he'd been selected as one of People's Sexiest Men.

"I really didn't know what to think... I figured it was a joke," Allan allows. "This is one of those things you really have no part in. It just happens. Some of the people making the decision were turned on by my music, and as for any other reason -- you got me!"

The Long Beach, Californian was the only country artist to make this year's list joining George Strait as the only country artists ever singled out -- selected by the trend-setting publication. With a rare "A" from Entertainment Weekly and 4 stars from Tower Pulse, an upcoming piece on "Entertainment Tonight," 2 Top 5 hits with "Her Man" and "It Would Be You" and It Would Be You peaking at #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, Gary Allan is definitely a young artist on the move.

"I'll Take Today," a poignant ballad dealing with knowing when the right love comes along, is at country radio and a steamy video for the single has been selected as Sneak Peek on CMT. Allan's ready to get back on the road and churn up some more music. "Hey, if the People list gets readers to check my music out and everybody has a good time, then what could be better?"

Friday, July 28, 2000 Old school in new country class Singer Gary Allan is fighting the good fight By FISH GRIWKOWSKY Edmonton Sun .

 Gary Allan's career suggests an interesting paradox. Weaned on the classic Bakersfield, California, sound that brought us such artists as Merle Haggard, Allan is a lot more interested in old-school country music than your average new hat act. He's a divorced surfer, dad of three girls, has places in Orange County, California, and in Nashville and his music sounds like an alternate universe answer to the disco country we've endured for the last decade. It's like he's invented something akin to, but entirely different from, alt.country, all on his own. But we were talking about paradox here, and, the thing is, Allan is signed to a big label and rubs shoulders with some of the most mainstream producers in the business, people like Tony Brown and Mark Wright. People responsible for that same sound we just snickered at. So what gives? Well, let's let Allan answer, talking about his decidedly retro approach to country music. "I think you can be starting an uphill battle when you try to play that kind of stuff. You come to the point where you make something really retro, that I think is totally cool, and I can hang it on my wall and love it. It may not be what they want, but they end up liking it a lot." Which means, really, he's fighting the good fight ... FROM THE INSIDE. Fascinating. What's even more interesting is he's one of only four country acts to survive the label Decca being swallowed up whole. "I think it was a cool factor with us. What we had done all had integrity and we'd been around long enough to have proven we were in the game." Smoke Rings in the Dark, Allan's third and latest album, is his best, eliciting images of old-time TV country, Dwight Yoakam and even Chris Isaak. He covered Del Shannon's Runaway, a song he'd been playing on stage since he was 12. The song is No. 1 in Australia right now and a month from now he'll be at the Gympy Muster Festival over in Oz, one of only a few international acts on the bill. "I went there on an acoustic tour over Christmas to feel things out and ended up making a lot of friends. Sure enough we got booked as a full band eight months later. We do good over there. The Gympy Muster, it's like 60,000 people up in the hills, getting wild and high. There are two huge stages and these giant fires burning. It's crazy." But having three daughters must keep him somewhat responsible, yes? "They live with my ex-wife. I just had them for five weeks and they wanted to go to Nashville, of all things, and I only have a little apartment there. But we hung out, swam in the pool, went canoeing. It's fun." Yeah, but what's it going to be like ... "What, when they start dating? Lord! I don't know. I guess I'll tell whoever they're dating, don't you do anything to them that you don't want me to do to you when you bring them back." Ouch! Be warned, potential dates. Meanwhile, check out Gary Allan at Nashville's Wednesday. He sometimes plays for three hours, but only when he's begged.