Anyone who’s a fan of Gary Allan’s music can hear that it’s rooted in tradition…but you can also hear a bit of an edge that sets him apart. And that may be traced – in part – to the concert that he says “changed” his life. It was a performance by the mid-‘80s lineup, The Highwaymen – a sort of “supergroup” made up of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. “I’d seen lots of shows…but it was so ‘hard core,’” he remembers. And Gary really was no stranger to country concerts – his music-loving father had taken him to plenty. But this one was different. “They were just up there with guitars, just singing songs. And it was so cutting to me,” he explains. To this day, Gary admits, “I’ve always loved the deep, deep songs…I love all those guys, and I just love powerful music.”

Gary’s latest hit is “It Ain’t the Whiskey” – a powerful song in its own right – from his Set Your Free album.

AUDIO: Gary Allan recalls a concert that “changed” him – a performance by the legendary group, The Highwaymen. 

Gary Allan (Highwaymen concert) OC: …powerful music. :26
“It was the first one that really ‘changed’ me. I mean, I had been to lots of country – my dad was a huge fan of Ernest Tubb and people like that, and I’d seen lots of shows. But that’s the first one that I went to and it was…like…I don’t want to say punk rock, but it was so ‘hard core.’ And all it was was words. I mean, they were just up there with guitars, just singing songs. And it was so cutting to me. And I’ve always loved the deep, deep songs…and I love all those guys, and I just love powerful music.”