Name: Gavin Shane DeGraw
Date of birth: February 4, 1977
Raised in: The Catskills (South Fallsburg) in New York
Family: His mother, Lynne, is a detox specialist while his father, Wayne, is a prison guard. He has an older brother, Joey, and an older sister, Neeka.
Gavin's Current Band:
Brian Dennis: Guitar & backing vocals
Joey DeGraw: Guitar & backing vocals
Why-Not Jansfeld: Bass & backing vocals
Rodney Howard: Drums & backing vocals
Gavin's mother is a Detox Specialist and his father is a prison guard - as noted in the song "I Don't Want To Be". He has an older brother, Joey, and an older sister, Neeka. He was a hometown kid with a musically inspired family. Music for him was a way of life more than a way to get to the top. Gavin began siging and playing the piano at the age of eight. While in his teens, Gavin did the garage band thing with his brother Joey and they attempted some songwriting. He soon discovered Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, who inspired him with their emotional commitment and charm.
After high school, Gavin went to Ithaca College on a music scholarship, but dropped out after a year because he was spending more time in his room writing songs than attending classes. He then attended Berklee School of music in Boston, MA where he did the same, and in his spare time he sang in a rock group and did some solo gigs on the side. In 1998, he moved to Manhattan where he soon discovered "Wilson's," amazed their audience and soon met his manager Debbie Wilson who signed him almost instantly. He was offered a record deal relatively soon after he gained management, but turned it down and continued his singing and songwriting. He eventually signed a major publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and released a six-song indie CD, "Gavin Live," which was recorded on the Wilson's stage where he was "discovered". There was plenty of time that had passed in between these events where Gavin just played out around Manhattan and wrote his music. Gavin had a large following in the area where he played live.
In 2002, Gavin was signed with J-records and began working on "Chariot" with his producer Mark Endert, whose has previously worked with artists like Fiona Apple. This album was recorded at Los Angeles' Sunset Sound Studio, far away from his hometown. While in Los Angele,s he was quoted as saying "I was really concerned with developing a sound that wasn't disosable. I didn't want too much glitter on me" (quote from gavindegraw.us).
This biography is what inspired Robin and the rest of our staff to put so much effort into creating a site dedicated to such a talented artist who has really inspired us. I hope everyone enjoys the site and enjoys Gavin's music as much as we do.
-- Jena Mielbye