As the son of a guitar player/singer and the younger brother of recording artist Joey DeGraw, Gavin DeGraw’s destiny was set in stone. He’s from Fallsburg, NY, a really small town in the Catskill Mountains. He began to take piano lessons at the early age of eight, singing with the family the whole time. In the early years, Gavin and Joey played together in a cover band, with the occasional fatherly sit in. Encouraged by his brother, Gavin began to write his own songs at the age of about 16. He then attended the popular Berklee School of Music for a short time before realizing it felt “restricting”. He decided to meet back up with his brother in NYC and pursue a music career. After sitting in at numerous music bars, finally, Gavin found a musical home where he could play once a week. He honed his skills and in the meanwhile, built up a nice following doing so. A major label soon offered a developmental deal, but Gavin turned it down in hopes that something better would come along. Eventually, it did, and he signed with music mogul Clive Davis and J Records.