Who is gary Patrick?
Gary Patrick grew up in a house filled with music. His mother instilled a love of classical pieces and church hymns, while his father introduced him to the art of storytelling through legends like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. His siblings broadened his musical world even further with artists such as Boston, Dire Straits, Dan Fogelberg, Toto, The Eagles, and Neil Diamond. By age eight, Gary had borrowed his brother’s guitar—and never looked back. He spent the next nine years studying with his first mentor, Tom Russell.
After graduating high school, Gary moved to Southern California, where he briefly pursued aeronautical engineering before realizing his heart belonged fully to music. California proved to be the perfect launching pad for his career. By 21, he was performing in bars along the Orange County coastline. In 1995, he was invited to play guitar and sing with the Wilson Sisters—daughters of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson—on national TV appearances and radio tours. During this time, he also recorded his first album, Fish Fry.
One opportunity led to another, and soon Gary had his own house band at the Mirage and Bellagio casinos in Las Vegas for 10 years. Near the end of his Vegas tenure, he met friend, mentor, and co-writer Ken Orsow. Since 2006, Patrick and Orsow have written songs together—often over the phone with earbuds. Gary’s next chapter took him to Nashville, where he immersed himself in songwriting and recording publishing demos.
To date, Gary has recorded seven studio albums with producer Chad Mauldin. Through Mauldin’s connections, he recorded the electric guitar tracks for American Idol star Fritz Hager’s 2022 album, including the song that reached No. 1 on the charts. Gary describes his latest album, High to Ride, as “the most cohesive album I’ve recorded. It actually feels like a debut album.”
Gary’s career continues to gain momentum. In 2025, he received five nominations from the Josie Music Awards—now in its 11th year and held at the Grand Ole Opry House—in the categories of Music Video of the Year, Americana Male Vocalist of the Year, Americana Male Artist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year. The Awards have become a meaningful milestone for him: in 2024, Gary won Americana Male Artist of the Year and Americana Male Vocalist of the Year, with more than 60 fans, friends, and family traveling to Nashville to cheer him on. Those 2024 wins were followed by five nominations in 2025, including Music Video of the Year, Americana Male Vocalist of the Year, Americana Male Artist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Song of the Year. In August, Gary performed at the Southfork Experience “Dallas” reunion—an especially meaningful moment for a lifelong fan of the show.
Gary’s latest single, “Closed for Repair,” offers an honest reflection on the need to pause and heal from a one-sided relationship. With new singles planned every few months and a concept album underway, Gary Patrick continues to evolve, create, and share the music that has shaped him since the very beginning.