Singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw grew up playing music at home with piano studies beginning at eight and later playing in cover bands with his older brother in upstate New York. After a brief stint studying music at the prestigious Berklee School of Music, DeGraw, who had been writing his own songs since his cover band days, decided to make a go of it as a singer/songwriter in New York City. Upon his arrival in the late '90s, DeGraw made an impression with crowds, and occasionally with journalists, as his name began to pop up in columns and best-of lists. The steady buzz led to offers from major labels, but DeGraw chose to take his time, and let his craft develop and his audience grow. He eventually signed a record deal with Clive Davis and his J Records imprint (home of Santana as well as R&B mainstays Alicia Keys and Angie Stone). DeGraw's debut, Chariot, arrived in the summer of 2003 and, like his early days in New York City, it slowly built momentum and earned the young singer a small but fervent following. By 2004, its first single, "I Don't Wanna Be," had become a Top 40 number one hit, and the album was re-released in a form that augmented the original album with a made-over acoustic version, billed as Chariot -- Stripped. DeGraw's next single, "Chariot," was also met with positive response and climbed the charts in 2005.
