Austin Gary

Austin Gary
BornGary Austin Heyde
(1947-03-07) March 7, 1947 (age 77)
St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation
GenreLiterary fiction
Website
yourlifereading.com

Austin Gary (born Gary Austin Heyde, March 7, 1947) is an American novelist and writer, best known as a songwriter for "The Car" by Jeff Carson (as Gary Heyde) and recordings by other country music performers like Tammy Wynette and John Berry, and as associate producer of albums by Carson, Berry and Hank Williams Jr.'s Hog Wild album.[1]

Career

Novels and plays

Gary has published three novels.[2][3][4] His novel Miss Madeira and his unpublished novel Genius ("The Soul of Genius") have both been adapted into plays.[citation needed] His play "Walt Whitman (In Black & White) is a two-man play based on Walt Whitman.[citation needed]

Songwriting

Other ventures

Gary's Martin Luther King Jr. documentary film They Killed Martin: 3 Lives Forever Changed is available on YouTube. He has appeared on Seattle Public radio station KUOW-FM with personal stories about Thornton Wilder[11] and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[12] as well as The Best of Stories on Stage.[13]

Gary is also a high school teacher (in Haubstadt, Indiana; Franklin, Tennessee; Middle College, Tennessee; John Overton High School, and Big Picture, Washington), a numerologist[14] and a former advertising creative director, radio/television jingle composer, and newspaper editor.[15] He is a member of PEN Canada.[16]

Personal life

Gary is the son of Geoffrey Austin (Dutch) and Helen (née Heyser) Heyde, both deceased.[17] In 1967, he married teacher and actress Glory (Kissel) Heyde. The marriage ended in 2002. He is the father of acclaimed stage director Rachel Rockwell,[18] who died of ovarian cancer in 2018, and Jeremy Spencer, former drummer for heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.[19]

He attended the University of Missouri (Columbia); Lincoln University (Jefferson City) and is a graduate of the University of Evansville (Indiana), with a degree in Speech and Drama.[citation needed]

Bibliography

  • Miss Madeira (2011) ISBN 978-0987782106
  • The Queerling (2013) ISBN 978-1492326274
  • A Delicate Dance (2015) ISBN 978-0692569528

Accolades

  • 1996 BMI "Millionaire-Play" award for "The Car" by Jeff Carson
  • 2015: "Book of the Year" in LGBT adult fiction by Foreword Reviews[20]

References

  1. ^ Associate Producer Credits. Artist Direct. Retrieved 10:55, November 2, 2011, from http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/gary-heyde/706191/
  2. ^ "Foreword Reviews 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Winners LGBT (Adult Fiction)". forewordreviews.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "2012 Short List for Finalists & Semi-Finalists". Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  4. ^ "2009 Finalists: William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition". Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "Who wrote "One Stone at a Time" by Tammy Wynette?". Genius. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "BMI's Most-Performed Songs Of The Year". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 4, 1997. p. 104. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ "Brent Lamb - No Excuses No Regrets Album Reviews, Songs & More", AllMusic, retrieved December 31, 2023
  8. ^ A Love Like This (song). Billboard.com. Retrieved 10:51, November 2, 2011, from https://www.billboard.com/artist/cleve-francis/chart-history/
  9. ^ "A Love Like This", YouTube, January 14, 2017, retrieved December 31, 2023
  10. ^ "Bio". James Horn. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012.
  11. ^ Sukys, Megan (June 10, 2010). "Thornton's Here, Smart Meters, And The Writer's Almanac". KUOW.ORG. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.
  12. ^ Yandel, Jeannie (January 10, 2011). "Gary Heyde: The Only Way To Know You Is To Get To Know You". KUOW.ORG. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011.
  13. ^ "Gary Heyde (Austin Gary) - Wilder Day Story", YouTube, December 8, 2012, retrieved December 31, 2023
  14. ^ "Intro To Numerology W/International Intuitive Numerologist Gary Heyde". Facebook. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  15. ^ Oakland City Journal Clipping. Oakland City Journal. Retrieved 11:16, November 2, 2011, from "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Why We Defend: PEN Canada Annual Report 2013-2014" (PDF). PEN Canada. p. 26.
  17. ^ Gentry county Missouri, Obituaries: Helen Mae Heyde. Retrieved October 2014, from http://files.usgwarchives.net/mo/gentry/obits/heydehm.txt
  18. ^ Chicagoans of the Year: Theater. Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved Dec. 2012 https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/12/27/rachel-rockwell-brings-out-the-best-in-child-actors/
  19. ^ Drummer's appearance at Ford Center a homecoming of sorts. Retrieved October 2014, from http://www.courierpress.com/entertainment/drummers-appearance-instate-a-bit-of-a
  20. ^ Foreword Reviews 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Winners LGBT (Adult Fiction). Retrieved July 4, 2016 from https://indiefab.forewordreviews.com/winners/2015/lgbt/