Austin Gary

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.

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 His novel Miss Madeira and his unpublished novel Genius ("The Soul of Genius") have both been adapted into plays.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

Songwriting

 * "One Stone at a Time" – Tammy Wynette
 * "The Car" – Jeff Carson
 * "Every Time My Heart Calls Your Name" – John Berry
 * "The Letter" – Ronna Reeves
 * "Dixie's Bar & Grill" – Brent Lamb
 * "A Love Like This" – Cleve Francis
 * "If Dreams Have Wings" – James T. Horn

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 and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as The Best of Stories on Stage.

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 and a former advertising creative director, radio/television jingle composer, and newspaper editor. He is a member of PEN Canada.

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

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.

Accolades

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