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.

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.

[16] Gary is the son of Geoffrey Austin (Dutch) and Helen (née Heyser) Heyde, both deceased.

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.