DeGraw's duet with Colbie Caillat on "We Both Know" for the 2013 film Safe Haven received a Grammy Award nomination.

[1][2] His mother, Lynne (née Krieger, 1951–2017), was a detox specialist nurse practitioner, and his father, John Wayne DeGraw, was a corrections officer;[3] he referenced his father's and mother's respective occupations in the song "I Don't Want to Be".

DeGraw then moved to Boston, where he attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music for two semesters while singing in a rock band and playing solo gigs on the side.

[7] After leaving Berklee and relocating to Manhattan in March 1998, DeGraw laid the groundwork for a musical career.

The night manager, Shar Thompson, introduced DeGraw to the club's owner, Debbie Wilson, the next day.

The adjustment from the live stage to the recording studio was an educational process that gave DeGraw new insight into his work.

[7][failed verification] The album, entitled Chariot, was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles and produced by Mark Endert.

[1][better source needed] DeGraw rose to fame in 2003[10] when "I Don't Want to Be" was chosen as the theme song for teen drama One Tree Hill.

Entitled Chariot Stripped, the album contained a cover version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come".

[20] DeGraw made Free in less than two weeks at the Brooklyn studio of his producer, Camus Celli.

[better source needed] DeGraw went on to release an acoustic album based mostly on songs from Sweeter.

[24] DeGraw sang "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Colbie Caillat on her 2012 Christmas in the Sand album.

[31] The album includes the new songs "You Got Me" (featured in the film Dolphin Tale 2) and "Fire" (released on August 12, 2014).

[32] In 2015, DeGraw collaborated with Swedish DJ Avicii on the song "Sunset Jesus", from his album Stories.

[34] On May 20, 2022, DeGraw's released his seventh studio album Face the River, with the title track serving as the lead single; a tribute to his late parents.

[40] On January 20, 2025, DeGraw performed at one of the balls during Donald Trump's second inauguration as president of the United States.

His third appearance was in the season five finale, "What Comes After the Blues", where he was seen singing "I Don't Want to Be" with Jamie Scott (Jackson Brundage).

DeGraw appeared on the show a final time during the series' last episode, in which he sang "Belief", "Soldier" and "I Don't Want to Be" at TRIC's 10th Anniversary party.

[42][better source needed] DeGraw was a contestant on season 14 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on March 19, 2012.

The National Underground is a roots rock/Americana music bar located in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

On August 8, 2011, DeGraw was hospitalized after being assaulted by several people in Manhattan's East Village after leaving The National Underground.

[49] Police reported that a group of men attacked DeGraw early Sunday morning at East 6th Street and First Avenue.