Luke Bryan - Country Fever 2008 - Jun. 12-15

Heartfelt Songs

Singer and songwriter Luke Bryan comes by his country influences naturally. He was born in Leesburg, Georgia, a small town 100 miles from the Alabama border. There, his father grew peanuts and sold fertilizer for a living. Bryan helped his family work the farm when he was young, but in his early teens he developed a passion for country music, influenced by a family record collection that included the likes of George Strait, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Alan Jackson, and Merle Haggard.

When he was 14, his parents bought Bryan his first guitar. A year later, the self-taught musician was playing and singing with local bands at a club featuring live country music. By the time he turned 16, Luke started writing songs with the help of a pair of local tunesmiths who had enjoyed some success in Nashville. After high school, Bryan planned to head to Music City to try his luck. Fate however, had other plans. Luke’s brother died in an auto accident leaving his family devastated. Wanting to offer emotional support to his mother and father, Bryan opted to attend nearby Georgia Southern University.

Bryan continued writing songs, formed a band and was playing gigs on campus (or at nearby watering holes), most weekends while pursuing his studies. Although he had recorded and produced an album that he sold at shows, Bryan was reluctant to take the necessary plunge to devote himself to music full-time. So, he returned home after earning his degree to work in the family business. And fate intervened again.

Bryan’s dad, confident of his son’s talent, made him an offer – he could either move to Nashville with his family’s full support, or be fired. In the early fall of 2001, Bryan pulled up stakes and relocated to Nashville, where his heartfelt songs of country life earned him a contract with one of the city’s top publishing houses. Among his first cuts was the title track of Travis Tritt’s 2005 album My Honky Tonk History.

An A&R rep from Capitol Records saw Bryan perform a set of his original material at a local club, and signed him to a recording contract. His debut single, “All My Friends Say”, was released in early 2007, just as country music artist Billy Currington was climbing the Hot Country Songs charts with “Good Directions,” which Bryan co-wrote. “Good Directions” spent three weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in May 2007, while “All My Friends Say” peaked at No. 5.

In August 2007, Luke’s debut album for Capitol, entitled I’ll Stay Me, was released. The album’s second single, “We Rode in Trucks”, peaked in the Top 40 in early 2008; a third single, “Country Man”, was released in February 2008 and now is a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Luke and his wife, Caroline, welcomed their first child, Thomas Boyer Bryan, on March 18, 2008.

Singer and songwriter Luke Bryan comes by his country influences naturally. He was born in Leesburg, Georgia, a small town 100 miles from the Alabama border. There, his father grew peanuts and sold fertilizer for a living. Bryan helped his family work the farm when he was young, but in his early teens he developed a passion for country music, influenced by a family record collection that included the likes of George Strait, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Alan Jackson, and Merle Haggard.

When he was 14, his parents bought Bryan his first guitar. A year later, the self-taught musician was playing and singing with local bands at a club featuring live country music. By the time he turned 16, Luke started writing songs with the help of a pair of local tunesmiths who had enjoyed some success in Nashville. After high school, Bryan planned to head to Music City to try his luck. Fate however, had other plans. Luke’s brother died in an auto accident leaving his family devastated. Wanting to offer emotional support to his mother and father, Bryan opted to attend nearby Georgia Southern University.

Bryan continued writing songs, formed a band and was playing gigs on campus (or at nearby watering holes), most weekends while pursuing his studies. Although he had recorded and produced an album that he sold at shows, Bryan was reluctant to take the necessary plunge to devote himself to music full-time. So, he returned home after earning his degree to work in the family business. And fate intervened again.

Bryan’s dad, confident of his son’s talent, made him an offer – he could either move to Nashville with his family’s full support, or be fired. In the early fall of 2001, Bryan pulled up stakes and relocated to Nashville, where his heartfelt songs of country life earned him a contract with one of the city’s top publishing houses. Among his first cuts was the title track of Travis Tritt’s 2005 album My Honky Tonk History.

An A&R rep from Capitol Records saw Bryan perform a set of his original material at a local club, and signed him to a recording contract. His debut single, “All My Friends Say”, was released in early 2007, just as country music artist Billy Currington was climbing the Hot Country Songs charts with “Good Directions,” which Bryan co-wrote. “Good Directions” spent three weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in May 2007, while “All My Friends Say” peaked at No. 5.

In August 2007, Luke’s debut album for Capitol, entitled I’ll Stay Me, was released. The album’s second single, “We Rode in Trucks”, peaked in the Top 40 in early 2008; a third single, “Country Man”, was released in February 2008 and now is a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Luke and his wife, Caroline, welcomed their first child, Thomas Boyer Bryan, on March 18, 2008.