Georgia is proud of its native son, Luke Bryan. So far, he’s garnered the title of ACM Entertainer of the Year five times, and is one of the world’s best-selling music artists with more than 12 million albums and 75 million records sold. He is narrowing in on 30 number one hits. He’s a fan favorite as a judge on American Idol. But, most important, he’s a caring humanitarian and an all-around great guy.
Country music superstar Luke Bryan was born in Leesburg, Ga. on July 17, 1976. His keen interest in music began when he was young, listening to his parents’ records. His folks enjoyed country music including favorites such as the legendary singers Merle Haggard and George Strait. At the age of 14, his parents gifted him with a guitar. Luke was overjoyed and it wasn’t long before he began singing with local bands. He honed his craft in high school, performing in musicals and writing songs. Little did he know it at the time, but he was on the path to becoming a country music superstar.
Travelgirl: You were born in Leesburg and your dad was a farmer. What was it like growing up with your family in Georgia?
Luke Bryan: Growing up in Georgia, my dad was a farmer and we worked in agriculture, so we were always looking up at the sky, checking if rain was in the forecast. That always set the tone for the mood in my household, whether we had rain coming in or not — we knew the crops would be good and it was going to be a good week around the Bryan household.
At age 19 Luke was heading to Nashville when tragedy struck and his beloved older brother, Chris, was killed in an automobile crash. Luke stayed home, attended Georgia Southern University and worked on his dad’s peanut farm — all the while playing music at night. In 2001, with his family’s insistence, Luke relocated to Nashville and landed a songwriting contract. He wrote for several renowned artists including Travis Tritt and performed his music at night. Capitol Records caught his show and signed him and, the rest, shall we say, is history.
The accolades poured in and Luke Bryan’s career took off. He wrote a wealth of number one hits including Rain is a Good Thing, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Fast, Crash My Party, That’s My Kind of Night, and numerous others. As his career rose so did the awards. Country Aircheck named Bryan the Most Heard Artist of the Last Decade. He’s won almost 50 major music awards and has amassed close to 30 number one hits. The awards continued. He became the first recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade for his Crash My Party album. He was a CMT Artist of the Year six times and has sold over 12 million albums.
Another special award was bestowed upon Luke by the Country Radio Broadcasters; he was honored the 2021 Artist Humanitarian Award recipient for his numerous philanthropic undertakings. Luke Bryan is a humanitarian in every sense of the word. He works tirelessly for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Nashville where all children are treated for free, regardless of their circumstances. His support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is inspirational. He lost his devoted sister Kelly in 2007 and her husband in 2014 after which Luke and his beloved wife Caroline became guardians for their nieces and nephew. Luke and Caroline are incredibly proud of their own two sons, Thomas “Bo” and Tatum “Tate” Bryan.
Bryan told the stories of his many successes and heartbreaks in November, 2017 when he gave us a look at his life in an ABC special presentation with Robin Roberts entitled Living Every Day: Luke Bryan. It’s a triumph told in the first person.
The illustrious Luke Bryan, five-time Entertainer of the Year, has a new single at country radio today entitled Country On. The song, written by Mark Nesler, David Frasier, Mitch Oglesby, and Styles Haury, produced by Jeff Stevens and co-produced by Jody Stevens, featuring Sarah Buxton on background vocals, debuted on July 4. The release of Country On continues Luke’s record of 29 career #1 singles and 17.2 billion worldwide streams on country radio.
LB: “I love that the song uplifts the hardworking American people out there, and it brings a lot of unity. It just has feel-good vibes all the way around it. Anytime you can reference country music fans in a song, and you can really make it feel natural, it’s great. And this song does just that.”
Luke continues his headlining with a residency at the new Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas. Secure tickets now to see this grand superstar in person Aug. 31, Sept. 3, 4, Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10.
Travelgirl: We are looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas. Please give us some insight into the show.
LB: We’ve worked long and hard to put together an incredible, high-energy show for the fans. I am so proud of how it turned out and I hope everyone who comes leaves there having as much fun as me. My favorite place to be is on stage performing to country music fans. So thankful every night when I walk out on that stage and know you are there to have a blast along beside me. It never gets old.”
