Luke Bryan: Everything you need to know about country music's busiest star

There's no denying that Luke Bryan is one of the biggest and busiest country music stars on the planet right now. From judging on one of TV's biggest talent shows to setting up his own restaurant and record label to maintaining his music career, the three-time Entertainer of the Year award-winner has certainly got his hands full.

So if you'd like to find out more about Luke Bryan and his phenomenal rise to fame, keep on reading...

Who is Luke Bryan?

Luke Bryan is an American country music singer-songwriter and entertainer. He is most well known for chart-topping hits like 'Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye', 'Drink a Beer' and 'Kick the Dust Up'. He's also been a judge on the popular TV talent show American Idol alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie since 2018.

Luke Bryan also owns his own record label called 32 Bridge Entertainment and a multi-level entertainment facility and restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee called LUKE'S 32 BRIDGE Food + Drink.

How old is Luke Bryan?

Luke Bryan is currently 48-years-old. He was born on 17th July 1976 to parents LeClaire and Tommy Bryan.

Where is he from?

Luke grew up with his parents, brother Chris and sister Kelly in the small town of Leesburg, Georgia. Luke worked on his father's peanut farm as a teenager, but realised that farming wasn't for him after developing a love of country music and playing the guitar.

Luke now resides in Nashville, Tennessee with his family.

What is Luke Bryan’s real name?

Luke Bryan's real name is Thomas Luther Bryan. He was named after his father Tommy Bryan and also named his eldest son Thomas Boyer “Bo” Bryan to follow the family tradition.

How did Luke Bryan get famous?

After graduating from college, Luke Bryan moved to Nashville in 2001 where he landed a job as a songwriter. Years later, Luke was spotted by a rep from Capitol Records whilst performing his own material at a local venue and was signed to the label shortly after.

That same year he released his debut studio album, 'I'll Stay Me' and his debut single 'All My Friends Say', which had more than 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Luke released his second album 'Doin' My Thing' two years later in 2009. The album included singles 'Do I' which reached Number 2 on the US Country Chart, followed by 'Rain Is a Good Thing' and 'Someone Else Calling You Baby' which both topped the country charts in 2010. The success of these singles helped to catapult Luke into the mainstream.

Who has Luke Bryan written songs for?

Before embarking on a career as a solo artist, Luke Bryan was a songwriter. He famously penned Billy Currington's 'Good Directions' and Travis Tritt's 'My Honky Tonk History'.

Luke Bryan’s most famous songs:

'Do I' (2009)

Arguably the song that helped bring Luke Bryan into the mainstream, 'Do I' from his second album 'Doin' My Thing' reached Number 2 on the Hot Country Songs Chart upon its release. It has since gone double Platinum in the US.

'Crash My Party' (2013)

The lead single from Luke Bryan's 2013 album 'Crash My Party' was another huge hit for the country superstar. It reached Number 1 on the US Country Chart and helped to solidify Luke as one of country music's biggest names.

'Country Girl (Shake It For Me)' (2011)

'Country Girl (Shake It for Me)' is Luke's seventh single and was the lead track for his album 'Tailgates & Tanlines'. As of April 2014, it is the third best-selling song by a male country music solo artist and it's now one of Luke's signature tunes.

'Drink A Beer' (2013)

Luke Bryan has previously described his country-ballad 'Drink A Beer' as "the coolest sad song ever." The third single from Luke's fourth album 'Crash My Party' (2013) was written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers and reached Number 1 on the US Country Chart in 2014.

'Kick The Dust Up' (2015)

The first single from his fifth studio album, 'Kill the Lights' (2015), 'Kick The Dust Up' was Luke Bryan's 13th Number 1 single and 10th consecutive chart-topper.

Career highlights

To date, Luke Bryan has had 23 Number 1 hit songs and has sold over 75 million records worldwide. He has also been named as the artist with the seventh most album sales of the decade, between 2010 to 2019.

In 2014, Luke was named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. He went on to win the accolade again in 2015 at the CMA Awards.

Luke Bryan sang the US National Anthem at the Superbowl at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas in 2017. His rendition of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' kicked off the game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2019, Luke Bryan's 2013 album 'Crash My Party' received the very first Album of the Decade award from the Academy of Country Music.

Luke then hosted the the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2021, when he also won the Entertainer of the Year award. He then hosted the 56th annual CMA Awards alongside retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning the following year.

Is Luke Bryan touring in 2024?

Yes, Luke is heading on the ‘Mind of a Country Boy’ tour in 2024, visiting cities across North America in the Spring and Summer. The tour includes 33 dates, with two stadium shows.

How many albums has Luke Bryan released?

To date, Luke Bryan has released seven studio albums and four compilation albums, including 'I'll Stay Me', 'Tailgates & Tanlines', 'Crash My Party' and 'Spring Break...Here to Party'.

He released his latest album, 'Born Here Live Here Die Here' in 2020. The album reached Number 3 on the UK Country Albums chart and Number 1 on the US Country chart, becoming Luke's ninth number 1 album. He later released a deluxe version of the album in April 2021, which included the singles ‘Waves’ and ‘Up’.

Is he working on new music?

Luke has now released his latest track, 'Love You, Miss You, Mean It', which came out on 5th April.

Announcing the release of the single on his Instagram page, Luke wrote: 'My new song #LoveYouMissYouMeanIt is out now! The first time I heard the song I felt like so many people would relate to it because we’ve all said that phrase “Love You, Miss You, Mean It.” And the fact that the song just talks about young kids falling in love and the challenges of moving off to college and then finally reuniting is kinda my story with Caroline. I hope y’all love it.'

Is Luke Bryan married?

Yes, Luke Bryan is married to his college sweetheart Caroline Boyer. The couple met at Georgia Southern University in 1998 and were married on 8th December 2006 in Turks & Caicos.

Shortly before Luke was set to move to Nashville at age 19 to pursue his music career, his older brother Chris was tragically killed in a car accident. Luke decided to delay the move and attended Georgia Southern University where he met his future wife Caroline.

Luke and Caroline got married in a remote ceremony in Turks & Caicos in 2006 and are now parents to sons Thomas and Tatum. The couple are also adoptive parents to Luke's nieces and nephew, Til, Kris and Jordan, after the tragic loss of their parents. Their mother Kelly unexpectedly passed away in 2007 and their father, Ben died suddenly from a heart attack in 2014.

Take a look at some of the country tours to look forward to:

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