Luke Bryan
full name – Thomas Luther Bryan
Birthdate – July 17, 1976
Net Worth – $160 million
Who Is Luke Bryan? Luke Bryan found professional success as a songwriter before delivering his debut album, I’ll Stay Me, in 2007. He followed with the acclaimed albums Doin’ My Thing, Tailgates & Tanlines, Crash My Party and Kill the Lights, the last of which produced a record-breaking six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. In late 2017, Bryan released his fourth album to top the Billboard Top 200, What Makes You Country, before debuting as a judge for a revived American Idol early the following year.
Early Life and Career Born Thomas Luther Bryan in Leesburg, Georgia, on July 17, 1976, Bryan grew up the youngest son of a farmer. Always interested in music, Bryan was raised on his parents’ record collection, which included such country artists as George Strait, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard.
When he was 14, Bryan’s parents bought him a guitar, and it wasn’t long before he was good enough on the instrument, and with his voice, to begin sitting in with local musicians. In high school, Bryan performed in musicals and wrote his own songs, which he sang with a band he started.
When he was just 19 and ready for his big move to Nashville, his world was rocked when his older brother, Chris, was killed in a car accident.
Following his brother’s death, Bryan put his Nashville dreams on hold and continued his education at Georgia Southern University to be close to his family. He also kept busy by working on his father’s peanut farm and playing with a new band at night on campus and in local bars.
Bryan burned to pursue a musical career, and he wrote songs continually, releasing a self-produced album during this period. His father saw Bryan’s dream slipping away, and he knew there was only one way to get Bryan back on track: He told his son to pack up his truck and hit the road to Tennessee or he was fired. Bryan moved to Nashville in 2001, quickly landing a songwriting contract with a local publishing house. He earned writing credits for some of country music’s top artists, including Travis Tritt. At night, he performed his own music at local clubs, and when an A&R rep from Capitol Records saw him perform one night, Bryan was signed to the label.
Albums and Hit Songs ‘I’ll Stay Me’ Bryan introduced himself to a wider audience with “All My Friends Say,” the lead single from his debut album, I’ll Stay Me (2007). The song spent more than 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking of No. 5, while “We Rode in Trucks” and “Country Man” also earned favorable receptions, propelling the album to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
‘Doin’ My Thing’ After kicking off Doin’ My Thing (2009) with “Do I,” a legitimate crossover hit, Bryan scored his first two No. 1 country singles with “Rain Is a Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby.” Doin’ My Thing became his second straight album to reach the No. 2 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.
‘Tailgates & Tanlines’ Bryan made his fans wait another two years for Tailgates & Tanlines (2011), an album that cemented his standing as one of the top artists in the business. Several tracks, including “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” “Drunk on You” and “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” became No
