“It’s all a dream. All I ever wanted to be is a big ol’ country star
and I cannot believe it’s happened,” Bryan says in his Southern drawl.
“It’s the time of my life and I’m loving every day.”
“Luke simply has that elusive ‘it’ factor,” says Mike Dungan,
chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN). “He is a
ramped-up Elvis. His stage performance and persona are ex-traordinary.
His genuineness and sincerity are evident in everything he does. And
most important, his songs are right in the pocket. This one is going to
be a force for a long time.”
A native of Leesburg, Ga., Bryan honed his skills in local clubs
before moving to Nashville in 2001. His first success came as a
songwriter, penning songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington, who
took Bryan’s “Good Directions” to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs
chart. Bryan landed a deal with Capitol Records and his 2007 debut
single, “All My Friends Say,” peaked at No. 5 on Hot Country Songs and
his first album, “I’ll Stay Me,” hit No. 2 on Top Country Albums. Since
then, he’s placed 18 titles on Hot Country Songs, among them the No. 1s
“Rain Is a Good Thing,” “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” “I Don’t Want
This Night to End” and “Drunk on You.” The latter two are from Bryan’s
third studio album, “Tailgates & Tanlines,” which arrived in August
2011 and spent four weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. It has sold
1.9 million copies, debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and
was the eighth-biggest-selling album of 2012 overall. It moved 1.1
million copies last year, finishing at No. 2 on Billboard’s year-end
country tally. Bryan came in at No. 3 on the country artist list.
This is an excerpt. For the complete story, buy this week's issue of Billboard.
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