“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.
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