Thomas Luther “Luke” Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time “Entertainer of the Year”, being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association. In 2019, Bryan’s 2013 album Crash My Party received the first Album of the Decade award from the Academy of Country Music. 

He is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with over 75 million records sold.[6] Since 2018, Bryan has been a judge on the singing competition television show American Idol.

His first ten albums – I’ll Stay Me (2007), Doin’ My Thing (2009), Tailgates & Tanlines (2011), Crash My Party (2013), Spring Break…Here to Party (2013), Spring Break…Checkin’ Out (2015), Kill the Lights (2015), Farm Tour… Here’s to the Farmer (2016), What Makes You Country (2017), and Born Here Live Here Die Here (2020) – have included 30 number-one hits. Bryan often co-writes with Jeff Stevens.

Luke Bryan was born in Leesburg, Georgia, to LeClaire and Thomas “Tommy” Bryan, who owned a peanut farm. He has an older sister, Kelly, and an older brother, Chris.

Bryan grew up in Leesburg, Georgia and was active in sports and demonstrated musical aptitude at an early age. He drew inspiration from Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and country artists such as George Strait, Alabama, and Ronnie Milsap, who inspired him to learn to play piano.

His first job was at a local grocery store. He attended Lee County District High School, where he was involved in both sports and theatre. His teachers recognized his musical ability and stage presence and encouraged him to pursue musical theatre upon graduation.

Shortly before moving to Nashville at age 19 to pursue a music career, Bryan’s elder brother Chris was killed in a car accident.His mother has stated: “We knew Luke at some point would come to Nashville,” his mother said. “But … you can’t leave your family, and … I couldn’t bear the thought of him being away.”

Bryan instead went to college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and he briefly dated his future wife, Caroline Boyer. He graduated in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. 

Bryan reconnected with Boyer several years later when he was performing at a bar in Statesboro, when she was in town, later resuming their relationship and eventually marrying.

During his undergraduate education, and following graduation, Bryan worked on his father’s peanut mill and performed local shows with a band he formed with friends called “Neyami Road. Two years later, at his father’s encouragement, Bryan moved to Nashville, when his father urged him to pack his truck to pursue a music career. He initially gained success as a songwriter, co-writing Billy Currington’s 2006 hit “Good Directions”, which was a number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for three weeks. Though initially rejected by record labels, he eventually signed with Capitol Records; his first major success was “All My Friends Say”.

Bryan has supported numerous charities and causes, including the City of Hope and Red Cross. Past causes Bryan supported were AIDS and HIV, cancer, children’s disaster relief, health, and human rights.

Following the death of her niece, Bryan’s wife, Caroline, established Brett’s Barn in her honor. Brett’s Barn, located on their family farm, is a sanctuary for rescue animals that invites sick children to spend time with the over 20 animals they host on the farm. 

She and Bryan are also on the board of directors of the Brett Boyer Foundation, which raises awareness for Down Syndrome and congenital heart disease.

The organization also hosts a number of fundraisers to raise money for research, including “Bike for Brett” which occurs annually on World Down Syndrome Day.

Bryan has cited country artists George Strait, Alan Jackson, Alabama, and Merle Haggard as influences on his career. He also cited hip hop bands Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. as a source of inspiration in an interview with The Huffington Post, noting, “I think there’s been somewhat of a change with our generation.

You know, nobody grew up more country than me, but I mean, I had Beastie Boys playing on little boom boxes and Run D.M.C. and all forms of music, so through the years, I just think it’s all constantly blending together.