Eighteen years ago today, Luke Bryan stepped out from behind the songwriter’s desk and into the spotlight. After co-writing Billy Currington’s chart-topper “Good Directions,” he released his debut album I’ll Stay Me, home to radio singles “All My Friends Say,” “We Rode in Trucks,” and “Country Man” — early songs that paved the way to his first No. 1, “Do I.”
Since then, the American Idol judge has amassed 26.6 billion streams, sold 11.9 million albums, and moved more than 47 million tracks. He was honored with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his standing as one of the most-streamed artists in their 20-year history. Bryan has charted 31 No. 1 songs, 17 of which he co-wrote, and he’s spent 57 weeks in the top chart position.
“When I was younger, I wouldn’t have really known who I was as an artist,” Bryan told People. “Back then, I was just singing other people’s songs and trying to figure out what I want to be. Now I know the main thing is to do your best to tell your story in the most authentic and relatable way. I can’t go back and question any of the stars or fate at how it all shaped out. I look back, and I’m proud of my climb to get here.”
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Luke Bryan Released I’ll Stay Me 18 Years Ago
But the climb officially started with his debut Capitol Records release, I’ll Stay Me 18 years ago. Bryan co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album, which Jeff Stevens produced. Unfailingly loyal, Bryan still turns to Stevens and his son to produce his albums. “I’ll Stay Me” reached No. 5. “We Rode in Trucks” hit No. 33, and “Country Man” peaked at No. 10, which started Bryan’s impressive 29-song run of Top 10 singles. I’ll Stay Me is Bryan’s most traditional-sounding album in his catalog – and his only album without a No. 1 song on the track list. The RIAA certified it gold with more than 250,000 units sold.
I’ll Stay Me allowed Bryan to delve into his traditional roots, laced with fiddle, steel guitar, rural themes, and storytelling. When he reached for a broader audience through pop country sounds on his subsequent albums, his early roots still held firm to balance the bend. I’ll Stay Me helped Bryan establish himself as a fun-loving, small-town Southern man, a part of his image that holds true nearly two decades later. And songs from the album, including “The Car In Front of Me” and “Tackle Box,” helped establish Bryan as an emotional storyteller – a needed balance to his crowd-amping anthems like “All My Friends Say.”
Barnes & Noble noted: “Rather than borrow from Tim McGraw or Big & Rich, he takes his inspiration from more timeless… tradition like Randy Travis and Alan Jackson… Fiddles, pedal steels, and honky-tonk upright pianos are everywhere, but they are layered underneath big guitar sounds, reverbed vocals, and sometimes cavernous drums… Despite the calculating… nature… he is genuinely gifted.”
Luke Bryan Shook It and People Paid Attention
The album paved the way for his sophomore album, Doin’ My Thing, which delivered his first No. 1 hit “Do I,” and crowd favorites “Rain is a Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby.”
However, it was Bryan’s third album, Tailgates & Tanlines, which he released in 2011, that cemented him as the country genre’s next superstar. Bryan’s career spun on its axis following his star-making – and hip-shaking – performance on the CMT Awards of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” The album is also home to chart-toppers including “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” “Drunk on You,” and “I Don’t Want This Night to End.”
His fourth album, Crash My Party, catapulted Bryan into stadium headliner status – and he never looked back.
At this point in his career, Bryan is a five-time host of the ACM Awards and has hosted the CMA Awards four times. He’s won more than 50 major music awards, including five Entertainer of the Year trophies. CMT named him an Artist of the Year six times. NSAI awarded him their Artist/Songwriter of the Year, and Bryan was the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party. Billboard named him the Top Country Artist of the 2010s, and Country Aircheck declared him its Most Heard Artist of the Decade.
Most Heard Artist of the Decade
Bryan also never stopped appreciating his success.
“Every day I wake up, and I lay in bed counting my blessings, and saying my prayers for how fortunate I am to have great fans and health and family,” he said. “I’ve been so blessed to have my career gradually get bigger and bigger, so I’ve been able to absorb stuff and take stuff gradually.”
(Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
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