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.
Luke Bryan was born in Leesburg, Georgia, to LeClaire and Tommy Bryan, who owned a peanut farm. Shortly before Luke was going to move to Nashville at age 19, his elder brother Chris was unexpectedly killed in a car accident. His mother, LeClaire, had made a statement: "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."
Instead, Luke went to college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, briefly dated his future wife Caroline, and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Luke reconnected with Caroline several years later when he was performing at a bar in Statesboro when she was in town, later resuming their relationship and eventually marrying.
Two years after graduating from college, Bryan finally made it to Nashville, when his father urged him to pack his truck to pursue a career in music. He initially gained success as a songwriter, but soon after signed as a performer; his first major success was "All My Friends Say".
2006–2009: I'll Stay Me
Soon after his arrival in Nashville, Bryan joined a publishing house in the city. Among his first cuts was the title track of Travis Tritt's 2004 album My Honky Tonk History.
He was later signed by Capitol Nashville to a recording contract. In the meantime, Bryan co-wrote Billy Currington's single "Good Directions", which went to number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in mid-2007. Bryan co-wrote his debut single, "All My Friends Say", with producer Jeff Stevens. This song reached a peak of #5 on the Hot Country Songs chart. In August 2007, Capitol Nashville released Bryan's debut album, I'll Stay Me. Bryan wrote or co-wrote all but one of its 11 songs. The album's second single, "We Rode in Trucks", peaked at #33 while "Country Man" reached #10.
2009–2011: Doin' My Thing
On March 10, 2009, he released an EP titled Spring Break with All My Friends that featured two new songs, "Sorority Girls" and "Take My Drunk Ass Home," plus an acoustic version of "All My Friends Say". After this EP, he released his fourth single, "Do I" in May 2009. Bryan wrote the song with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady A, whose lead singer Hillary Scott also sings backing vocals on it. The song reached #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
"Do I" was included on Bryan's second album, Doin' My Thing, which was released in October 2009. Also included on the album was a cover of OneRepublic's "Apologize". Bryan wrote the album's next two singles, "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby", with Dallas Davidson and Jeff Stevens, respectively. Both of these songs went to #1 on the country music charts. AllMusic gave this album a positive review as well, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine considering Bryan more "relaxed" in comparison to his debut. On February 26, 2010, Bryan released a second EP, titled Spring Break 2...Hangover Edition, which featured three new songs: "Wild Weekend", "Cold Beer Drinker", and "I'm Hungover". While Bryan is mainly known as a country music singer, he has explored other genres like alternative rock with his cover of "Apologize".
Bryan appeared on the April 18, 2010, episode of Celebrity Apprentice alongside fellow country star Emily West. The task for each team was to make over an up-and-coming country star, with Bryan being selected by Team Rocksolid, led by Bill Goldberg, and West being selected by team Tenacity, led by Cyndi Lauper. Bryan's makeover failed to impress the judges, leading to Rocksolid losing the task. Bryan's single "Rain Is a Good Thing" and West's single "Blue Sky" were both sold on iTunes, with a month's worth of sales being donated to Lauper's charity, the Stonewall Community Foundation, resulting in $25,000 being raised.
2011–2013: Tailgates & Tanlines
Bryan released his third EP, Spring Break 3...It's a Shore Thing, on February 25, 2011, featuring four new songs - "In Love With the Girl," "If You Ain't Here to Party," "Shore Thing," and "Love In a College Town". This release was followed by Bryan's seventh single, "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)", which was released on March 14, 2011. Also co-written by Bryan and Davidson, it served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, Tailgates & Tanlines, which was released August 9, 2011. The album peaked at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Country Girl" peaked at #4 on the country music charts and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album's next three singles - "I Don't Want This Night to End", "Drunk on You", and "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" - all reached #1 on the country music charts. Bryan, along with Eric Church, sang guest vocals on Jason Aldean's "The Only Way I Know," the second single from his 2012 album, Night Train.
On March 6, 2012, Bryan released his fourth Spring Break EP entitled Spring Break 4...Suntan City. Along with the title track, which Bryan co-wrote with Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, the EP includes "Spring Break-Up," "Little Bit Later On," and "Shake the Sand". On January 30, 2013, Bryan announced his first compilation album, Spring Break...Here to Party, which includes 14 songs - 12 from his previous Spring Break EPs and two new tracks. It was released on March 5. The album debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first album of his career to top the all-genre album chart. One of the new Spring Break songs, "Buzzkill", reached the top 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
2013–2015: Crash My Party
Luke Bryan's fourth studio album, Crash My Party, was released on August 12, 2013. The album's first single, "Crash My Party", was premiered in a performance at the 2013 ACM Awards and released on April 7, 2013. It reached #1 on the Country Airplay chart in July 2013. The album's second single, "That's My Kind of Night", was released to country radio on August 5, 2013. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in August 2013 and peaked at #2 on the Country Airplay chart in October 2013. The album's third single, "Drink a Beer", was released to country radio on October 24, 2013. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in January 2014 and #1 on the Country Airplay chart in February 2014. During the kickoff show for his 2014 That's My Kind of Night Tour in Columbus, Ohio, Bryan announced to the crowd that "Play It Again" would become the album's fourth single. This song reached #1 on both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in May 2014. At the same time, Bryan sang guest vocals on Florida Georgia Line's 2014 single "This Is How We Roll". On July 14, 2014, the song "Roller Coaster" was released as the album's fifth single. It reached #1 on the Country Airplay chart in October 2014. The album's sixth single, "I See You", was released to country radio on November 3, 2014. It reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in February 2015.
On March 11, 2014, Bryan began his sixth year of spring performances at Spinnaker Beach Club in Panama City Beach, Florida. On the same day, he also released his sixth Spring Break EP, Spring Break 6...Like We Ain't Ever.
Bryan is the only country music artist to release an album of six #1 singles on both the Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.
2015–2018: Kill the Lights and What Makes You Country
On November 11, 2014, it was confirmed that Bryan had begun writing and recording songs for his upcoming fifth studio album. His last Spring Break album, Spring Break...Checkin' Out, was released on March 10, 2015. It includes the six songs from the previous year's EP and five original new songs.
On May 19, 2015, Bryan released his first single from his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights, "Kick the Dust Up", which peaked at #1 on the Country Airplay chart. He co-wrote over half of the songs on this album. This album provides not only his country flare, but also has tracks that include a disco type beat along with the songs of romance. The album's second single, "Strip It Down", was released to country radio on August 4, 2015. The album was released on August 7. Kill the Lights sold 345,000 total copies its first week and beat out Dr. Dre's Compton to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Strip It Down" went #1 in October 2015, making fourteen cumulative #1's. The album's third single, "Home Alone Tonight", released to country radio on November 23, 2015. The song also became his 15th song to reach #1. The album's fourth single, "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day", released to country radio on March 14, 2016. All six of the singles released from Bryan's Kill the Lights album reached #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Bryan the first artist in the 27-year history of the chart to achieve six #1 singles from one album.
It was announced that Bryan would perform at halftime of the 2015 Thanksgiving match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.
In 2016, Bryan was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country", a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again" and "I Will Always Love You" which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.
On February 5, 2017, Bryan performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. In September 2017, Bryan was announced as a judge for the revival of American Idol on ABC.
Bryan released "Light It Up" in mid-2017. It served as the lead-off single to his sixth album, What Makes You Country, which was released on December 8, 2017. "Most People Are Good" and "Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset" were released as the album's second and third singles, respectively. The album's fourth single, the album's title track, released to country radio on October 22, 2018.
When American Idol returned for another season on ABC, Bryan returned along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as judges.
2019–2021: Born Here Live Here Die Here
"Knockin' Boots" was released to country radio in March 2019. In October 2019, "What She Wants Tonight" was released to country radio as the second single from his upcoming album. In January 2020, Bryan announced his next album would be titled Born Here Live Here Die Here and was scheduled to be released on April 24, 2020. The announcement of the album followed the announcement of his upcoming Proud to Be Right Here Tour. On March 13, 2020, "One Margarita" was released as the third single from his upcoming album. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bryan delayed the release of the album to August 7, 2020, and rescheduled the Proud to Be Right Here Tour to 2021. On June 12, 2020, Bryan released the track "Build Me A Daddy" along with a music video for the song. On October 19, 2020, the song "Down to One" was made the fourth single from the album. A Deluxe edition of Born Here Live Here Die Here, released on April 9, 2021, produced the album's fifth single, "Waves", as well as its sixth single, "Up," which was released on October 11, 2021. In October, it was announced that Bryan would host the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards for the first time, making him the first solo host in 18 years.
What Country Is
Luke Bryan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey darlin' pass another Kerr jar to me
Butter drippin' off a biscuit, baby better take a bite
Cantaloupe thumps like it's finally ripe
Box fan on a lawn chair suckin' in swamp air
Two hundred mile marker signs from nowhere
That's what country is
It's a hide away bed in an old horse stall
Two kids gettin' caught stealin' a Boone's farm kiss
It ain't a John Deere cap that's never fell in the cotton
It's a Jimmy Rodgers song that was long forgotten
It's homemade peach ice cream on sunburnt lips
That's what country is
When the sun starts slippin' from the delta sky
And the last scarecrow tucks in for the night
Make a fire throw a blanket on the sandy bank
'Bout an hour 'till we feel the first catfish yank
Barefoot cane pole wavin' at the riverboats
And when they're gone take a dip in the moon glow
That's what country is
It ain't a rebel flag you bought at the mall
It's a hide away bed in an old horse stall
Two kids gettin' caught stealin' a Boone's farm kiss
It ain't a John Deere cap that's never fell in the cotton
It's a Jimmy Rodgers song that was long forgotten
It's homemade peach ice cream on sunburnt lips
That's what country is
It ain't a jacked up truck that's never seen a pasture
It's cars pulling over for a no-cab tractor
It's homemade peach ice cream on sunburnt lips
No, it can't be bought it's somethin' you're born with
That's what country is
That's what country is
That's what country is
That's what country is
In Luke Bryan's song What Country Is, the artist describes what makes up the essence of country living. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the simple pleasures and small details that come together to create the perfect country experience. The first verse describes a scene of someone drinking sweet tea with a house fly swimming in it, surrounded by the sounds of the countryside such as cantaloupe thumping and the whirring of a box fan. The second verse highlights the importance of forgotten traditions and meaningful moments, such as kids stealing kisses over a bottle of Boone's farm wine and listening to Jimmy Rodgers' music. The third verse depicts the calm and peaceful evenings spent with loved ones fishing by the river and enjoying homemade peach ice cream.
Throughout the song, Bryan highlights that country living is not just about the typical stereotypes like rebel flags or jacked-up trucks, but rather the simple pleasures and traditions that can't be bought. It's about the everyday moments that make up the fabric of the country lifestyle – a bed in an old horse stall, a no-cab tractor pulling over to let cars pass, and sunburnt lips from eating homemade peach ice cream. Bryan's song is an ode to the things that make country living unique and special.
Overall, What Country Is is a poignant and heartfelt tribute to the country way of life. Bryan's lyrics effectively capture the essence of what makes country living unique and special, with a focus on the small moments and forgotten traditions that create a sense of community and belonging in rural America.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a house fly swimmin' in my sweet tea
Even though the sweet tea is not perfect, it's still a nice and refreshing fact of summer.
Hey darlin' pass another Kerr jar to me
Passing a Kerr jar is a simple, sweet, southern moment that brings people together.
Butter drippin' off a biscuit, baby better take a bite
A fresh, hot biscuit with butter is a delicious, comforting treat that cannot be resisted.
Cantaloupe thumps like it's finally ripe
The thumping of a ripe cantaloupe creates a sensory moment that is indicative of the natural world.
Box fan on a lawn chair suckin' in swamp air
A box fan on a lawn chair is a makeshift air conditioner that provides relief on a hot summer day.
Two hundred mile marker signs from nowhere
The isolation of the country is something that is unique and unmatched. It can be freeing or scary, depending on one's perspective.
It ain't a rebel flag you bought at the mall
The concept of 'country' is not something that can be bought or marketed at a mall. It's a way of life that must be experienced authentically.
It's a hide away bed in an old horse stall
The beauty of the country is that it can be rugged and humble. It's a place where a bed can be made in an old horse stall and still be a cozy, comfortable place to sleep.
Two kids gettin' caught stealin' a Boone's farm kiss
The country is full of innocent moments that are simple and pure. These moments, like stealing a kiss, don't have to be grand to be memorable.
It ain't a John Deere cap that's never fell in the cotton
Country isn't about wearing a cap with a certain logo on it. It's about living a life that is in touch with the land and the meaningful work that is done on it.
It's a Jimmy Rodgers song that was long forgotten
The country is rich with history and traditions that can be forgotten or overlooked. It's important to remember and honor these things in order to understand and appreciate where we came from.
It's homemade peach ice cream on sunburnt lips
Homemade peach ice cream is a taste of summer that is unmatched. It's a simple pleasure that speaks to the warmth and comfort of the country.
When the sun starts slippin' from the delta sky
The country is a place where nature is a significant element of the landscape. The delta sky provides a beautiful scene that is worthy of appreciation.
And the last scarecrow tucks in for the night
Scarecrows are a symbol of the countryside and the work that goes into farming. They also represent the cyclical nature of life - the end of the day and the beginning of a new one.
Make a fire throw a blanket on the sandy bank
Making a fire on a sandy bank is a relaxing and comforting moment in the country. It's a way to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature.
'Bout an hour 'till we feel the first catfish yank
Waiting for a catfish to bite can be a calming and meditative experience. It's also an interesting way to connect with the natural world.
Barefoot cane pole wavin' at the riverboats
Fishing with a cane pole is a nostalgic activity that is still popular in the country. It's a simple pleasure that doesn't require much gear or equipment.
And when they're gone take a dip in the moon glow
Swimming in the moonlight is a whimsical and enchanting experience. It's another way to connect with the natural world and appreciate the beauty of the countryside.
It ain't a jacked up truck that's never seen a pasture
Owning a jacked up truck doesn't automatically make someone a country person. The focus of country living is on the land and the work that is done on it, not on the status symbols that are associated with it.
It's cars pulling over for a no-cab tractor
In the country, people are more likely to be aware of and appreciate the hard work that farmers do. There is a sense of camaraderie and respect that is part of the culture.
No, it can't be bought it's somethin' you're born with
Country living is not something that can be bought or replicated. It's a way of life that is unique to the people who live it and the land they call home.
That's what country is
Country is more than just a place or a way of life. It's a feeling, a sense of belonging, a connection to traditions and values that have been passed down through generations.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMIE TEACHENOR, SHANE MCANALLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Doni Barton
Shit was so real . So well written . Brought tears to my eyes . Hit the nail on the head
Doni Barton
Wonderful song . So well put . I really enjoyed this song . And will continue for ever
Zachary Richardson
being country isn't about were your from or what clothes you wear or the truck or car you drive, it's a way of life being country means you stand up for yours and it don't matter if your from georgia texas or wherever it matters what you feel in your heart, Fuck what everybody says if you know your country then let your pride show
Andrew Collado
Same boat buddy
Rockin Russ
exactly
Seth Bennink
+mason Phinney False Minnesota is the farthest north in the lower 48. Note that most U.S. maps are shown in a non-cylindrical projection (i.e. curved lines of latitude) which usually give the impression that Maine appears farther north than it really is.
Logan Riggs
I'm from new York but my whole family criticises me cause Im a country kid and I don't like the city to be honest. but I agree with you man
mason Phinney
+Joseph Nixon yeah they have bigger city's in the south look at main and look at Dallas Witch is were everybody thinks is were country is from but there's way more city and crime than Maine and main is the farthest north you can go in the lower 48
AllAmericanGirl9898
This is a song that i can listen to over and over and over for forever !! :) go luke bryan
LRK29485
Love this song, love this country, love our troops, love being country