Fans drawn in by Luke Bryan’s boyish, down-home charm soon discover what’s behind it: an intelligent wit, an off-the-wall sense of humor and a unique take on life shaped by experiences both joyful and tragic. They also soon discern that this boy next door is a talented triple threat vocalist, songwriter and musician.

Even before his first Capitol Records Nashville single, "All My Friends Say," had been sent to country radio, Bryan was already earning significant media attention, including being named one of Billboard magazine’s new faces to watch in 2007. He was the only country music performer selected for the honor. Bryan was also included in Country Weekly’s "Who’s Hot in 2007" feature and the single was chosen as an iTunes "Discovery Download" of the week.

At the same time, Bryan’s second major cut as a songwriter - Billy Currington’s "Good Directions" - was quickly climbing the country airplay charts and eventually hit the top spot on the country singles charts in May 2007 giving the Georgia native his first #1 song as a songwriter. Bryan’s first major cut was the title track to Travis Tritt’s "Honky Tonk History."

Countrified is something that comes naturally to Bryan. He grew up helping his farmer father harvest peanuts, corn and cotton in Leesburg, Ga., a tiny town that just got its first traffic light two years ago. But Bryan seemed destined for a different career. Even as a small child he recalls being drawn to music. "I had one of those little suitcase record players that I called my ‘rec-rec’ and I would listen to Ronnie Milsap and Alabama on it all day, and I mean ALL DAY," he remembers.

Bryan had his first guitar by age 14, and was playing in a local bar at 15. By age 16, he was regularly writing songs and leading his own band. It was during this time he also got involved in playing with his church youth group.

"It’s kind of funny," he recalls. "Wednesday nights I’d be playing for church groups and then Friday and Saturday I’d be playing Alan Jackson, George Strait and Clint Black at some little old dives in Georgia."

His intention was to move to Nashville and pursue a music career soon after his high school graduation, a goal his family enthusiastically supported. Sadly, fate had other plans.

Bryan had lined up a Nashville apartment and a roommate, but on the very day he was scheduled to move, his older brother and biggest supporter, Chris, was killed in what Bryan calls a "freak car accident."

The experience, Bryan says, is "the worst thing anybody could ever go through. It’s the most life-altering event." But at the same time, such a harrowing occurrence brings with it "a whole new appreciation for life. You take each day as a special day. I don’t take anything for granted anymore."

After the accident, Bryan immediately scrapped his career plans, choosing instead to stay with his family during their painful ordeal. He continued to write and play music, and eventually enrolled at Georgia Southern University, not far from home. It was there that Bryan’s talents really blossomed as he performed with his band nearly every weekend.

Even after college graduation, Bryan refused to reconsider moving to Nashville and went to work for his father’s businesses, a peanut mill and fertilizer plant. But he was unhappy and remembers feeling "something wasn’t right." His father sensed it too, and one day took his son for a drive and told him, "Music is what you were meant to do. You either quit this job or move to Nashville, or I’m going to fire you."

"The day I moved to Nashville and every day since then has been the best day of my life," Bryan says of finally making his long-delayed move in September 2001. "I don’t consider one thing I’ve done since I’ve been in Nashville work. Spreading fertilizer and hauling peanut wagons, that’s work! Doing interviews and playing for fun crowds, I’ll never consider that a job."

He quickly landed a publishing contract at top independent publisher Murrah Music. There, Bryan found his voice as a writer by sticking close to the life experiences he knows best, as evidenced on such album cuts as "Country Man" and his signature song, "We Rode In Trucks," a favorite among his Georgia fans.

Soon, interest from Capitol Records Nashville turned into a recording contract. "It’s all your dreams and everything you every wanted coming together right there at that moment," Bryan says of being offered his deal in 2004.

Capitol has had success in the past pairing new artists with promising but little known producers with whom the artist has a great songwriting rapport. This technique worked most notably for Dierks Bentley and producer Brett Beavers. So the label chose that risky route again when it allowed Bryan to make his debut album with his accomplished songwriter buddy, Jeff Stevens, behind the board. The pair had already co-written four of the album’s tracks, including "All My Friends Say."

The label’s gamble paid off. The Bryan/Stevens pairing has resulted in a fresh and contemporary-sounding album that’s just country enough to represent Bryan’s rural Georgia upbringing, but rocking enough to reflect the years he spent honing his live chops at bars and fraternity houses in his home state, where he is already a bona fide star. I’ll Stay Me is scheduled for release in August.

After years spent building a following in Georgia, it’s not surprising that Bryan chose to return there to shoot the video for "All My Friends Say" at a Theta Chi fraternity house on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. It was a comfortable environment for the entertainer and the perfect setting for the witty song’s equally amusing film incarnation. Noted video director Shaun Silva lensed the clip, which shows off Bryan’s significant skills as a live entertainer as part of the story line.

"I still get shocked all the time when I meet random people and they say ‘You’re Luke Bryan.’ That’s still pretty neat," the singer says of his home state fan base. "Georgia’s what’s kept the bills paid forever."

Looking back, Bryan knows he wasn’t ready for Nashville the first time he’d planned to live there. "If I had moved when I was 20, I may not have stayed," he says. "I was such a home boy I think I would have come up here and just gotten a little freaked out."

He also has the benefit of maturity and experience now. "When I was 19 or 20 if you had told me standing on the Batman building [the BellSouth tower in downtown Nashville] and playing my guitar would get me a record deal, I probably would have done it," he says with a laugh.

More importantly, Bryan feels his late brother has had a hand in much of the success he’s now achieved. "I attribute a lot of things that have happened for me so easily to him looking down on me," he says. "I don’t know how I can be so fortunate, so it’s got to be him working it all out for me."

(CSC) 1. What’s the latest with you! How has 2008 been treating you so far?

(Luke Bryan)

Oh man it’s been good! I’ve just been playing a bunch of shows, meeting a lot of fans, and we just finished up our last “Kenny” date. We’re pretty bummed that that had to come to an end. It was certainly a fun experience being out there and being a part of that! I hope that I get the chance to do something like that again.

(CSC) 2. Let’s talk about you and your wife Caroline’s baby boy, Thomas Boyer or as you simply call him, “Bo.” Being a country music star, how have you adjusted to being a first time father and how do you prioritize the two?

(Luke Bryan)

Well obviously it’s tough because I have to be away from home so much, but the main thing is I try to make sure that my time at home is well spent. They come out on the road with me probably once every month, or once every two months so that gives me a chance to see em’ a little bit, and hang. The bottom line is I have to make sure that I see em’ as much as I can when I’m in town, and make the most of our time together!

(CSC) 3. When you have the chance to take a break, what do you enjoy doing in a big city like Chicago? Any favorite places to hang out or visit when you’re here for a show?

(Luke Bryan)

I like to get some shopping in. I can’t remember the name of the street that it’s on, but I certainly know the area. The main thing is just to hang out in the city when you’re there. I always like to swing by Joe’s and see all the guys around there. Just being able to be in the city, and walk around and see all the great spots is a lot of fun!

(CSC) 4. Your debut album “I’ll Stay Me” has been a huge success among critics alike. When do you have plans to release your sophomore release, and how would it compare to your first record?

(Luke Bryan)

We plan on having another record out sometime in 2009. As far as how it would compare to the last album, I hope that there will be some of the same stuff that we had on the first album that people will be looking forward to, but honestly I hope there’s some growth as far as songwriting goes. I always want to better myself with each album, and I think we’ve already got a lot of the songs written, and the songs that we’re looking for we’ve found around town. It’s looking like it’s going to shape up to be a good chance at a great sophomore album!

(CSC) 5. As a songwriter, I understand that you contributed to several songs on your first album?

(Luke Bryan)

Yeah, I wrote ten of the eleven songs on the album.  

(CSC) 6. You’ve been through some tough hardships in your life. What do you attribute to pulling through those dark times?

(Luke Bryan)

Just keeping your chin up, understanding God has a plan for you, and keep plowing on, you know. That’s the thing about life, it has its ups and downs, and things sometimes catch you off guard more times than not. We have to just keep plugging along, and keep a positive outlook. It’s important to enjoy all the great things about life!

(CSC) 7. Besides being a singer, you’ve written hit songs for other artists in Country Music. What do you enjoy about the two, and how does one compare to the other?

(Luke Bryan)

Well I love performing, and why I moved to Nashville, and why I’m a singer and a songwriter is to have a chance to get onstage and perform my songs. Songwriting gives me a way to tell stories and tell my life to other people. It gives other people the chance to feel that their stories are heard, and that maybe they grew up like me or have experienced the same things that I have. The main thing is songwriting is just a fun way to express yourself, and have everybody else understand that and jump on the bandwagon with you!  

(CSC) 8. If you had the chance to duet with any “legendary” female artist in Country Music, who would it be and why?

(Luke Bryan)

I’ve always wished I could do something with Dolly Parton sometime. I think she honestly is a hero of mine; and obviously Reba wouldn’t be too bad either. There are a lot of duets I’d love to try to pull off out there. I think it would be a whole lot of fun!

(CSC) 9. Have you had the chance to meet with Dolly and Reba yet?

(Luke Bryan) 

I haven’t gotten to meet Dolly or Reba yet, but I’m certainly looking forward to that opportunity.  

(CSC) 10. You’ve gotten a reputation as being very approachable and genuinely down-to-earth and pretty involved with your fans. As your success skyrockets, how do you manage to stay true to yourself and remain unaffected by all the fame?

(Luke Bryan)

I don’t really try to let it go to my head, it is what it is. It’s about being out there and playing music. I still want to be approachable to my fans, and I enjoy meetin’ fans and hearin’ what they have to say and things like that. I’ve always tried to maintain my enjoyment of music, and my love for music, and my fans are a part of that! I couldn’t be here without the fans supporting me. That’s the main thing for me. People always tell me I’m goin’ the extra mile but I don’t ever really think of it like that, it’s just all a part of the experience. When I moved to Nashville, I hoped I would have a lot of fans someday, and the fact that I wouldn’t continue to be nice to them or compassionate with them would be a little weird for me for it to be any other way.   

(CSC) 11. Where did you get the name for your fan club? (The Nut House)

(Luke Bryan)

Yeah! That’s because my father is a peanut farmer and I grew up on the peanut farm, so it just seemed fitting to name it that. Obviously my fans are about half crazy too, (Laughs) so it seemed fitting to name em’ the nut house.

(CSC) 12. You mentioned just recently ending a tour with Kenny Chesney. What was that like touring with all those different artists on the bill?

(Luke Bryan)

It was a blast getting to hang with some of those guys. Just getting to have the chance to watch Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, and those other big name acts perform you learn a lot. I look back on that, and I really did learn a lot. It was a great experience to be out there with everybody. Being able to watch Kenny Chesney’s operation on a day in and day out basis was pretty spectacular!    

(CSC) 13. What’s one valuable lesson that you learned as a new talent when first arriving in Nashville that has stuck with you all these years?

(Luke Bryan)

I think just that it’s the hardest work you could ever imagine having to do; it’s day in and day out, and you’re never really off the clock, and it’s the most enjoyable thing. My thing is to make sure you stay healthy, keep your voice good so you can get out there and perform and sing, and perform every show to the best of your ability and have a great time with it!

(CSC) 14. How do you preserve your vocals with the constant touring?

(Luke Bryan)

You have to make sure that you try to get enough sleep through the night. I like to go read a book or something, and just try to be quiet for a little while and go take a nap. (Laughs)

For all things LUKE BRYAN, please visit his official website here; http://www.lukebryan.com/