Early Life

Bryan was born in rural Leesburg, Georgia, to LeClaire (née Boyer) and Tommy Bryan, a farmer. He is the second of three children; his parents had another son named Chris who died in 1996 from a car accident. Upon graduating from high school in 1994, Bryan attended Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He also pursued his passion for music by performing in various local clubs. At twenty-one, Bryan landed his first job as a songwriter for a music publisher. His songs were soon being cut by well-known artists including Travis Tritt and Billy Currington.

Personal Life

In December 2006, Bryan tied the knot with his high-school sweetheart, Caroline Boyer. The pair has two children: Thomas “Bo” Bryan (born March 18, 2008) and Tatum Christopher Bryant (born August 11 on 2010). The family is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Career

After moving to Nashville in early 2004, Bryan began his musical career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. He also co-wrote “Good Directions” for Billy Currington’s album Doin’ Somethin’ Right, which was released in May 2007.

Bryan’s first release with Capitol Nashville was the single “All My Friends Say”, which he co-wrote with Jeff Stevens. It was released in March 2007 and reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Bryan co-wrote all 11 songs for his album I’ll Stay Me, which was released on August 14, 2007. The album featured “All My Friends Say” as well as his first top 10 hits, “Country Man”. I’ll Stay Me reached number 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

On October 6, 2009, Bryan released his second album, Doin’ My Thing, which included the singles “Do I”, “Rain Is a Good Thing”, and “Someone Else Calling You Baby”. All three singles were Number 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album also featured the Top 10 hit “Rock My World (Little Country Girl)”. It was certified platinum by the RIAA in October 2009.

On August 9, 2011, Bryan released his third album, Tailgates & Tanlines. The album’s lead single, “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA. The second single from the album, titled “I Don’t Want This Night to End”, was released on September 5, 2011, and peaked at number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in March 2012. The album’s third single, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, was released on radio on August 6, 2012. Tailgates & Tanlines was certified double 4× Platinum by the RIAA in March 2013.

On April 7, 2013, Bryan released his fourth studio album, Crash My Party. It debuted at number one on both the US Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums, selling 528,000 copies in its first week. This made it Bryan’s first album to debut at number one on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart and the first album by a country artist since Taylor Swift’s Red to log two weeks atop both charts. “Crash My Party” was released as the album’s lead single on April 7, 2013. The song peaked at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart in August 2013 and topped the Country Airplay chart in December 2013, making it his ninth chart-topper. It also became his first single to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 7 in August 2013. “That’s My Kind of Night” was sent to country radio on August 26, 2013, as the album’s second single; it peaked at number one on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in March 2014, giving Bryan his tenth number one hit on the chart. “Drink a Beer” and “Play It Again” were released as the third and fourth singles respectively, with both of them reaching number one on Country Airplay. In October 2013, the RIAA certified it 4× Platinum.

On August 7, 2015, Bryan released his sixth studio album, titled Kill the Lights. The album’s first single, “Kick the Dust Up”, was released on May 19 and reached number one on Country Airplay in August 2015. The album debuted at number 26 on Billboard 100, becoming Bryan’s second album to do so and his first to debut at the top of that chart. “Strip It Down” and “Home Alone Tonight” was released as the album’s second and third singles respectively.

Bryan’s seventh studio album, What Makes You Country, was released on December 8, 2017. The album’s lead single, “Light It Up”, was released to country radio on August 23, 2017, and peaked at number one on the Country Airplay chart. The album’s second single, “Most People Are Good”, was released on January 8, 2018.

On April 5, 2019, Bryan announced that his eighth studio album would be titled Born Here Live Here Die Here, and would be released on August 7. The album’s lead single “Knockin’ Boots” was released on April 8, 2019. On June 4, Bryan released the album’s second single, “What She Wants Tonight”.