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  • LUKE BRYAN’S “UP” IS MOST-ADDED SONG AT COUTRY RADIO THIS WEEK.

    Press
    Luke Bryan

    Five-Time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, fresh off a West Coast run on his “Proud To Be Right Here Tour” including a sold-out performance in Los Angeles’ Staples Center, is celebrating with his UMG Nashville team today as his latest single “Up” debuted this week as the most-added song in the nation at country radio.

    “Up” is the sixth single from Luke’s #1 debuting BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album that already contains five consecutive #1 singles. The song was written by Jeremy Bussey, Taylor Phillips and Bobby Pinson and Music Row magazine claims it’s, “Beautifully produced, with airy, echoey space around Luke’s vocal. The melodic song holds snapshots of simple country living. Faith is the key. An endearing single with a new sonic direction for this superstar.”

    Click here for audio and liners from Luke.

    Luke returns to the West Coast for another run of shows this weekend where he is also busy filming American Idol between tour stops.
    On October 7th Luke debuted a new music video for his song “Bill Dance” in honor of Dance’s 81st birthday. The song, written by Luke, Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip, is a track from Luke’s BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. Watch the video HERE.
    About Luke Bryan
    Since his debut, Luke Bryan has garnered 27 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 68.5 million, has 15.6 billion streams worldwide, and has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. Luke has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music this April, and he also holds two Entertainer honors by the Country Music Association. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards – as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the ‘Most Heard Artist of the Decade’ by Country Aircheck, and the ‘Artist Humanitarian Recipient’ by the Country Radio Broadcasters this February. Luke is set to return as a celebrity judge for a fifth season, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, on ABC’s American Idol in 2022.
    Airing now, fans can see Luke’s original five-part docuseries Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service. It features a new song Luke co-wrote with Luke Laird and Josh Osborne, “Songs You Never Heard,” in honor of his late brother Chris, who was always Luke’s biggest supporter of chasing his musical dreams. The song is available digitally HERE.

  • LUKE BRYAN DEBUTS “BILL DANCE” VIDEO IN HONOR OF DANCE’S 81ST BIRTHDAY TODAY.

    AudioVideo
    Luke Bryan

    Five-time Entertainer of the Year and avid outdoorsman Luke Bryan premiered a new music video for his song “Bill Dance” in honor of Dance’s 81st birthday today. The song, written by Luke, Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip, is a track from Luke’s #1 debuting BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. Watch the video here.

     

    The video was shot at Luke’s farm outside of Nashville and features his sons Bo and Tate with cameos by all three of the co-writers. Luke co-directs for the first time, along with Michael Monaco of FlyHi Films who has now directed eighteen music videos for Luke since 2013. Michael is also the executive producer and director of Luke’s original five-part docuseries “Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary,” available now on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service.

    There is a lyric in the song, ‘There’s a lot of heroes out there these days, but if you ask me mine, there’s only one name I’ll say.’ That seems to sum up Luke’s adoration for the world-renowned angler as is evident throughout the video.

    Dance is likely the most famous fishermen in the world who began competing and winning bass tournaments in the mid ’60s. That success led to a sponsorship deal with a lure manufacturer who encouraged him to begin a TV show to help promote the product. Since 1968, “Bill Dance Outdoors” has aired over 2,000 shows and Bill has produced over 36 educational videos and 12 audio educational tapes on a variety of subjects. His hilarious out-take shows have been aired all over the world. His tv shows Bill Dance Outdoors airs on the Outdoor Channel and Bill Dance Saltwater airs on the Sportsman Channel.

    “Bill Dance” and Luke’s new radio single “Up” both appear on the Deluxe edition of his BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. All five previous singles from the album have reached #1: “Waves,” “Down To One,” One Margarita,” “Knockin’ Boots,” and “What She Wants Tonight.” This is the second time Luke has released six singles deep off an album. His 2015 Kill The Lights record contains six consecutive #1 singles: “Kick The Dust Up,” “Strip It Down,” “Home Alone Tonight,” “Huntin’, Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day,” “Move,” and “Fast.”

    Luke takes his PROUD TO BE RIGHT HERE TOUR to Los Angeles tomorrow with a show at the Staples Center and continues his west coast run through next week.

    About Luke Bryan
    Since his debut, Luke Bryan has garnered 27 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 68.5 million, has 15.6 billion streams worldwide, and has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. Luke has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music this April, and he also holds two Entertainer honors by the Country Music Association. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards – as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the ‘Most Heard Artist of the Decade’ by Country Aircheck, and the ‘Artist Humanitarian Recipient’ by the Country Radio Broadcasters this February. Luke is set to return as a celebrity judge for a fifth season, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, on ABC’s American Idol in 2022. Airing now, fans can see Luke’s original five-part docuseries Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service.

     

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about one of his favorite songs and people, “Bill Dance.”

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    Luke Bryan (Bill Dance) OC: …of this one. :22
    “’Bill Dance’ is about one of my fishing heroes, Bill Dance, and hey, I grew up (as) a kid loved bass fishing, watching Bill Dance every Saturday and Sunday on all of the TV stations that he was on. He inspired me to be a great fisherman and I’m so happy for him to hear this song, and I’m so proud of this one.”

  • LUKE BRYAN DEBUTS “UP” AS SIXTH SINGLE FROM BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE DELUXE ALBUM AT COUNTRY RADIO.

    Press
    Luke Bryan

    Five-Time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan is releasing a sixth single from his BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. “Up,” written by Jeremy Bussey, Taylor Phillips and Bobby Pinson, will impact country radio on October 11. Get the album including “Up” HERE.

    “‘Up’ is a song that just checks all the boxes for a country song to me,” said Luke. “It talks about what I love and what’s dear to me. About my home and my faith. Add to that the fact that the songwriters used just a simple word as ‘up,’ to create so many images is pretty special.”

    “Up” appears on the Deluxe edition of Luke’s BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. All five previously released singles have reached #1: “Waves,” “Down To One,” One Margarita,” “Knockin’ Boots,” and “What She Wants Tonight.”

    This marks the second time Luke has released six singles deep off one album. His 2015 Kill The Lights record contains six consecutive #1 singles: “Kick The Dust Up,” “Strip It Down,” “Home Alone Tonight,” “Huntin’ Fishin’ & Lovin Everyday,” “Move,” and “Fast.”

    Luke’s BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart last summer, making it Luke’s sixth consecutive appearance in the top position at the time of release. The album became his eleventh top 10 album on Billboard’s Top 200 since his first appearance with 2009’s DOIN’ MY THING.

    About Luke Bryan
    Since his debut, Luke Bryan has garnered 27 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 68.5 million, has 15.6 billion streams worldwide, and has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. Luke has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music this April, and he also holds two Entertainer honors by the Country Music Association. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards – as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the ‘Most Heard Artist of the Decade’ by Country Aircheck, and the ‘Artist Humanitarian Recipient’ by the Country Radio Broadcasters this February. Luke is set to return as a celebrity judge for a fifth season, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, on ABC’s American Idol in 2022.

    Airing now, fans can see Luke’s original five-part docuseries Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service. It features a new song Luke co-wrote with Luke Laird and Josh Osborne, “Songs You Never Heard,” in honor of his late brother Chris, who was always Luke’s biggest supporter of chasing his musical dreams. The song is available digitally HERE.

  • LUKE BRYAN RELEASES HIS NEW SONG, “UP,” TODAY.

    Audio
    Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan has released his new single, “Up,” which is the follow-up to his recent multi-week No. 1 smash, “Waves” (his 27th chart-topper). He says “Up” is just a perfect country song.

    “’Up’ is a song that really, it just checks all the boxes for a country song to me,” says Luke. “It talks about what I love, what’s dear to me. It talks about my home. It talks about my faith, and the fact that the songwriters used a simple word, ‘Up,’ to create so many images is pretty special.”

    The song, written by Jeremy Bussey, Taylor Phillips and Bobby Pinson, is from the deluxe edition of his Born Here Live Here Die Here album.

    Luke is taking is Proud To Be Right Here Tour to the West Coast later this week. He’ll be in Los Angeles on Friday (October 8th), Mountain View, California on Saturday (October 9th) and in Sacramento on Sunday (October 10th).

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about the song, “Up,” from the deluxe edition of his album, Born Here Live Here Die Here.

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    Luke Bryan (Up) OC: …pretty special. :20
    “’Up’ is a song that really, it just checks all the boxes for a country song to me. It talks about what I love, what’s dear to me. It talks about my home. It talks about my faith, and the fact that the songwriters used a simple word, ‘Up,’ to create so many images is pretty special.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Up) 1

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    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Up) 2

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    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Up) 3

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    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Up) 4

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  • LUKE BRYAN WRAPS FARM TOUR 2021.

    Press
    Luke Bryan

    Country music superstar and five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan wrapped his FARM TOUR 2021, his twelfth since 2009, over the weekend. Luke played six concerts between September 9 and September 18 in harvest fields across six different states. Five of the farms had never-been-played before. The special guest line up for the tour included Dylan Scott, Whitney Duncan, The Peach Pickers and DJ Rock.

    Since its inception in 2009, Luke has granted 66 scholarships to students from farming families who are attending the local college or university near the tour stops.

    Bayer will continue its partnership with Luke to help fight hunger across the United States with the hashtag #HerestotheFarmer to help families in need. The campaign continues through November 30, 2021, and supports Bayer’s vision of Health for All, Hunger for None and asks fans across the United States to share the hashtag #HerestotheFarmer on their social media channels to show their gratitude to America’s farmers. For every share, Bayer will provide one meal* to a person in need through Feeding America ® with the goal of helping to provide 1 million meals.

    FARM TOUR 2021

    9/9         Marshall, WI                       Statz Bros. Farm

    9/10       Cedar Rapids, IA                Brown Farms

    9/11       Chillicothe, IL                    Three Sisters Park

    9/16       Kingman, IN                       Martin Farms

    9/17       Baltimore, OH                    Miller Family Farms

    9/18       Fowlerville, MI                   Kubiak Family Farms

     

    The tour was sponsored by Fendt, TRACKER OFF ROAD, Farmland, American Building Components (ABC™), DISH, Monster and Citi.

     

    About Luke Bryan

    Since his debut, Luke Bryan has garnered 27 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 68.5 million, has 15.6 billion streams worldwide, and has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. Luke has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music this April, and he also holds two Entertainer honors by the Country Music Association. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards – as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the ‘Most Heard Artist of the Decade’ by Country Aircheck, and the ‘Artist Humanitarian Recipient’ by the Country Radio Broadcasters this February. Luke is set to return as a celebrity judge for a fifth season, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, on ABC’s American Idol in 2022.

     

    Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook.

     

  • LUKE BRYAN, DIERKS BENTLEY, DARIUS RUCKER AND MORE WILL TAKE PART IN THE CBS-TV SPECIAL, NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH.

    Press
    Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Luke Bryan

    Some of country music’s hottest superstars will ring in the new year when CBS presents NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH, Friday, December 31st (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, 11:30 PM-1:30 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

    Originating from downtown Nashville across multiple locations, the star-studded special will be packed with high-energy performances celebrating the excitement and anticipation of a new year. First-announced performers include Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Brooks & Dunn, Dan + Shay, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and Zac Brown Band, with additional artists to be announced at a later date.

    Music City has built an outstanding reputation for hosting the most musical New Year’s celebration and country’s biggest party. The five-hour celebration will feature nearly 50 performances from locations across the city, including the mainstage in Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park anchored by headliners Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band and Dan + Shay. The broadcast will cross multiple time zones, with the traditional countdown at midnight ET, culminating with the renowned Nashville music note drop and fireworks at midnight CT.

    NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.

  • LUKE BRYAN MAKES “WAVES” FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW.

    Audio
    Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan has scored a second week at the top of the country charts with the summer smash and his 27th No. 1 song, “Waves.”

    The song was written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd and Chase McGill and is the fifth #1 single off Luke’s BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album.

     

    Luke told Billboard, “It’s crazy to know we are five singles deep off the ‘Born Here Live Here Die Here’ album. The longevity that country radio and my fans have given my career truly means a lot. I have never taken for granted that I get to make my living doing something that makes me so happy. Thank you for this #1 and loving a song about summer love!”

    “Waves” debuted at country radio in April as the most added song in the nation and Luke performed it for the first time on television on Good Morning America to promote the release of the deluxe edition of his BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. Combined, those projects boast FIVE #1 singles: “Waves,” “Down To One,” “One Margarita,” “What She Wants Tonight,” and “Knockin’ Boots.”

     

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about the song, "Waves."

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    Luke Bryan (Waves) OC: …I heard it. :21
    “’Waves’ is a song about kids falling in love during the summer and just all the images and everything about just how beautiful that summer love is and how the emotions just keep coming in waves. ‘Waves’ is kind of a play on words, and I feel in love with the song the second I heard it.”

     

    Video /

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Keith, Kacey and more

    Press
    Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Luke Bryan

    Luke Bryan is among the artists taking part in Loretta Lynn’s Friends: Hometown Rising Flood Relief Benefit Concert at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on September 13th. Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Luke Combs are also among the artists performing with more names to be added soon. Proceeds from the event set for broadcast and live stream will directly support United Way of Humphreys County. The special event will broadcast live on Circle Network at 8pm ET/7pm CT in addition to live streaming on Circle All Access via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

    Keith Urban appeared on NBC’s Today Show on Friday performing a few songs including his latest single, “Wild Hearts” and “One Too Many.”

     

    Kacey Musgraves is scheduled to perform on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday (September 9th).

    Video / Keith Urban performs "One Too Many" on NBC's Today Show.

    Video / Keith Urban performs the song "Superman" on NBC's Today Show.

    Video / Keith Urban performs "Blue Ain't Your Color" on NBC's Today Show.

    Video / Keith Urban talks about getting back to performing live, touring and more.

  • THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11TH: Alan Jackson, Brandon Lay, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina, Luke Bryan, Travis Denning

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Brandon Lay / Darius Rucker / Eric Church / Jordan Davis / Keith Urban / Lauren Alaina / Luke Bryan / Travis Denning

    On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever with the devastating attacks on both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the events that took place 20 years ago. (This Saturday is the 20th Anniversary of 9-11.)

    There is audio from country superstar Alan Jackson sharing memories and thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001 and discussing his song, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” as well as remembrances from Darius Rucker, Eric Church, Gary Allan, Lauren Alaina, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Jordan Davis, Lauren Alaina and Travis Denning.

    The chorus and melody of “Where Were You…” came to Jackson in the middle of the night several weeks after the 9/11 tragedies. He awoke…sang the words into a recorder and wrote down key elements of the chorus…and completed the lyrics and verses later that same day. Initially reluctant to record the song, he was convinced by family and friends to share it with the world and debuted “Where Were You…” live on national television in early November at the 35th annual CMA Awards.

    “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the 2001 events. Written by Jackson, the song was called “…one of the most touching, powerful songs to come after the tragedies” by USA Today and dubbed “a reflective hymn that Americans will be listening to well into the second half of this century” by Salon.com. The New York Times singled out “Where Were You…” as “one of his finest songs,” and Billboard noted “a multitude of songs have been written and recorded in the wake of September 11th, but none captures the myriad emotions unleashed by the terrorist attacks on an unsuspecting nation more perfectly than Jackson’s eloquent ballad.” The song went on to be honored with a Grammy, CMA and ACM Awards.

     

    Audio / Alan Jackson explains why he feels “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” still resonates with music fans in concert 20 years after the events of September 11, 2001.

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    Alan Jackson (20th Anniversary of Sept 11) OC: …it all started. 1:24
    “Yeah, I mean it makes me feel really warm inside to know that that song and at the same time I feel a little bit surprised that it has lasted all this – these years. When I first wrote it, I didn’t think I would record it. And then we didn’t think it would ever – we would want to release it. At first I didn’t think I would ever write a song about the event because I just didn’t feel right about it and then this came out of nowhere and then it went on to be such an anthem for it for years. And now it’s kind of grown into just its own song outside of 9/11 where it’s just a song about faith and hope and love. And I see that in the crowds now. And a lot of my fans, younger fans weren’t hardly even around when 9/11 happened but they have connected with that song. And it’s one of the highlights of the show now and it’s just amazing that it has outlived where it really began. So, it can’t help but make me feel very proud that something like that has helped people through that hard time in the beginning and it still has a lasting affect outside of where it all started.”

    Audio / Alan Jackson describes how the events of September 11, 2001 impacted him…and talks about writing “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” a few weeks later.

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    AJ (Where Were You) 2 OC: …same feelings. 1:33
    “Well, I don’t know – I think I was probably like most people that were impacted with that day and the months that followed. You know, everybody was glued to the news and television and I think it really affected a lot of people – their perspective on their lives and their jobs and their families and where they were and what they were wanting to do and how they looked at things. And I guess…I mean, that’s what I was thinking, too. And I just pretty much visualized a lot of those scenes and stories I’d heard and seen on television or heard people talk about. The song came out of nowhere in the middle of the night – the chorus did. Just a gift. And I got up and scribbled it down and put the melody down so I wouldn’t forget it, and then the next day I started piecing all those verses together that were the thoughts I’d had or visuals I’d had, and…that was about it. I think it was just really…I had so many people tell me that there’s always a line or something in there that they did, whether it was go to church or pick up their Bible or go see their mother or watch a sunset – I mean, just a lot of things in there people told me that they had actually done those things, so…I guess I was like everybody else, just feeling those same feelings.”

    Audio / Alan Jackson recalls sharing “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” with all of us for the first time live on national television during the 35th Annual CMA Awards.

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    AJ (Where Were You) 3 OC: …meant something. :56
    “It was a tough performance for me. You know, just the whole idea of releasing that song was a little bit tough. I wasn’t sure I wanted to put that out, but everybody convinced me that it was the thing to do…and in retrospect, I agree with that. But, you know, I hadn’t really sung the song much, first of all. It was just in the studio, basically, and when I wrote it…so it’s hard to go out there and sing something new anyway, and just the topic made it nerve-wracking, too. You know, I didn’t think about what was going to happen or anything – we just sang it. And I just remember, other than being relieved that I got through it, I just felt very proud that it seemed to cause a reaction in people…and I was proud that I got to do it, and that it seemed like it meant something.”

    Audio / Brandon Lay remembers being in class in high school when he found out about the tragic events of 9-11.

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    Brandon Lay (9-11) OC: …changed forever. :52
    “I remember 9-11 very vividly. I was in Ms. Munn’s College Algebra class. It was a Tuesday. We happened to be able to bring breakfast, it was our day to bring breakfast to school that day, and Megan Smith was in my class and she came in and said something’s hit one of the towers in New York. There was a bomb or something. And the principal came and pulled Ms. Munn out in the hall and told her. From then on, we listened to some of the radio that day. Obviously, when we got home, we saw the replay of all that, and it was just unbelievable. I was in my sister’s Honda Accord – I had just got my driver’s license – and I went to go fill it up with gas and there was none, and I just remember thinking this country we live in now has just changed forever.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls where he was on September 11th, 2001.

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    Darius Rucker (9-11) OC: …vicious day. :24
    “[On] 9-11, I was playing golf with a friend early in the morning. Had an apartment in New York, and I lived in New York kind of at the time. If you looked out my bedroom window, we saw the World Trade Center. I was on my way back home. I was playing a 7 o’clock round of golf, and then I was catching a noon flight, and when I was finishing up, we stopped in to get a drink and I looked and we saw the second tower come down. It was a vicious day.”

    Audio / Eric Church was on his way to work when he heard the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

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    Eric Church (9-11) OC: …that feeling. :23
    “I was driving into work — the Shop-At-Home Network — I was listening to (WSIX’s) Gerry House, I remember that, and the news broke. [I] really couldn’t grasp what had happened until I got to work and saw it for myself on television. I remember I watched the second plane hit the tower in real time. I had just moved to Nashville earlier that year, and all I remember is wanting to go home and be with those I loved. I’ll never, I’ll never forget that feeling.”

    Audio / Gary Allan was across the pond on September 11th, 2001, and was stuck in London for almost three weeks until his flight attendant wife was able to get him on a plane to come home.

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    Gary Allan (September 11th) OC: …me outta there. 1:31
    “I can remember exactly where I was on 9-11. I had played in Switzerland the 10th at Gstaad and the band flew home and me and Jake Kelly flew to London to do a show on September 11th in a bar. I was in the BBC doing media, I was sitting there doing interviews, and they had glass walls and there were cubicles, so I could see through into other offices.  I remember looking over, they were showing the first plane fly into the building, and I said, ‘Are they editing movies over there?’ And they all kind of looked at me pretty serious and said, ‘No, that’s live.’  And that was right when the second plane flew in, and I said, ‘That’s live?! That’s the twin towers?” And they said, ‘Yes.’ And I remember looking at John, my manager, and said, ‘Man, let’s get out of here!’ And that’s when the U.S. put out a statement saying that nobody’s flying into the U.S. If it flies, it dies, don’t approach us right now was the whole message. And I got stuck there for three weeks watching the media. It was really crazy times, just nobody really knowing, ‘cause it took us a while to get our heads around what had actually happened, but it was scary. I got trapped there for a couple of weeks. I remember my wife Angela got me out before the record label did. I remember going to the airport and John, my manager, saying you’re wasting your time, you’re not going to get out of here, and my wife at the time was a flight attendant, and she said, ‘Go sit at this terminal.’ That’s when you could just walk in and sit by a terminal. And I went in and sat there and eventually this flight attendant came out and said, ‘Are you Gary?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘Come on,’ and snuck me onto a plane and got me outta there.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis recalls what he was wearing and where he was on September 11th, 2001.

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    Jordan Davis (September 11th) OC: …happen again. :51
    “Yeah, I think I was in second period, Louisiana studies, Miss Porter was the teacher. I was wearing my football jersey ‘cause we had a football game that night. And I think back on that as like how many times in your life can you explain in that much detail what you were wearing? The number – I was number 11, it was a blue jersey, white lettering with yellow numbers. I’d never had anything just hit me that (hard) and just be that scary. But I remember just for the rest of the day, there was no school. I mean, we obviously stayed there, but nobody was teaching. Every TV was on and everybody was glued to it. I don’t know, it was just something that I still kinda get chillbumps about now thinking back on it. It’s one of those things that you pray never to happen again.”

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls being on the beach in Florida on September 11, 2001 and felt there was a really eerie feeling in the air, before heading back to his rental house and finding out what happened that would change the world forever.

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    Keith Urban (September 11th) OC: …lot of people. 1:14
    “Yeah, I was in Florida. We had just played a show on the night, either the 9th, I think it might have been the 9th or the 10th, somewhere around there. It was right before it. And then we decided to stay down and have a few days vacation on the beach down there and I remember that morning. I didn’t turn the news on and I was really grateful that I didn’t because I had a few extra hours before I was aware of this reality that was going on that would change everything. But the beach was deserted, and it was an eerie, ominous feeling in the air and I couldn’t put my finger on it. when we ended up going back to the house that we were renting we put the news on and that was the first time I saw what was happening and I couldn’t take it in. It was too surreal. Couldn’t fly anywhere. I had to send my tour bus to come down and get me and then bus all the way back to Nashville. My mom was staying with me at the time, and she was panicked and worried about me being away and was anxious for me to get home. It was a very, it was a really, really surreal traumatic time for a lot of people.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina was just a little girl when the tragic events took place on September 11th, 2001, but she remembers feeling very scared when her father picked her up at school and explained what happened.

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    Lauren Alaina (September 11th) OC: …very scared. 1:11
    “I was in first grade when 9-11 happened. I don’t have a ton of memories from that time period, but I do specifically remember 9-11, because my father came and picked me up at school which never, ever happened. Like I didn’t miss school, but I didn’t totally understand what was going on. My father explained it to us, and we went to the house. I think he just wanted our family to be together ‘cause it was so devastating and so scary, and nobody knew what was actually happening. And I just remember as a little girl knowing how serious it was. I didn’t know what was going on, but I remember my dad cried and it really affected my dad and little girls don’t see their dads cry very often, and I remember thinking this is not good. This is not good. For both of my parents to come home from work and for us to all be at home in the middle of the day, I just remember being seven years old being very confused and very scared.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan just moved to Nashville about 10 days before the devastating terror attacks on the twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

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    Luke Bryan (9-11 20th) OC: …when that happened. 1:01
    “So, as we come up on the 20th Anniversary of 9-11, certainly a life-changing event for me and it was really, really challenging for me because I had just moved to Nashville. I moved to Nashville September 1st, 2001 and I’m in an apartment by myself down in Franklin. I never will forget. I was in bed and my sister called and said, ‘Turn on the TV. A plane had flown into the World Trade Center.’ I remember kinda getting my wits about me, and I turned it on and like so many other people, I saw the second plane hit. And at that moment a lot of innocence is forever lost and that’s certainly when the world changed. And I remember almost getting in the car and going home and spending some time with my family, but I wound up kinda toughing it out in Nashville. But it was a challenging moment being away from your family when that happened.”

    Audio / Travis Denning recalls where he was, what he was doing and how worried he and his family were about his mother, who was in D.C. working out of the Pentagon on a worktrip on September 11th, 2001. Near the end of the soundbite, Travis gets a little emotional and the soundbite trails off.

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    Travis Denning (Sept. 11th) OC: …makes me…(emotional trailoff). 2:18
    “I was in Atlanta on a field trip and we were going to a shadow puppet play and we were actually currently making our own shadow puppets. I’m telling you, I can remember everything about this, and my teacher came in, Mr. Andy Payne who I went to church with and amazing guy, great guy, and he came into the room, the little workshop we were in and had to be 12:30p, one o’clock, and he just announced in the room, ‘Hey everybody. There’s been a change of plans. We’re not gonna go to the play, and we actually have to, we’re going to go back home.’ And we’re in Atlanta, so we’re an hour and a half from Warner Robbins. I walked past him, and I said, ‘Well, what’s going on?’ He didn’t even look at me. He just said, ‘Everybody, get your stuff and we’ll get back in the bus and we’ll get rolling.’ I thought that was pretty weird. We did not go back to the school. We got dropped off at a Chik-fil-a parking lot down the road from the school and all our parents were picking us up and cops were there, and then I remember just at that point something was very wrong. I remember my grandmother picked me up and took me to his house. My dad eventually got to the house. We did not turn on the TV until he got there, but as soon as he turned on the TV every channel had it on. And then it hit you like a freight train, and you just think we’re at war. And then it hits you why we left Atlanta is because nobody knew what was going on, and they thought Atlanta might be attacked. Just the overwhelming like uncertainty hit, and then just the worst part is it hits you that my mom is in D.C. She’s at the Pentagon, and the Pentagon was attacked and we couldn’t get ahold of my mom, but it worked out. It was all good  She was at the hotel. The impact blew out the windows at the hotel, but (pause) we couldn’t get ahold of her for a while, so…it’s weird. It’s still kinda like, makes me…(gets emotional)”

    Audio / Travis Denning continues talking about the events of 9-11 and eventually getting ahold of his mother.

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    Travis Denning (Sept. 11th) 2 OC: …that is nuts. :49
    “So, eventually my dad got ahold of my mom and she was like, ‘Oh yeah. It has hit the fan here. It is so bad.’ They actually walked down to a separate hotel and got onto the roof and they were able to see directly into the Pentagon and see the crash. Ultimately too, she was like, ‘Well, I’m not getting home any time soon.’ And she ended up renting a car and about two days later pulled up in a rental vehicle. I remember everything about it. It was just so nuts. Then going back to school and just everybody talking about it. And on top of that it felt like the kids and the teachers were equally so astonished. It is wild. It’s just crazy that 20 years is coming up. That is nuts.”

  • LUKE BRYAN MAKES “WAVES” AS SONG RIPPLES TO TOP OF CHARTS AS 27th CAREER #1 SINGLE.

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    Luke Bryan

    Five-Time Entertainer of the Year and country music superstar Luke Bryan landed the 27th #1 single of his career today as “Waves” ripples to the top of the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase charts. The song was written by Zach Crowell, Ryan Hurd and Chase McGill and is the fifth #1 single off Luke’s BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album.

    Luke told Billboard, “It’s crazy to know we are five singles deep off the ‘Born Here Live Here Die Here’ album. The longevity that country radio and my fans have given my career truly means a lot. I have never taken for granted that I get to make my living doing something that makes me so happy. Thank you for this #1 and loving a song about summer love!”

    “Waves” debuted at country radio in April as the most added song in the nation and Luke performed it for the first time on television on Good Morning America to promote the release of the deluxe edition of his BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album. Combined, those projects boast FIVE #1 singles: “Waves,” “Down To One,” “One Margarita,” “What She Wants Tonight,” and “Knockin’ Boots.”

    The BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE album originally debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart last summer, making it Luke’s sixth consecutive appearance in the top position. The album became his eleventh top 10 album on Billboard’s Top 200 since his first appearance with 2009’s DOIN’ MY THING.

    Luke’s “Proud To Be Right Here Tour,” named after a line in the album’s title track, is scheduled through the fall.

    Airing now, fans can see Luke’s original five-part docuseries Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service. It features a new song Luke co-wrote with Luke Laird and Josh Osborne, “Songs You Never Heard,” in honor of his late brother Chris, who was always Luke’s biggest supporter of chasing his musical dreams. The song is available digitally HERE.

    About Luke Bryan

    Since his debut, Luke Bryan has garnered 27 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 68.5 million, has 15.6 billion streams worldwide, and has sold nearly 13 million albums. His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 12 million fans inclusive of 36 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and seven sold-out ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events. Luke has won over 50 major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. His third and most recent Entertainer win was awarded by the Academy of Country Music this April, and he also holds two Entertainer honors by the Country Music Association. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards – as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the ‘Most Heard Artist of the Decade’ by Country Aircheck, and the ‘Artist Humanitarian Recipient’ by the Country Radio Broadcasters this February. Luke is set to return as a celebrity judge for a fifth season, alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, on ABC’s American Idol in 2022.

     

     

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about his song, "Waves."

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    Luke Bryan (Waves) 2 OC: …summer song. :35 “Well, I mean ‘Waves’ is vocally and production-wise, it’s not something really that I’ve ever done, you know? The first time I heard ‘Waves,’ I was like, ‘Hey, this sounds like a big summer…’ I always like to have a big summer song out there, and ‘Waves’ certainly really checks a lot of those boxes and talks about the love of summer and being at the beach. The main thing is vocally, I loved doing something different like that, and production-wise, I just thought it was a new sound for me. I think ‘Waves’ was just a right pick for the right kind of summer song.”

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