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Luke Bryan has made huge strides since his earliest days in Nashville, Tennessee, with big dreams of being “on a billboard one day.” Now a multi- Entertainer of the Year award winner, Bryan reflected on some of the iconic Music City attractions he visited during one of his first visits to Nashville with songwriter friend Michael Carter.
The Georgia-born “That’s My Kind Of Night” star remembered visiting the Grand Ole Opry (even sneaking into a private tour), seeing the historic Ryman Auditorium, stopping at some of the bars and honkytonks on Downtown Nashville’s Lower Broadway (where he now has his own bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge) and more. Bryan and Carter even got to meet legendary country artist Vince Gill. Bryan remembered, per his record label:
“One of the first nights I ever had in Nashville, me and my current guitar player and fellow songwriter friend, Michael Carter, we drove up from South Georgia and we just walked around. We took in the Grand Ole Opry, we sat in the front row of the Opry and stared around. We actually snuck in somehow in a private tour. We just saw a line walking in and we just stood in line and somehow we snuck in to the Opry backstage. And then we went out and went to some of the famous bars and honkytonks on Broadway, went and saw the Ryman, and then on the second day, we knew that Vince Gill was going to be down in Franklin and actually got to meet Vince, and it was a great first visit to Nashville. So many memories just riding around and seeing the billboards and seeing the country stars on billboards promoting albums and promoting singles, and just I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, if I can only be on a billboard one day.’”
Bryan is currently on his “Country On Tour,” named after one of his latest hit singles. He’s stopping in dozens of cities nationwide with special guests Chayce Beckham, Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen, Hailey Whitters and DJ Rock. In the midst of his “Country On Tour,” Bryan is also set to perform on his 14th annual “Farm Tour” in the fall, along with Kameron Marlowe, Chayce Beckham, the Peach Pickers — Ben Hayslip, Dallas Davidson and Rhett Akins — and DJ Rock. Bryan previously said the “one-of-a-kind” tours are a chance for “entire communities (to) come together and get excited about these shows.”