Luke Bryan fell in love with music as a teenager. He wrote his first song when he was 14 and also sang in the church choir.
The country artist will wrap up the Benton Franklin Fair main stage entertainment Aug. 28
He planned to head for Nashville as soon as he graduated from high school, then tragedy struck.
"My brother died in 1996 and everything in my life changed," Bryan told the Herald in a recent phone interview.
The grief delayed him from pursuing his Nashville dream until 2001, opting to head off to college for a few years where he continued to write songs, he said.
"I'm always writing songs," Bryan said. "I still have so many to write."
He also wrote the 2007 No. 1 hit, Good Directions, recorded by Billy Currington.
Bryan's first album -- I'll Stay Me -- debuted in 2007 and one of the singles, All My Friends Say, shot to the No. 5 spot on Billboard country charts.
The album also produced popular songs We Rode in Trucks and Country Man.
"Performing is where it's all at for me," he said. "When I see the faces of younger fans in the audience it always assures me I'm doing the right thing."
Bryan, 34, and his wife Caroline have a 3-year-old son and welcomed their second son earlier this month.
"Music and my family are what's most important, to me," he said.
General admission to the concerts come with fair admission. All reserved seats are sold out.
Three Dog Night is on the main stage Aug. 27.
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