Luke Bryan‘s music career has been filled with exuberant moments, but the singer’s story is also laced with heartbreaking loss and grief.
Among those tragic, life-altering moments is the death of Bryan’s older brother, Chris, in 1996. A then-19-year-old Bryan had his eyes set on Nashville, and was planning to make the move from Leesburg, Ga.; however, when Chris died at the age of 26 in a car accident, his younger brother shelved his plans to stay near his family.
Bryan, of course, did eventually make it to Nashville, with the encouragement of his father, using Chris’ death as a reminder that life is fragile and not guaranteed. It’s just one part of his life story, which he’s sharing in a new docuseries, Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, that finds the star telling the story of how he got to where he is today.
Because both Bryan and Chris were so young when Chris died, the singer’s late brother never got to meet Bryan and wife Caroline’s two sons, Bo (now 13) and Tate (now 10). Chris played an integral role in Bryan’s life, so Bryan is excited to be able to share his older brother with his sons through the docuseries.
“My children being able to hear my brother’s voice for the first time, and know what he sounds like — stuff like that on the inside of the family is what really makes this docuseries special,” Bryan shares.
In fact, it’s because of Chris that Bryan came to love country music. In one episode of My Dirt Road Diary, Bryan recalls taking long drives through south Georgia, cranking up “Killin’ Time” by Clint Black; he also notes that he was Chris’ experience at a Garth Brooks concert that set a precedent for Bryan, who hoped to one entertain people in the same way.
Bryan admits the docuseries will be emotional for him to watch. However, he hopes his decision to share his story will make a broad impact.
“In our family, it’s going to be something really emotional to watch, and I think that’s part of the reason why we tell the story,” Bryan says. “We tell the story to let people know if they’re having stuff in their life that’s challenging and tough … that they’re not alone.
Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary will premiere on IMDb TV on Friday (Aug. 6).