Fourteen years ago today, on Aug. 14, 2007, Luke Bryan released his debut album. I’ll Stay Me was released on Capitol Records.
After working in a grocery store and on his family’s farm, Bryan moved to Nashville and focused on his career. By the time I’ll Stay Me was released, Bryan had already found success as a songwriter, having co-written Billy Currington‘s “Good Directions,” which shot straight to the top of the charts in 2006.
“We started writing close to four years ago, and that’s when the magic started happening in my career,” Bryan told Songwriter Universe in 2008. “I always tell aspiring writers that the key to success is writing songs that you believe in, about moments you pull from your life. Then get out and perform them if you can, or at least let people hear them. If no one is reacting, then it’s not a good song.
“If just one person out there connects to it, then you’re onto something,” the Georgia native continues. “From there, you can figure out what it is that made him or her connect to it and tap further into whatever that is. If you think you’ve got a great song, don’t hold back. Get it out there. If your hunch is right, people will start responding.”
The debut single from I’ll Stay Me, “All My Friends Say,” landed in the Top 5 on the charts, with the record’s third single, “Country Man,” peaking in the Top 10. The album has been certified gold, for sales of 500,000 units.
Jeff Stevens produced Bryan’s debut record.
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