Luke Bryan Celebrates Four Consecutive No. 1 Singles

Pictured (L-R): Jim Beavers, Rodney Clawson, Dallas Davidson, Luke Bryan, Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano, Chris Stapleton.

Music industry members gathered at a party hosted by BMI and ASCAP, held at downtown Nashville’s Bridge Building Thursday (June 5) to celebrate Luke Bryan, as well as songwriters, publishers, and label executives, in the success of four consecutive No. 1 singles from Bryan’s Crash My Party album.

“Crash My Party” (written by Rodney Clawson and Ashley Gorley), “That’s My Kinda Night” (written by Gorley, Dallas Davidson and Chris DeStefano), “Drink A Beer,” (written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton), and “Play It Again” (written by Gorley and Davidson) have collectively sold over 9 million tracks, and combined have spent 25 weeks as the No. 1 most-downloaded song in country music.

UMG Nashville Chairman and CEO Mike Dungan surprised Bryan and the rest of the industry throng by presenting Bryan with a plaque commemorating the double-platinum status of Crash My Party. The project was 2013’s No. 1 Country album sold, and the third most-purchased album in all genres–bested only by Justin Timberlake and Eminem.

Bryan’s manager Kerri Edwards also presented Bryan with a special momento, the sign from the now defunct club Skinner’s in the artist’s hometown of Leesburg, Ga., where he first began playing music. “Congratulations on four No. 1 songs. Everyone in this room made it happen, and I thank you for what you do,” Edwards said.

“It’s neat seeing this,” Bryan said. “There was an old man named Charlie Skinner who ran the club. You had Miller Light, Bud Light and Budweiser. That was the beer–you could have any beer you wanted as long as it was one of those three. It was this perfect little dive,” Bryan recalled.  “My dad and I would drive down there and guys would be playing Merle songs. I was doing Wednesday choir practice and on Friday nights I was sitting in Skinner’s with a bunch of drunks, playing ‘Old Habits.’ I might have to see how much Skinner’s—they closed it up—we might have to open back up and get some Miller Light, Bud Light and Budweiser.”

Never at a loss for entertaining stories, Dungan underscored Bryan’s success by recalling a personal memory. After Dungan and Bryan went on an early morning fishing trip, Dungan drove Bryan’s pickup truck back to a Brentwood, Tenn.-area church parking lot to pick up his own car. Approximately one week later, Dungan drove by the church again, and Bryan’s truck was still sitting in the same spot in the church parking lot. Dungan phoned Bryan to remind him of the truck. “You know you’ve arrived when you can misplace a vehicle and not miss it,” Dungan quipped.

Pictured (Back row L-R): BMI Assistant Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Clay Bradley, UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan, Producer Jeff Stevens, Sea Gayle Creative Manager Jake Gear and Vice President of Creative Mike Owens, External Combustion Music President/Owner Chris Farren, Manager Kerri Edwards, ASCAP Senior Creative Director LeAnn Phelan, Sony ATV President/CEO Troy Tomlinson, Warner/Chappell Executive Vice President Ben Vaughn, CRB/CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne, Big Loud Shirt Industries Owner Craig Wiseman, Sea Gayle Vice President Creative Freeman Wizer.