Dustin Lynch

Breaking into the Nashville mainstream with a slick and catchy bro-country style, singer/songwriter Dustin Lynch went on to blend his rural tones with more R&B and pop elements. Following his chart-topping eponymous 2012 debut, he was rewarded with a string of hits in the middle part of the decade including "Where It's At (Yep Yep)" and "Small Town Boy." He earned an induction into the Grand Ole Opry before returning in 2020 with his fourth album, Tullahoma, which kept him at the top of the Billboard Country charts. He retained that position with 2022's Blue in the SkyBlue in the Sky and extolled the single life on 2023's Killed the Cowboy.

Lynch was born and raised in Tullahoma, Tennessee, and grew up influenced by what he calls "the class of '89," Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Clint Black, all of whom had their first national success in 1989. Lynch moved to Nashville to attend college and be closer to country music's epicenter in 2003, renting an apartment behind Nashville's Bluebird Café, famous as a testing and proving ground for young songwriters. Eventually Lynch got a performance spot at the Bluebird, and he honed his skills, branching out to gig at other venues on the Southeast club circuit.

His big break came in 2011 when he was discovered by Justin Moore's manager through Lynch's MySpace page, and it led to a management contract with L3 Entertainment, a publishing deal with Super 98/The Song Factory, and a record deal with Broken Bow Records. Broken Bow released Lynch's debut single, "Cowboys and Angels," in 2012 and it went to number two on the Billboard country chart. Its accompanying album, Dustin Lynch, topped the Country Albums chart and generated another hit in "She Cranks My Tractor."

Lynch released his second album, Where It's At, in September 2014 and it produced three more hits including his first number one single, "Where It's At (Yep, Yep)." Riding a wave of momentum, his next two singles, "Seein' Red" and "Small Town Boy," both hit number one on the Country Airplay chart and were included on his third album, Current Mood, in September of 2017. After his next single, "Good Girl," topped the Country Airplay chart, Lynch became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in September 2018. A three-song EP, Ridin' Roads, appeared in the early part of 2019. Along with the single "Good Girl," the title track of Ridin' Roads found its way onto Tullahoma, the full-length follow-up to Current Mood, which was released in January 2020. The following year saw the release of the single "Thinking 'Bout You," a re-recording of a Tullahoma album track that swapped original duet partner Lauren Alaina for MacKenzie Porter. "Thinking About You" reached number two, setting the stage for the 2022 release of Blue in the Sky. The following year saw Lynch work with producer Zach Crowell on Killed the Cowboy, an honest 12-song set that focused on what it means to be single in your thirties. ~ Steve Leggett