This is were I'm going to introduce you guys to Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood.
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Bryan began his musical career in the mid-2000s, writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington and releasing his first spring break album.
Bryan was born in rural Leesburg, Georgia. He is the son of LeClaire (née Watkins) and Tommy Bryan, a peanut farmer. Shortly before Luke was going to move to Nashville at age 19, tragedy struck his family. "My older brother, Chris, was unexpectedly killed in a ... car accident ... I'm kind of hyperventilating talking about it. ... You never truly ... move beyond it." His mother, LeClaire, had made a statement:"We knew Luke at some point would come to Nashville," his mother said. "But ... you can't leave your family, and ... I couldn't bear the thought of him being away." Instead, Luke went to college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He made it to Nashville years later after his father told him to pack his truck to pursue a career in music. He finally gained success as a songwriter. When Luke was invited to perform at the famous Grand Ole Opry, his older sister, Kelly, organized 129 people, practically their entire hometown, to attend his Opry debut.
Carrie Marie Underwood was born March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, the daughter of Carole (Shatswell) and Stephen Underwood. She was raised on her parents' farm in the nearby rural town of Checotah. Her father worked in a sawmill, while her mother taught elementary school. She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at her local church, First Free Will Baptist Church. She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the Lion's Club.
A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for Capitol Records. In 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but cancelled it when company management changed. Underwood said of the event, "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then. Everything has a way of working out." While at Checotah High School, she was an Honor Society member, a cheerleader, and played basketball and softball. Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. She chose not to pursue singing after graduation. She said, "After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world'".
