Luke Laird, originally from Hartstown, Pennsylvania, moved to Tennessee after high school to attend Middle Tennessee State University. In the more than twenty-five years since, he has become one of mainstream country music’s most sought-after songwriters. Laird graduated from MTSU with a degree in recording industry management in 2001, took a job as assistant tour manager for Country Music Hall of Fame duo Brooks & Dunn, and the following year signed his first song-publishing contract. He has written more than twenty #1 songs since 2007, when Carrie Underwood reached the top of the country chart with “So Small,” which she co-wrote with Laird and Hillary Lindsey. Laird’s biggest hits also include Eric Church’s “Drink in My Hand,” Sara Evans’s “A Little Bit Stronger,” Little Big Town’s “Pontoon,” Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins’s “Hillbilly Bone,” and others. As a producer, Laird has worked with Brett Eldredge, Mickey Guyton, Thomas Rhett, and others. He co-produced Kacey Musgraves’s albums Same Trailer Different Park (which won a Grammy for Best Country Album) and Pageant Material, and he co-wrote six songs on each album. Laird also co-wrote Musgraves’s Grammy-winning song “Space Cowboy,” from her third major-label album, Golden Hour. His other accolades include six Country Music Association Triple Play Awards (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017) and the Academy of Country Music’s Songwriter of the Year award (2015). In 2011, Laird and his wife, Beth Mason Laird, co-founded Creative Nation, a music publishing and management company. He has also released one album of his own, 2020’s Music Row. This interview will be illustrated with vintage photos, film, and recordings. After the program, Laird will sign commemorative Hatch Show Print posters. Ford Theater. Included with Museum admission. Program ticket required. Free to Museum members.

MEMBERS RESERVE TICKETS HERE

NON-MEMBERS PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

When purchasing admission:

• select the date of this program,
• select a gallery entry time of 1:00 p.m. or earlier,
• select your Experience, and
• select the Poets and Prophets program as an add-on.

Learn more about Luke Laird