Rising country music star Luke Bryan will visit Coyote Joe¹s in Shelby Township on Oct. 31.

The Capitol Records performer will hit a decidedly smaller stage Oct. 31 when he performs at Coyote Joe’s in Shelby Township, but he approaches it just the same as if it were the center stage at Ford Field.

“I’ve been to Coyote Joes two or three times, and it’s great,” said Bryan in a recent telephone call from his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. “I just enjoy every opportunity to get out on the stage, play my music for people and have some fun.”

Raised on a steady diet of country music in his hometown of Leesburg, Ga. - a small town that just received its first traffic light two years ago - Bryan picked up a guitar at age 14 and began playing in local bars one year later. By 16, he was writing his own songs, playing in a local band and leading music in his church group. It was a strange change of pace each week, going from the sanctuary to the saloon.

“It’s kind of funny,” he said in a press release. “Wednesday nights I’d be playing for church groups, and then Friday and Saturday I’d be playing Alan Jackson, George Strait and Clint Black at some little old dives in Georgia.”

Bryan knew early on that he was meant for a career in the music industry and originally planned to move to Nashville after high school graduation. However, when his brother died in an automobile accident, Bryan chose to stay home and work in the family business.

“(The experience) is the worst thing anybody could go through. It’s the most life-altering event,” Bryan said. “You take each day as a special day. I don’t take anything for granted anymore.”

Bryan enrolled in Georgia Southern University and, while in college, continued to write and play music. He worked a brief stint at his father’s peanut mill and fertilizer plant in Georgia, but said he always knew he was meant to be playing music. His father noticed his discontent as well and told his son to either quit the job and move to Nashville in 2001 or he would fire him.

“The day I moved to Nashville and every day since then has been the best day of my life,” said Bryan. “I don’t consider one thing I’ve done since I’ve been in Nashville work. Spreading fertilizer and hauling peanut wagons, that’s work. Doing interviews and playing for fun crowds, I’ll never consider that a job.”

In Nashville, Bryan landed a contract with an independent company and stuck to writing about his life experiences in Georgia, influences that can be found in several of his songs. In 2004, Capitol Records offered him a record deal.

“It happened in October of 2004,” said Bryan. “I met one of their A&R guys and he listened to me play.”

Bryan began writing for other artists, such as Bentley, Billy Currington and Travis Tritt, whose performance of “Honky Tonk History” in 2007 was Bryan’s first No. 1 single as songwriter. His first album, “I’ll Stay Me,” was released later that year and has spawned two top-10 hits, “Country Man” and “All My Friends Stay.”

“I was surprised,” Bryan said of his success. “I was flattered more than anything.”

That led to the opportunity to travel the country with many of country music’s hottest stars, and fame that included being named one of Country Weekly’s “Who’s Hot in 2007” and being featured as an iTunes “Discovery Download.”

For Bryan, the key has been staying true to his country roots and loving the music he’s grown up on.

“I’m totally still a country lover,” he said. “I just think it’s really great, fun music and it’s still the music of the common man. Everyone can relate to it.”

Bryan’s stop at Coyote Joe’s is just another performance in a 3-year stretch of playing college campuses, bars and other intimate venues. As he brings his styling to each location, Bryan is also priming his audiences for his follow-up CD, which he hopes will be released in spring 2009.

“I just want to continue to put out songs that my fan base will like and that get a little better each time, and give them some things they won’t expect,” he said. “I just hope to keep growing and continue to give back to my fans.”

Luke Bryan will perform at Coyote Joe’s in Shelby Township on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. There is a $10 cover charge.