Luke Bryan and friends celebrate his 30 No. 1 radio hits at Nashville's Brooklyn Bowl

Fifteen years and 30 No. 1 hits on country radio later, Luke Bryan was correct in his onstage assessment at downtown Nashville's Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday evening that he could've talked for hours thanking everyone who has had a part in sustaining his success.

Bryan's admitted rise from being a "guitar-picking" Sigma Chi Fraternity brother at Georgia Southern University to a multiple-time Entertainer of the Year award-winning country star isn't some improbable rise, though. 2026 will mark 30 years since the "Country On" vocalist began playing his guitar and learning how to master his high-tenor vocal instrument.

If there was anything gleaned from the event, it's that almost a thousand people are responsible for maintaining a career fundamentally crucial to the level of mainstream entertainment brand that the country music genre has evolved into.

At the event Bryan himself -- as well as event host, Big 615 Radio personality Storme Warren -- cited the over three dozen different tours and residencies that have filled his schedule as part of his as part of a "challenging and crazy journey." That journey also has included co-hosting the CMA Awards for the past half-decade, American Idol for almost ten years and expanding his brand into the nightlife and restaurant impresario lane via the opening of his 32 Bridge Lower Broadway mega honky-tonk.

However, it's a journey that could, in forthcoming years, find him achieving double-digit sold-out appearances at Bridgestone Arena, challenging the legacies of Merle Haggard, Ronnie Milsap, George Strait and Conway Twitty, plus likely cementing his status as an eventual Country Music Hall of Famer.

Nearly 100 chart-topping hit singles are shared between himself and his fellow modern-era country superstar friends in attendance -- Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Lady A's Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood -- who feted him with onstage performances of his hits.

Bryan fondly recalled an era when he paired with Lady A to co-write his first No. 1, 2009's "Do I," at an age simultaneous to the trio's "Need You Now" being approximately three times larger a hit single.

He and his wife, Caroline, had only been married for three years and lived in a 980-square-foot home. In that home, a piano he purchased with an advance from Capitol Records Nashville is where he frequently sat writing material that would appear on his sophomore album, 2009's "Doin' My Thing."

Though they were massive stars, Haywood and Scott spoke about a communal spirit of "lifting each other and cheering for each other," which defined that era that allowed for the growing Bryan's eventual stardom to be something they share pride in.

Bentley took the stage with self-effacing glee and half-stumbled through the lyrics of Bryan's 2013 hit "Play It Again." Bentley's Nashville success pre-dated Bryan's by five years.

To the Tennessean, Bentley recalled their friendship growing quickly from a 2007 date playing the 1000-capacity State Theater in Albany, Georgia, to playing 18,000-seat arena tours together a year later. Two years following that date, the "Gold" vocalist recalls watching Bryan perform his 2010 hit "Rain Is A Good Thing" onstage during that summer's festival season.

"When I saw how his heartfelt singing, songwriting and performances had already created such a special connection with the fans, I knew it was the last time he'd ever open for me. He's goofy sometimes -- but when you work in a business that's become as serious as country music has become, it's wonderful to have someone near you who's just fun to be around."

Insofar as recent Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Aldean, he also spoke to how Bryan's qualities as both a "lovable guy" and "great songwriter" have allowed him to achieve a "universal quality" to his songs that from party-ready material like "That's My Kind Of Night" to more serious hits like "Drink A Beer," reflect how Bryan appeals to country's broadest core fanbase demographic.

Perhaps the most telling moment of the evening occurred when Shenandoah's Marty Raybon appeared. The Alabama-based, 80s country vocal act are longtime Bryan favorites. Alongside Milsap's soulful collection of hits, he counts songs like "Next to You" and "Church on Cumberland Road" as key to his musical development.

A statement by Aldean about how he perceives his and his longtime friend Bryan's careers moving forward ties in well with the look of sheer joy on Bryan's face upon seeing Raybon perform.

An artist Bryan regards as an "icon" was celebrating him and not the other way around.

"Achieving a place in our careers where hitmaking isn't about a sense of survival or urgency is such a hard but fun ride. Now, making relevant, killer songs that reflect what we've always dreamed of creating, is great because it means we've achieved more than we ever thought we would in the music industry."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Luke Bryan and friends celebrate his 30 No. 1 radio hits at Nashville's Brooklyn Bowl