Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Dustin Lynch

American country music singer

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Dustin Charles Lynch (born May 14, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Broken Bow Records. Lynch has released six albums and one EP for the label: a self-titled album in 2012, Where It's At in 2014, Current Mood in 2017, Tullahoma in 2020, Blue in the Sky in 2022 and Killed the Cowboy in 2023. He has also released seventeen singles, of which nine have reached number one on Country Airplay.

01Early life and education

Dustin Charles Lynch was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on May 14, 1985.

In 2003, Lynch graduated from Tullahoma High School. In 2007, Lynch graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee with a B.S. degree in biology while also playing on the school's Men's Golf Team. He said he chose Lipscomb because it is located near the Bluebird Café where he would play and learn the craft of songwriting while attending college. Although Lynch said he was interested in going to medical school, he decided to pursue a career in music.

Dustin Lynch in 2013
Dustin Lynch in 2013

02Music career

Lynch said he started playing guitar when he was around 8 or 9 but soon abandoned it, and then picked it up again at 15. When he was 16, he performed at the Bluebird Café in Nashville on an open mic night and was well received by the audience, so he decided to start a band.

2011-2013: Dustin Lynch

Lynch was first signed to Valory Music Group and left to join Broken Bow Records in late 2011, following the same move by one of its executives. He released his debut single, "Cowboys and Angels" in January 2012. Lynch wrote the song with Josh Leo and Tim Nichols. That same month, Country Weekly began streaming his songs on its website.

The self-titled debut album, Dustin Lynch, was released in August 2012 and reached number one on the Top Country Albums chart. The album's second single, "She Cranks My Tractor", became his second top 20 hit in early 2013. It was followed by "Wild in Your Smile", which made the top 30.

Lynch co-wrote the song "Somebody Somewhere" by Dallas Smith, as well as James Wesley's 2013 single "Thank a Farmer".

2014-2015: Where It's At

In early 2014, Lynch released his fourth single and the lead single from his second album, "Where It's At". It became his first number one single on the Country Airplay chart in September 2014, and the album of the same name was released on September 9, 2014. "Hell of a Night", and "Mind Reader" were released to country radio as the album's second and third singles, both of which also reached number one on the Country Airplay charts.

2016-2021: Current Mood and Tullahoma

"Seein' Red" was released on July 11, 2016, as the lead single from Lynch's third studio album Current Mood. It hit number one on the Country Airplay chart for the week dated February 25, 2017. "Small Town Boy" was released on March 20, 2017, as the second single. Following the album's release on September 8, 2017, "I'd Be Jealous Too" was released on October 23, 2017, as the album's third single. It peaked at number 34 on the Country Airplay chart, becoming his lowest charting single of his career. It became his first single to miss the top 10 and to miss number one since "Wild in Your Smile" in 2014.

In November 2017, Lynch made an appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing his hit single "Small Town Boy". On September 18, 2018, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He co-wrote Brett Kissel's 2018 hit "Guitars and Gasoline".

In May 2018, Lynch released the single "Good Girl". An EP entitled Ridin' Roads was released on March 8, 2019. Its title track was released to country radio, and reached number one on the Country Airplay in 2020. It would also become the second single from his fourth studio album, Tullahoma, which was released on January 17, 2020. The album's third single "Momma's House" was released to country radio on February 3, 2020. "Red Dirt, Blue Eyes" was released to country radio in Australia as the third single on March 30, 2020. A re-recorded version of "Thinking 'Bout You" featuring MacKenzie Porter was released to country radio in May 2021.

2021-2025: Blue in the Sky and Killed the Cowboy

Ahead of his fifth studio album, Lynch released the promotional single "Tequila on a Boat" featuring Chris Lane, on May 14, 2021. The album, Blue in the Sky, was released on February 11, 2022, and features the single "Party Mode".

On September 8, 2023, Lynch released the song "Killed the Cowboy" as the lead single off his sixth album of the same name; it was released on September 29, 2023. In 2024, Lynch featured on the single "Broken Heart Thing" by his labelmate Madeline Merlo.

2026-present: Clean Slate

On September 2, 2026, Lynch announced his upcoming seventh album Clean Slate. The album will be released on October 30, 2026.

03Discography

Dustin Lynch in concert in 2015
Dustin Lynch in concert in 2015

04Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Result Ref.
2012 American Country Awards Single of the Year: New Artist, "Cowboys and Angels" Won
Music Video of the Year: New Artist, "Cowboys and Angels" Won
2014 Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Artist of the Year Won
2018 CMT Music Awards Male Video of the Year: "Small Town Boy" Won
2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards Country Song of the Year: "Small Town Boy" Won
2020 Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) BMI Country songwriter honoree: "Good Girl" Won
BMI Country Top 50: "Ridin' Roads" Won
2025 Canadian Country Music Association Musical Collaboration of the Year, "Broken Heart Thing"
(with Madeline Merlo)
Won
Watch videos about Dustin LynchExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Dustin Lynch, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.