Luke Laird is an American country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 songwriter. He is best known for co-writing singles recorded by Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...

.

Laird moved to Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 in 1997 and attended Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....

. After he graduated in 2001, he became an assistant tour manager for Brooks & Dunn

Brooks & Dunn

Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...

 while seeking a publishing contract. He eventually secured a songwriting contract with Sony BMG through the assistance of Bill Luther. The two collaborated with Hillary Lindsey

Hillary Lindsey

Hillary Lindsey is a country music singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, she has written songs with or for Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw. One of her compositions, Underwood's Number One hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel",...

 on a song called "Painless" which Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....

 recorded, giving Laird his first cut.

He and Lindsey also co-wrote for Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...

, including her singles "So Small

So Small

"So Small" is a song composed by fourth-season American Idol winner and country pop singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the first single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride, released in Canada on August 14, 2007, and in the United States on August 28, 2007...

", "Last Name

Last Name

"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...

", "Temporary Home

Temporary Home

"Temporary Home" is the title of a song written by Zac Maloy, Luke Laird and co-written and recorded by American country artist Carrie Underwood. It is the second official single from her third studio album, Play On, and was released to country radio the week of December 14, 2009. Before being...

", "Undo It

Undo It

"Undo It" is the title of a song written by Kara DioGuardi, Martin Frederiksen, Luke Laird and co-written and recorded by American country artist Carrie Underwood. It was made available to digital retailers on October 27, 2009, and was released as an official single on May 24, 2010...

" and "Mama's Song

Mama's Song

"Mama's Song" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood, co-written by her along with Kara DioGuardi, Martin Frederiksen and Luke Laird. It is the fourth single release from her third studio album, Play On...

", all of which except "Mama's Song" reached number one on the country charts. Laird also co-wrote the number-ones "Hillbilly Bone

Hillbilly Bone (song)

"Hillbilly Bone" is the title of a song written by Luke Laird and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country artist Blake Shelton for his extended play Hillbilly Bone...

" by Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton

Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...

 and Trace Adkins

Trace Adkins

Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...

, "Take a Back Road

Take a Back Road (song)

"Take a Back Road" is the title of a song written by Rhett Akins and Luke Laird, and recorded by American country music singer Rodney Atkins. It is the seventeenth single of his career, and the first from his fourth studio album for Curb Records, also entitled Take a Back Road.-Background and...

" by Rodney Atkins

Rodney Atkins

Rodney Allan Atkins is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the Billboard country chart that year, but did not release an album until 2003's Honesty, which included the number 4 hit "Honesty ".If You're Going Through Hell, his second...

 and "A Little Bit Stronger

A Little Bit Stronger

"A Little Bit Stronger" is the title of a song written by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, and Hillary Scott, and recorded by American country artist Sara Evans. It was released in September 2010 and serves as the lead-off single to her sixth studio album, Stronger, which was released on March 8, 2011....

" by Sara Evans

Sara Evans

Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...

.