‘Crash My Party’ Debuts at No. 1

Luke Bryan is undoubtedly in a celebratory mood. The Georgia native’s latest album, ‘Crash My Party,’ not only debuted at No. 1, but also earned gold status, selling more than 500,000 units in its first week of release.

With 528,000 copies sold since the CD hit shelves on August 13, Bryan’s first-week sales are the third highest of the year. According to Billboard magazine, Bryan’s sales record is the biggest sales peak for a male country artist since 2004, when Tim McGraw‘s hit, ‘Live Like You were Dying,’ sold an impressive 766,000 units. Bryan also matches only one other country artist Taylor Swift who has sold more than 500,000 records in one week since 2008. Swift’s last three albums  ‘Fearless,’ ‘Speak Now’ and ‘Red’ — have each sold half a million copies in their debut week.

The 37-year-old admits he was motivated by the success of his previous album, ‘Tailgates & Tanlines,’ while he was working on ‘Crash My Party.’ The title track of the album also soared to the top of the charts. Bryan will continue his Dirt Road Diaries tour this weekend with shows in New York and New Jersey.