Nashville superstardom brings to mind elaborate sets, bold and brassy personalities and showy 10-gallon hats. But stardom was not recognizable last Saturday in the soft-spoken, simply dressed Luke Laird, the 1997 Grove City High School graduate who has become one of today's most successful songwriters in country music.

Laird, whose family moved from Conneaut Lake to Grove City when he entered ninth grade, returned to his second hometown to help launch a capital campaign for expansion of the Grove City YMCA.

“Thanks so much for asking me. It always warms my heart every time I come home to see all my friends and family,” said Laird as he stepped onto the makeshift stage in front of a painted block gymnasium wall.

He then began softly strumming his Martin acoustic while singing with transparency and clarity “A Little Bit Stronger,” a song he wrote for Sara Evans that recently climbed to No. 1.

Laird started piano lessons before kindergarten and learned to play guitar in first grade. As soon as he could play two chords he said he started “making stuff up.”

“As far back as early elementary school I was putting original words to music. I don't really know where the inspiration came from. I just know that it was what felt natural,” Laird said.

Joseph Skibinski, Laird's high school principal, was among the near 200 local fans that came to celebrate Laird's success.

“He was a great kid. It's great to see him hit the big time,” said Skibinski, who invited Laird to speak at commencement in 2002.

“He said, ‘I'm not much of a speaker, but I'll sing for you instead,' and he did.”

Though he chose to participate in high school basketball, track and cross country rather than band or chorus, Laird said any free moment he had was dedicated to playing guitar and listening to music.

Laird's father, Jim Laird of Conneaut Lake, also was at the Y.

“I always told my kids to play up. Give away now what somebody's gonna pay for later,” he said.

By the time Luke Laird was a high school freshman, he was heeding that advice.

Stephanie McGahey, a Grove City High school Spanish teacher, is a longtime friend of the Lairds. McGahey said she had once shared her sadness about a divorce she was going through with Luke's mom, Suzanne Laird, and Luke overheard.

“He wrote a song for me called ‘Brighter Days' and gave it to me on a little cassette,” said McGahey. “It touched my heart.”

Three years later she remarried and Laird played at her wedding.

Even then, Laird knew he wanted to live in Nashville after seeing that “whole world of behind-the-scenes songwriters” on a family trip, he said. He moved there in 1997 to study music business at Middle Tennessee State University, graduated and became assistant tour manager for country legends Brooks & Dunn. By 2002 he landed a publishing deal with BMG Music Publishing.

“Painless” was Laird's first cut on Lee Ann Womack's 2005 Country Music Award's album of the year, and by 2007, he hit the jackpot co-writing Carrie Underwood's “So Small” and “Last Name.” Both singles hit No. 1 on the country charts. He's collaborated with several artists since.

“When I'm in collaboration it's always different. Sometimes I'm the one writing most of the lyrics, and sometimes I'm the guy driving the music. ... Most writing sessions begin with all of us throwing ideas around, talking about what is going on in our lives,” said Laird, who sometimes starts with a title and sometimes the music.

Last Saturday, he introduced a new song that resulted when he and two other writers shared experiences of traveling back home. When he tenderly sang, “Thank God for hometowns and the love that makes ‘em go round,” a hush fell over the gym.

“That one's on hold for Carrie Underwood,” said Laird's father.

Laird has learned a lot from other writers, including his work ethic.

“The greatest working songwriters I know put hours and years into developing their craft,” said Laird, who has 500 songs in his catalog, six No. 1 hits and a quota to meet as a staff writer for the past nine years at Universal Publishing.

“My quota is 12 songs a year, but I write 60 or 70,” he said.

He likes to write on his own, too, and gets ideas while driving, flying or in conversation, then records them to his iPhone. He writes from guitar, piano and occasionally a music track he's created using Apple's Logic Pro software.

But, like most other country songwriters, Laird plays by ear and does not score songs in a traditional way.

“In Nashville, we use what is called a Nashville number system to chart songs. It's pretty foreign to most people outside of Nashville, but it is very efficient,” he said.

Though most of his success has been in country music, Laird has written for pop/rhythm and blues artists like John Legend, rockers like Duff McKagen of Guns N' Roses and, surprisingly, Charlotte Church.

What's next?

“Right now I'm just really enjoying writing songs and working with very talented writers and artists. I enjoy what I do very much and try to thank God every day for the gift of music.”