Luke Combs: Get to know the powerful voice in country music
Here's some things you didn't know about the country singer...
Luke Combs has stormed the charts with his soulful country music, releasing huge hits such as 'Beautiful Crazy', 'Love You Anyway' and 'When It Rains It Pours'. The singer-songwriter shows no signs of stopping - playing at the C2C Festival in the UK back in 2022, bringing tour dates to the UK in 2023 and even bagging a CMA Award!
With his career going from strength to strength, it's no surprise that his 2023 tour sold-out, with him picking up multiple award nominations and wins along the way - including being up for the Best Country Album Grammy! After his success at the CMA Awards 2023, here's what you need to know about the 'Hurricane' singer...
Who is Luke Combs?
Luke Combs (pronounced like the brush), is an award-winning American country singer and songwriter. Both of his studio albums, 'This One's For You' and 'What You See Is What You Get' have reached Platinum certification and he has had nine consecutive Number 1 singles, including 'Lovin' On You', 'Forever After All' and 'Beautiful Crazy'.
Where is he from?
Luke Combs was born and raised in North Carolina in the United States. Despite being born in Huntersville, Luke, along with his parents Chester and Rhonda Combs moved to Asheville, North Carolina when he was just eight-years-old. After deciding to pursue a career in music, Luke later moved to Nashville, Tennessee.
Family life
Luke is very close with his parents Rhonda and Chester, and often cites them as the reason for his success. In an interview, Luke said, "My superheroes are my parents, they did a whole lot for me growing up and I think I turned out alright. I think in today’s crazy world that’s a pretty incredible achievement in itself.
"My parents instilled a lot of great things in me, I think. You know, treating others the way you want to be treated. I think is a really important thing and really surrounding yourself with the right people I think is always something that’s super important. Having a lot of really great friends around. And just being a good person in general, I think that’s some skills that have served me well and I have my parents to thank."
How old is Luke Combs?
Luke Combs was born on 2nd March 1990 in Huntersville, North Carolina, which makes him currently 34-years-old.
Is he married?
Yes! Luke Combs married his girlfriend, Nicola Hocking, on 1st August 2020 at their beach house in Southern Florida after dating for four years.
The pair share two sons together - Tex, who was born in June 2022, and Beau, who was born in August 2023.
Was he in the military?
Luke Combs has never been in the military, but he has been vocal about his support of military veterans and personnel. In 2018, Luke performed at the annual Players Championship Military Appreciation Day, which is a free event for military personnel and their families.
Does Luke write his own songs?
Luke Combs is first and foremost a singer-songwriter. Luke co-wrote all the tracks on his debut album alongside country songwriter Ray Fulcher, who helped produce over half of the album.
Luke has always been involved in the writing process of his songs and has either written or co-written all of his songs to date. His breakthrough single 'Hurricane' was co-written with Thomas Archer and Taylor Phillips, but Luke originally wrote the song three years before it made it to the top of the charts.
Is Luke Combs on tour?
He sure is! Fresh from the release of his fourth album 'Gettin' Old', Luke headed on his World Tour. Completing the UK leg of the tour in October 2023, Luke will play in locations including Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and London from 14th - 20th.
Following tickets for the tour going on sale in September 2023, Luke smashed global records and immediately sold out 37 out of the 39 shows.
Find out more about Luke's tour here, including other country tours you can expect in 2023 and beyond.
How did Luke Combs get famous?
Career beginnings
While attending Appalachian State University, Luke Combs played his first country music show at the Parthenon Cafe. While at college, Luke tried out for the popular TV show, The Voice, in an attempt to secure a record deal. Despite making it through multiple rounds of auditions, Luke didn't make it through to the live shows because, in his words, he wasn't "interesting enough." Luke dropped out of college, just a month before the end of his senior year, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his dream of a career in country music.
2014: First EP release
After the release of his EPs 'The Way She Rides' (2014), 'Can I Get an Outlaw' (2014) and 'This One's For You' (2015), Luke was signed to Sony Music Nashville. His debut single 'Hurricane' reached Number 1 on the Country Radio Airplay Chart in 2017 and introduced Luke to a wider audience.
2017: Debut album 'This One's for You’
In 2017, Luke released his debut album 'This One's for You' which debuted at Number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and Number 1 on the US Top Country Album chart. Five of the album's singles went on to reach Number 1 on the Billboard Country Chart including 'When It Rains It Pours' and 'Beautiful Crazy'. Later that year he won the 'New Artist of the Year' award at the 2017 Country Music Association Awards.
2019: Second album 'What You See Is What You Get'
Following on from the success of his debut album, Luke's second album 'What You See Is What You Get' was released in November 2019. The album's singles, 'Beer Never Broke My Heart', 'Even Though I'm Leaving', 'Does to Me' and 'Lovin' on You' have all reached Number 1 on the US Country chart.
2019: Grand Ole Opry
In 2019, Luke was inducted into the country music institution, the Grand Ole Opry, which has been showcasing the best country music artists since 1925. Luke, who first visited the iconic venue as a fan in 2013 to see Ashley Monroe perform, said of the award, 'Here I am on stage with people I grew up listening to and people who have shaped me as an artist. I just want to say thank you to you guys, thank you to the Grand Ole Opry, and thank you to the fans. Without you all, there is no country music, there is no Grand Ole Opry.'
2019: Grammy Award
Also in 2019, Luke Combs was nominated for a Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, won two awards at the 55th ACM Awards and three awards at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards including Top Country Male Artist and Top Country Album.
2020: CMA Awards and second album
In 2020, Luke Combs won awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards and Male Artist of the Year at the ACM awards. He also gained his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Group Performance for the single 'Brand New Man', which he performed with country duo, Brooks & Dunn.
After the release of his single 'Forever After All' in October 2020, Luke Combs made history by becoming the first country artist ever to reach Number 1 on the Rolling Stone's Top 200 Albums chart, Top 100 Songs chart and Artists 500 chart during the same week. Luke also set the record for the longest reign at the top of that chart by a male artist after his second album 'What You See Is What You Get' topped the chart 25 times and his 2017 debut album, 'This One's For You', spent 50 non-consecutive weeks at Number 1. Luke began his 'What You See Is What You Get' Tour in 2020, with dates continuing into 2021.
In October 2020, Luke released a deluxe version of his second album, titled 'What You See Ain't Always What You Get', and it featured five brand new tracks - with 'Forever After All' setting streaming records in country music!
2020: Marriage
Luke Combs married his girlfriend, Nicola Hocking, on 1st August 2020 at their beach house in Southern Florida after dating for four years. They met in 2016 while attending a singer-songwriter festival in Key West, Florida. Nicola is the inspiration behind several of Luke's songs, including 'Forever After All' and 'Crazy Beautiful', and she joins him whenever he tours the US.
2022: Third album and his first son
Finishing his 'What You See Is What You Get' Tour in 2021, it seems Luke was very busy writing new music, with him releasing his third album 'Growin' Up' on 24th June 2022. The album included tracks such as 'Doin' This', 'Going, Going, Gone' and 'The Kind of Love We Make', and hit the Number 1 spot in the UK Country Albums chart, as well as Number 9 in the UK Albums chart.
2022 also saw Luke welcome his first child into the world, with him and wife Nicola announcing the arrival of their first son, Tex, who was born in June of that year.
2023: Ed Sheeran and ACM Awards
In 2023, it came as no surprise that Luke was nominated for a number of awards - including Entertainer of The Year at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, in the first year the award saw five nominees increase to seven. Despite losing out on the win to 'Say Something' country singer Chris Stapleton, it was a fantastic night for Luke, with him taking to stage with none other than 'Shape Of You' legend Ed Sheeran. The pair performed Ed's track 'Life Goes On' together.
Watch Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs' performance here on YouTube.
2023: Fourth studio album, World Tour and Grammy nomination
2023 proved to be an incredible year for the country singer, with him also releasing his fourth studio album 'Gettin' Old'. The album spawned singles such as 'Love you Anyway' and 'Growin' Up and Gettin' Old'. Luke actually recorded the album at the same time as his third studio release 'Growin' Up', however decided release them as two separate albums.
With the album also including his hit cover of Tracey Chapman's 'Fast Car', as well as Luke co-writing 15 of the 18 tracks, it came as no surprise that it was a hit with fans. The album hit the Number 1 spot on the UK Country Albums chart, as well as Number 5 on the UK Albums chart. Thanks to the incredible album and storming success, Luke bagged his third ever Grammy nomination, and a nomination for the Best Country Album gong at the 2023 ceremony.
'Gettin' Old' was released on 24th March 2023, and just one day after the release Luke embarked on his World Tour. The tour saw him travel through 16 countries, across three continents. His World Tour saw him reach the UK in October 2023, playing shows in Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and London from 14th - 20th. The tour was Luke's most successful to date, with him smashing global records and immediately selling out 37 out of the 39 shows.
2023: CMA Awards success at the 2023 ceremony
Luke was nominated for a total of four awards at the CMA Awards 2023, bagging the win for one of the nominations. Up for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, Luke picked up the win for Single of the Year - for his cover of the track 'Fast Car'.
'Fast Car' was originally released by Tracy Chapman back in 1988, with Luke's cover of the song featuring on his fourth album. After Luke's cover saw the song gain a new lease of life, at the CMA Awards 2023 Tracy won the award for Song of the Year, having written the track 35 years prior. By winning the award, Tracy became the first Black artist to win an award in that category at the CMAs.
2024: Grammys performance with Tracy Chapman
The Grammy Awards ceremony 2024 brought a very special performance, with Luke joining reclusive music icon Tracy Chapman on stage for a rare live performance of her seminal anthem 'Fast Car'. The performance marked almost exactly 35 years since she first performed 'Fast Car' at The Grammys.
Luke's music video for 'Fast Car' then bagged a nomination for Male Video of The Year at the CMT Awards 2024.
What awards has he won?
Luke made history as the first artist ever to have their first two studio albums spend 25 weeks or more at Number 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. He also won the Billboard Music Award for Top Country Artist two years running.
Other notable gongs and noms the singer has has picked up include three Grammy Award nominations, as well as being awarded two wins at the 55th ACM Awards for Best Album and Male Artist Of The Year. In 2022, he picked up two Country Music Association Awards - for Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, and in 2023 won the award for Single of the Year - along with THREE other nominations at the ceremony (Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year). Check out the full list of winners from the CMA Awards 2023.
In 2024, Luke picked up another award nomination for the CMTs - this time for Male Video of The Year, for 'Fast Car'.
Which are Luke Combs’ most famous song covers?
Luke is often praised for the famous song covers that he shares on social media. His most renowned covers include 'Dive' by Ed Sheeran and 'What Are You Listening To' by Chris Stapleton.
His cover of 'Fast Car' by Tracey Chapman is one of his most popular to date. The cover featured on his fourth album 'Gettin' Old', and in less than two months after its released, the track was streamed over 65 million times on Spotify - this made it the most popular track to feature on the album on that particular music platform.
Not only did 'Fast Car' reach the Top 10 in the American country charts, but it became Luke's first UK Top 40 hit! In what was a huge treat for fans, Luke took to the stage with Tracey at the prestigious Grammy Awards ceremony in 2024, with the pair performing the legendary hit.
LISTEN: Luke Combs' live cover of 'Fast Car':
Which record company is Luke Combs signed to?
Luke is signed to Sony Music's Columbia Nashville, alongside country artists Tim McGraw and Maren Morris. He first signed to the record company in 2016.
How many albums has Luke Combs released?
Luke Combs has released four studio albums so far, alongside four EPs. Released 2nd June 2017, his debut album 'This One's For You' has gone 6 x Platinum in the US, as well as Gold in the UK, and produced five Number 1 singles on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart.
'Hurricane', 'When It Rains It Pours', 'One Number Away', 'She Got the Best of Me' and 'Beautiful Crazy' have all received millions of online streams each. The success of the singles makes Luke Combs the first artist to have five Number 1 singles on the chart with his first five releases.
To date, Luke's albums include: 'This One's for You' (2017), 'What You See Is What You Get' (2019), 'Growin' Up' (2022) and 'Gettin' Old' (2023).
What is Luke Combs' biggest hit?
Amongst Luke Combs' biggest Number 1 hits, single 'Hurricane' has managed to rack up more than 220 million streams online. It was the very first single Luke released and received a 9 × Platinum certification in the US.
Additionally, his album 'This One's For You' is a hit overall. It has the longest reign on the US Top Country Albums chart for a solo male in over 25 years!
Does Luke Combs have any Grammys?
Sadly, Luke Combs has not won any Grammys. However, the country singer has received three nominations - firstly for Best New Artist in 2019, then Best Country Duo/Group Performance (with Brooks & Dunn) for 'Brand New Man' in 2020 and Best Country Album for 'Growin' Up' in 2023.
How much is Luke Combs worth?
The powerful country singer is thought to be worth around $20 million dollars in 2023, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Is Luke Combs on social media?
Luke Combs is on social media! You can follow him on his Twitter, Instagram, and also his Facebook.
Read more:
Your complete guide to the ACM Awards 2021
All the winners from the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards
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