Luke Combs

Luke Albert Combs was born on March 2, 1990, in Huntersville, North Carolina. His childhood involved performances in chorus, school musicals, and his church choir, which included a performance at Carnegie Hall. He attended Appalachian State University, initially studying business and then criminal justice, with aspirations of becoming a homicide detective. During his time in college, he worked as a bouncer at a bar where he later performed on stage. Inspired by his mother’s advice, Combs taught himself guitar at the age of 21 and made the decision to leave college, with 21 hours remaining for his degree, to pursue a career in country music. This career path led him to Nashville, Tennessee, a pivotal move for his musical endeavors.

Combs began releasing music independently in 2014 with his debut EP, “The Way She Rides.” This was followed by “Can I Get an Outlaw” later the same year, and “This One’s for You” in 2015. His single “Hurricane” gained significant traction in 2016, selling 15,000 copies in its first week and debuting on the Hot Country Songs chart. This success led to a deal with Sony Music Nashville, and a re-release of “Hurricane” through Columbia Nashville, which subsequently topped the country radio airplay chart for two weeks in May 2017. His major label debut album, also titled “This One’s for You,” was released in June 2017, reaching number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and number five on the Billboard 200. He continued to achieve significant chart success with subsequent singles from the album and its deluxe version, “This One’s for You Too,” released in June 2018. His song “Beautiful Crazy” marked a notable achievement in February 2019, securing his fifth consecutive number-one single on the Billboard country chart from his first five releases.

His career advanced with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry in June 2019. His second album, “What You See Is What You Get,” released on November 8, 2019, featured multiple number-one country singles and topped charts in various territories. A deluxe version, “What You See Ain’t Always What You Get,” released in October 2020, featuring additional tracks including “Forever After All” which broke streaming records on Apple Music and Spotify. His third album, “Growin’ Up,” launched in June 2022, continued his chart success with singles like “The Kind of Love We Make.” In March 2023, he released his fourth album, “Gettin’ Old,” which included his commercially successful cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” This rendition reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped several country charts, earning him Single of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in November 2023. He performed a duet of this song with Tracy Chapman at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2024. Most recently, his fifth studio album, “Fathers & Sons,” was released in June 2024. In October 2024, he co-hosted the “Concert for Carolina” with Eric Church, raising over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief.