On Wednesday (July 10), Luke Combs celebrated the opening of his new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, Luke Combs: The Man I Am.
The exhibit opens on July 11 and runs through June 2025 and is included with museum admission. The exhibit chronicles the life and career of North Carolina native Combs, from growing up in a small-town community to his current status as a two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year winner and one of country music's top creators.
The exhibit traces some of Combs' earliest musical moments, including the Vince Gill concert with his mother and grandmother, his first musical appearances in school choirs and musicals, and Combs' decision to practice guitar while studying criminal justice at Appalachian State University. He began posting covers of country and R&B hits, as well as his own original music, on platforms such as YouTube and Vine.
Combs moved to Nashville in September 2014, at the age of 24. But he also steadily continued to build his audience one gig at a time. He released a few independent EPs, with his song “Hurricane” quickly connecting with fans.
In 2017, “Hurricane” became Combs' first No. 1 Advertising signon the Hot Country Songs chart and signaled a whirlwind signaling of a star on the rise – one with a formidable combination of top-shelf songs, a humble, hard-working, everyman persona and what would quickly become one of country music's most distinctive voices.
Two years later, Combs became the first artist to reach the top Advertising sign'small Country Airplay chart with his first five singles — and went on to extend that lead to 13 consecutive chart-toppers (he's now seen 16 solo songs top the Country Airplay chart). In 2019, he also stepped up to headlining arenas and amphitheatres, and then rose to stadium headlining status. His sold-out 2023 world tour not only crossed North America, but demonstrated the global reach of his music, also headlining Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
He's also scored three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 across all genres, including 2020's “Forever After All” and 2022's “The Kind of Love We Make.” Last year, he scored a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 (and a five-week atop the Country Airplay chart) with a rendition of Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit “Fast Car”. The two singer-songwriters would create one of the most talked-about Grammy moments of the decade when they joined forces to perform “Fast Car” together in February. The song also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance and was named Single of the Year at both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards.
Combs' The Man I Am exhibition showcases stage costumes, photographs, childhood memorabilia, manuscripts and set lists from his life and career, but also highlights a key relationship that sparked and sustained chart-topping albums, sold- out tours and growing worldwide recognition : his stable relationship with his fans.
“I'm so excited for fans to finally see this exhibit,” says Combs Advertising sign via email. “The Country Music Hall of Fame has put a lot of time and effort into it and I think it turned out really great. I'm still crazy to think that my stuff and my career needs exposure, but the fans have made it happen, so this is for them and I hope they enjoy it.”
Below, says Combs Advertising sign about five items highlighting his new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
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An audio cassette of Tracy Chapman's 1988 album of the same name
album — featuring the “Fast Car” — ανήκει στον πατέρα του Luke Combs, Lee Combs. Ο Λουκ θυμάται ότι άκουγε την κασέτα στο φορτηγό Ford F-150 του 1988 του πατέρα του όταν ήταν νέος.” srcset=”https://www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/luke-combs-the-man-i-am-exhibit-press-4-2024-billboard-1548.jpg 1548w, https://www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/luke-combs-the-man-i-am-exhibit-press-4-2024-billboard-1548.jpg?resize=300,198 300w, https://www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/luke-combs-the-man-i-am-exhibit-press-4-2024-billboard-1548.jpg?resize=942,623 942w” data-lazy-sizes=”(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 100vw” height=”677″ width=”1024″/>
This tape of Tracy Chapman's self-titled 1988 debut album — featuring “Fast Car” — is owned by Luke Combs' father, Lee Combs. Luke remembers listening to the tape in his father's 1988 Ford F-150 truck when he was young.
Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
“Man, that means a lot to me, because it takes me back to days when I was a kid and hanging out with my dad,” Combs says. “Kind of like I'm doing now with [sons] Tex and Bo. I hope they have something from their childhood that brings back fond memories like it does for me. And it's also the beginning of my love for 'Fast Car' and Tracy's music as a whole, so it's special.”
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A $1 bill
Combs kept that dollar bill as a souvenir from his first gig, at Boone's Parthenon Café, where the cover charge was $1.
Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Featured in the collection is a dollar bill that Combs has kept as a memento from his first gig at Boone's Parthenon Café in Boone, North Carolina, where the cover charge was $1.
“That was the moment I believed I could do this for a living,” Combs says. “I know it was only a dollar per person, but people were willing to pay to hear me play music. It gave me the confidence I needed.”
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Crosley Dansette Portable Turntable
Combs used this portable Crosley Dansette turntable to share the recording of “Beautiful Crazy” with Nicole Hocking, now his wife, for the first time.
Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Combs kept that record player, which has sentimental value to Combs and his wife Nicole. The couple married in 2020.
“[I] I still remember the first time I played Nicole 'Beautiful Crazy,' like it was yesterday,” Combs said. “I definitely wasn't sure what he was going to think, so I was pretty nervous. Luckily she loved it and now that's a memory that means a lot to both of us — so it's nice to still have the record player.”
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A three-song CD recorded for Combs' debut EP
This CD-R of the three songs recorded for Combs' debut EP The Way She Rides — released independently in 2014 — was signed by Combs and Adam Church and given to Church's parents. Combs wrote on the paper sleeve, “To the Church's / Y'all rock SO hard!” Courtesy of Adam Church
Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Also included in the exhibit is a CD of the three songs Combs recorded for his debut independent EP, The way he drives. The CD was signed by Combs and Adam Church and given to Church's parents. On the paper sleeve, Combs wrote: “To the Church's/Y'all rock SO hard!”
“It's crazy to think about that, since music distribution has changed so much in the last 10 years,” Combs said. “My kids may not grow up really knowing what a CD is, but that's how I was able to share my music early on. I would give one to anyone who would take it, but the Church Family is what means a lot to me, so I was proud to be able to give her one. They've always been big supporters of my music.”
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Handwritten Lyrics to His 2022 Country Airplay Chart-Topper “Doin' This”
These are Rob Williford's handwritten lyrics to Luke Combs' radio hit “Doin' This,” which Williford co-wrote with Drew Parker.
Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
“I thought it was appropriate to have those on here, because it's really a song that describes who I am,” says Combs. “I truly believe I was born for country music and I am forever grateful to all the people who gave me the opportunity to be a part of the genre, which has such history and means so much to me. “
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/luke-combs-country-music-hall-of-fame-exhibit/
