Tracy Chapman may keep a remarkably low profile, but she doesn't live in a vacuum. The singer-songwriter was well aware of the success of Luke Combs' cover of her song 'Fast Car' last year. After winning two major awards at the Country Music Association Awards in November, she decided to call him.
It was a private conversation, only Chapman and Combs were on the line for about 30 minutes, but it helped plant the seeds for one of the all-time best ensemble performances in Grammy history. On Feb. 4, the reclusive 59-year-old folk singer and the 33-year-old country star performed “Fast Car” together on stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Just five days earlier, the two songwriters had met in person for the first time.
But according to interviews with representatives of both artists, the Recording Academy, Sony Music Nashville and Grammy producers, even then — with Chapman, Combs and a band practicing “Fast Car” in a Los Angeles rehearsal studio – seemed hard to believe. that the TV show was actually happening.
They had every reason to wonder. Chapman hadn't given a concert in 15 years. Her last live TV appearance was in 2015 The Late Show with David Letterman (He also sent a taped performance to Seth Meyers during the 2020 campaign). And he had declined all interview requests about the 2023 revival of “Fast Car,” a song first released in 1988. When “Fast Car” won the CMA for song of the year, making Chapman the first black songwriter who ever won the award, sent short remarks to be read on stage. Even for this story, she referred her friend Matthew Rankin—an SVP at Nonesuch Records who first worked with Chapman on her longtime label, Elektra—to reach out.
“It's been a long process, but it's definitely been our dream,” says Grammys executive producer Raj Kapoor, of securing Chapman's appearance on the show. Working alongside executive producer Patrick Menton, they first came up with the idea of a “Fast Car” duet last May, but they weren't going to track down Chapman, who doesn't have a publicist and maintains an under-the-radar existence in San Francisco. Comfortably.
As it turns out, Combs' publicist, Carla Sacks, had a two-decade relationship with Rankin and helped connect Grammy producers with Team Tracy. In the summer of 2023, they invited Rankin to gauge Chapman's interest in a possible return to the Grammy stage, 35 years after she first won best new artist.
“No one really knew how to approach her, and it was just, like pure magic, that I knew,” says Sacks. “I knew the bell would ring. And honestly, I think that helped us a lot to not be addressed as a stranger and to be able to open the line of communication.”
By the time producers connected with Chapman, Combs' version of “Fast Car” was on its way to spending five consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, weeks away from atop the Hot Country Songs survey and was in Number. Two on the all-genre Hot 100. It was an undisputed crossover juggernaut and would earn Combs a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance when the nominations were announced in November.
Menton says Chapman's team expressed immediate interest during that initial call, but he and Kapoor weren't looking for a hard answer yet. “I said to Raj before we went up, 'Let's not do this like any other call.' In fact, don't give us an answer,” he says. “We asked Matthew, 'Take it back to Tracy, let her live in this space and let her think creatively about that and what it could be. And when you're ready, come back to us.”
Shortly after the new year, the producers got the confirmation they were hoping for: Chapman was in. “It felt like a long yes,” says Kapoor. “It never felt like a no or a maybe. They said, “We agree, let's take our time and get on with it. And let's make sure that's what we all want it to be.”
Rankin says having that time to reflect on the decision was key.
“When Tracy and I first discussed this opportunity, we realized it represented a moment of convergence, coming up on 35 years to the month since Tracy first performed 'Fast Car' at the Grammys and after a year of such success for Luke with her song. ” He says.
Chris Kappy, Combs' longtime manager — who first recorded his client singing “Fast Car” in a Rome, Georgia, hotel room in 2015 to post on the then-aspiring country singer's Vine account — said that Combs really wanted to make the Grammys a show with Chapman from the beginning. “But it's such a big ask and such a dream, we really didn't think it would happen,” Cappy says. Rolling rock.
Cappy says that when Combs found out Chapman was coming on, he asked her to have full creative control of the show, despite being billed by the Grammys as an appearance by Combs in an effort to keep Chapman's appearance a surprise. “Luke wanted to give Tracy every chance to shine,” says Cappy. “He said, 'This is your song and this is our chance to be a part of it.'
According to Rankin, Chapman wanted to use certain musicians in the band, including drummer Denny Fongheiser and bassist Larry Klein, who played on the original recording of “Fast Car”. She also chose longtime band members Larry Campbell on fiddle and guitarist Joe Gore. Kappy says he asked Combs if the utility player on his team, Kurt Ozan, would handle the pedal steel. With the musicians lined up, Chapman and Combs began planning rehearsals.
Kapoor and Menton say that having enough time to practice the song was one of Chapman's most important requests. “The only thing that was really mentioned was that there was enough time for rehearsals, for both artists to meet and have enough time to explore it, to play it out,” says Kapoor. “There are many different things about our show – sets, production, visuals – but ultimately, this show was about the music and the singing.”
On Wednesday, January 31, Chapman, Combs and the band gathered at SIR Studios in Los Angeles to work on a cover. But the rehearsal was pivotal for another reason: Three months after their first phone call, the two songwriters would finally be in the same room together.
“The first day of rehearsals last week was an important and emotional moment in itself. It was the first time Tracy and Luke had met in person and the first time in many years that Tracy had seen some of these players,” says Rankin. “The musicians were supported by key people behind the scenes – including David Kershenbaum, who produced Tracy's debut album – and, together, the collective experience and talent in this room created a unique and beautiful new version of this beloved song ».
According to Kappy, Chapman and Combs spent 20 minutes arriving and talking about the music before launching into their first performance of “Fast Car.” Chapman led the rehearsals: two hours on Wednesday, four on Thursday.
“He had a vision and asked Luke his thoughts. Then they just kept running it and running it,” Cappy says. “It was a fun way to watch two artists create the moment we would all have together at the Grammys.”
Chapman decided to play guitar and start the show, with her handling the odd verses and Combs the scales. Then they would come together for the choruses, with Chapman taking over the end of the song. “It was really beautiful to start and finish the song,” says Kappy.
They also decided to perform Chapman's version—the original, folksy reading of “Fast Car,” as opposed to Combs' more refined and amplified rendition that fans have heard on the radio. This required Combs to sing it in a lower key. He had no objection.
“This was all done to honor the amazing woman, songwriter and artist that she is,” says Kappy. “The whole opportunity for us to even be in a scene with Tracy Chapman is what it's all about.”
When the artists took the stage in front of millions on Sunday night, Chapman was dressed in a custom Prada shirt designed just for her. (Through Rankin, props to Howard Gee, owner of the AB Fits store in San Francisco, for selecting and fitting her jeans.) As he usually does at awards shows, Combs eschewed his usual onstage attire of a baseball cap and fishing shirt. for a sharp suit.
As the song's famous guitar intro began, it was impossible to tell who was on stage at first. The camera focused only on the hands playing the guitar, before slowly revealing Chapman — with a big smile. Combs was off some distance to her left. This was to give each artist their own moment, says Kapoor, and also capture the reactions as the other sang. Says Menton, “Seeing Luke smile at Tracy and sing every line, the way it was filmed by [director] Hamish Hamilton was so special.”
Rankin says you only have to look at the interactions between the performers and their expressions in the audience to see the impact the collaboration had.
“On Sunday night, the roar from the audience as Tracy and Luke were revealed on stage proved just how powerful that moment was, as were the tears in the eyes of countless people around us,” says Rankin. “Ultimately, the show speaks for itself, especially the interaction between Tracy and Luke and their expressions, which tells you everything you need to know about the way they felt.”
When the song ended, Chapman and Combs left their marks to come together and hug. It was the emotional climax of a performance few thought would ever happen.
“The performance was breathtaking and exuded pure happiness from both artists,” says Randy Goodman, president and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, Combs' label. “It was a fulfilling moment for Luke and the perfect culmination of an amazing story.”
“We knew we were working on something rare and special,” says Rankin, “but the performance was everything we hoped it would be and more, and the response was incredible, exceeding our expectations in so many ways.”
After the onstage hug, Chapman returned to her dressing room and went home the next day, back to her life in San Francisco. As for future appearances, we'll just have to wait and wonder. And maybe that mystery — a rarity in the age of social media — is what made the Grammys show so special.
“Sunday night was the culmination of long and very careful planning, as well as successful teamwork,” says Rankin. He also credits another quality shown by everyone who worked on the show: “the ability to keep a secret.”
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