Luke Combs Biography

Luke Combs is one of the most successful and popular country music singers and songwriters of the current generation. He has released two studio albums, both of which topped the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums charts, and has had ten consecutive number-one singles on the Country Airplay chart, breaking several records in the process. He has also won multiple awards, including three Grammy nominations, two iHeartRadio Music Awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards, and six Country Music Association Awards. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the prestigious weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Luke Albert Combs was born on March 2, 1990, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the only child of Rhonda and Chester Combs, who divorced when he was young. He grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, where he moved with his mother when he was eight years old. He started singing at a young age and performed in various vocal groups in school and church. He also learned to play guitar and wrote his first songs when he was 11 years old.

He attended A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, where he played football and sang in the school choir. He also performed solo at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of a school program. After graduating from high school in 2008, he enrolled at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where he majored in marketing and minored in music business. He also worked as a bouncer at a local bar, where he eventually got the opportunity to perform on stage.

He played his first country music show at the Parthenon Cafe in Boone in 2012. He started to gain a fan base by posting videos of his original songs and covers on YouTube and social media. He also released three independent extended plays (EPs) between 2014 and 2015: The Way She Rides, Can I Get an Outlaw, and This One’s for You. His debut single, Hurricane, which was part of his third EP, sold 15,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 46 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Major Label Debut and Breakthrough Success

In 2016, Combs signed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue his career in country music. His single Hurricane was re-released by Columbia Nashville and became his first number-one hit on the Country Airplay chart in May 2017. It also reached number three on the Hot Country Songs chart and received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In June 2017, Combs released his major label debut album, also titled This One’s for You, which featured 12 tracks including his first five singles: Hurricane, When It Rains It Pours, One Number Away, She Got the Best of Me, and Beautiful Crazy. The album debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200 chart. It received positive reviews from critics and fans alike and became the best-selling country album of 2018. It also earned Combs a nomination for Top Country Album at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.

The album’s second single, When It Rains It Pours, also topped the Country Airplay chart and became his second platinum-certified single. The third single, One Number Away, reached number two on the same chart and received gold certification from the RIAA. The fourth single, She Got the Best of Me,
became his fourth consecutive number-one hit on the Country Airplay chart and his third platinum-certified single.

The fifth single, Beautiful Crazy, was released in December 2018 and became his most successful song to date. It topped both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts for several weeks and became his first multi-platinum single with four-times platinum certification from the RIAA. It also won him two awards at the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards: Song of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.

In June 2019, Combs released an EP titled The Prequel, which contained five new songs: Beer Never Broke My Heart, Refrigerator Door, Even Though I’m Leaving, Lovin’ on You, and Moon Over Mexico.
The EP debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart and number four on the Billboard 200 chart. The lead single, Beer Never Broke My Heart, became his sixth consecutive number-one hit on the Country Airplay chart and his fourth multi-platinum single with two-times platinum certification from the RIAA. The second single, Even Though I’m Leaving, also topped the Country Airplay chart and became his fifth multi-platinum single with two-times platinum certification from the RIAA.

In November 2019, Combs released his second studio album, titled What You See Is What You Get, which included all five songs from The Prequel and 12 new tracks. The album debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making Combs the first country artist to have his first two albums debut at number one on both charts. The album also broke the record for the largest streaming week ever for a country album, with 74 million on-demand streams in its first week. The album received critical acclaim and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards and Best Country Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

The album’s third single, Does to Me, which featured Eric Church, became his eighth consecutive number-one hit on the Country Airplay chart and his sixth multi-platinum single with two-times platinum certification from the RIAA. The fourth single, Lovin’ on You, also topped the Country Airplay chart and became his seventh multi-platinum single with two-times platinum certification from the RIAA. The fifth single, Better Together, was released in October 2020 and became his tenth consecutive number-one hit on the Country Airplay chart, tying him with Florida Georgia Line for the longest streak of number-one singles in the chart’s history. It also became his eighth multi-platinum single with two-times platinum certification from the RIAA.

In October 2020, Combs released a deluxe version of his second album, titled What You See Ain’t Always What You Get, which added six new songs to the original tracklist: Forever After All, Cold as You, The Other Guy, My Kinda Folk, Without You, and Nothing Like You. The deluxe album debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making Combs the first country artist to have two albums top both charts in a calendar year.

The lead single from the deluxe album, Forever After All, debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it Combs’ highest-charting song on the chart and the highest debut for a male country solo artist. It also became his ninth multi-platinum single with three-times platinum certification from the RIAA.

Personal Life

Combs is married to Nicole Hocking, whom he met in Nashville in 2016. They got engaged in November 2018 and tied the knot in August 2020 in a small ceremony in Florida amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They currently reside in Nashville with their two dogs, Jojo and Huck.

Combs is known for his down-to-earth personality and humble attitude. He often interacts with his fans on social media and expresses his gratitude for their support. He is also involved in various charitable causes, such as supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Musicians on Call, and ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund.

Future Plans

Combs has stated that he plans to release more music in the future and continue touring when it is safe to do so. He has also expressed interest in collaborating with other artists, such as Ed Sheeran, Adele, Post Malone, and Chris Stapleton. He has also hinted at exploring other genres besides country music, such as rock, pop, and rap.

Net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Luke Combs has an estimated net worth of $16 million as of 2021. His main sources of income are his music sales, streaming royalties, touring revenue, merchandise sales, and endorsements.

FAQs

How did Luke Combs get famous?
Luke Combs became famous by posting videos of his songs and covers on YouTube and social media, which attracted a loyal fan base. He also released three independent EPs before signing a record deal with Sony Music Nashville in 2016. His major label debut single, Hurricane, became a hit on country radio and launched his career as a country music star.

What is Luke Combs’s real name?
Luke Comb’s real name is Luke Albert Combs. He does not use a stage name or a nickname.

What kind of guitar does Luke Combs play?
Luke Combs plays various kinds of guitars, but his main guitar is a Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar. He also plays electric guitars, such as a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul.

Who are Luke Comb’s influences?
Luke Combs has cited several artists as his influences, such as Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt, Keith Whitley, Hank Williams Jr., and Dwight