Luke Combs is undeniably Nashville’s fastest rising star, and his shot to stardom was not something completely unexpected. Even before he started in the industry, he had already been sort of a superstar to crowds he performed for in a bar in Nashville. To the point that newcomers would wonder and google who he was just like songwriter Jonathan Singleton did three years ago.
And now, he is one of the most successful country music artists of his time, and there is no country fan who doesn’t know his name.
Early Life
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Luke Albert Combs was born on March 2, 1990 in Huntersville, North Carolina, to parents Rhonda and Chester Combs as an only child and raised in Asheville, where they moved in when he was eight years old. While he attended A.C. Reynolds High School, he played football and also performed with multiple vocal groups. He even performed solo in the world-renowned Carnegie Hall.
Although Luke loved music and sports, he enrolled in a criminal justice program at Appalachian State University. But he soon decided to put music before his studies, he picked up a guitar, and he had never looked back. He would play regular gigs at bars, where he also worked as a bouncer.
Then with the scraped cash he had, he recorded two EPs and uploaded performance videos to Facebook and Vine, which earned him a substantial following. But even though he was playing every bar in the area, he was still barely making any money. So in 2014, he decided to drop out of college and make the leap to Music City and fully pursue music as a career.
Google Search: Who is Luke Combs?
Back in 2016, songwriter Jonathan Singleton happened to be in a bar in Nashville when the crowd started buzzing after one singer took the stage. He asked his friends what was going on, and no one knew. Luckily, he caught the singer’s name and googled him discreetly. At the time, Combs’ songs had already earned online popularity. And when he heard him belt out a song called “Hurricane” – which was Combs’ first self-released hit selling over 15,000 copies on iTunes in the first week – he already knew that he wanted to work with the guy.
In just a few months, Singleton signed him with Big Machine Music for a publishing deal. And then, in the fall of 2016, Combs scored a record deal with Sony Music’s Columbia Nashville, where his first four singles landed number one on the radio. Not only that, his debut record, This One’s For You, also became 2018’s highest-selling country album.
According to Singleton, who had written hits for Tim McGraw and others, Combs’ rise to stardom was the fastest thing he had ever seen in Nashville. And he could still remember the first night he saw him, how his fans loudly sang along with him. He definitely hit what the people were looking for.
A few years later, Luke Combs had already earned numerous nominations, including a Grammy as well as awards from prestigious Country Music award-giving bodies. In 2019, he was welcomed as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Aside from awards and chart success, Combs also went to break digital streaming records putting him at the top of Billboard’s 2020 top paid country musicians.
The Secret to Success
While some think that his success is rooted to his sound, or for Combs, a combination of things like hard work, sacrifice, timing, and luck, his bandleader and songwriter partner Rob Williford thinks it’s just his authenticity.
Combs never tried to have a brand, and even after what seemed like an overnight success from a local performer to a country music superstar, he remained to be that same guy who wore a black PFG shirt onstage. He made sure never to forget his roots and his connection to his fans.
He was 100% authentic, and people were attracted to that.
Luke Combs Now: Net Worth and What Is He Up To?
Luke Combs was gearing up as C2C Festival’s headliner in Europe when the pandemic hit. And so, he returned to his home in rural Tennessee, where he raised chickens and tended gardens with his wife, Nicole Hocking. But of course, he still continued to give fans Livestream performances and even debuted new songs. As of July 2021, Luke Combs’ net worth is around $5 to $6 million.
And this 2021, the 5’8″ almost 200-pound guy is back on the road to tour. You can check out Luke Combs’ tour dates on his official website.
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