Few country singers have had a meteoric rise to the top of the charts like Luke Combs has, and his stardom is finally getting some recognition at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
Today (May 15), the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum announced that their next exhibit will focus on the “Where The Wild Things Are” singer and his life, beginning with his youth in North Carolina — notably his time performing in his college town of Boone, North Carolina while studying at Appalachian State University — and ending with some of his greatest career milestones so far. The Hall of Fame detailed a little bit about what it will entail in an Instagram post:
“The Museum’s newest exhibition, “Luke Combs: The Man I Am,” will open on July 11. Few artists have experienced the kind of meteoric rise and sustained success @LukeCombs has since signing his first recording contract in 2016, two years after he moved to Nashville. From his blue-collar North Carolina roots to his place at the top of the country charts, the exhibit will trace Combs’s life and career by way of musical instruments, song manuscripts, stage wear, tour memorabilia and more.”
As mentioned, “musical instruments, song manuscripts, stage wear, tour memorabilia and more” will be featured throughout the exhibit, but the exact items are are as follows:
- Martin GPCPA4 Sapele acoustic guitar Combs used extensively at his early performances, from 2012 to 2014. When he moved to Nashville, Combs gave the instrument to his friend and fellow performer Adam Church.
- Playbill from Combs’ leading role as Nathan Detroit in the musical “Guys and Dolls” during his senior year at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina.
- CD-R of the three songs recorded for Combs’s debut EP, The Way She Rides, 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!”
- Columbia PFG shirt and Swamp Assassin ball cap Combs wore in the 2016 music video for “Hurricane.”
- Manuscript of “Six Feet Apart,” co-written by Combs, Brent Cobb and Rob Snyder on April 14, 2020.
- Dale Earnhardt commemorative leather jacket Combs wore in honor of the famed stock car racer and team owner when he performed at Daytona International Speedway prior to the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500, on February 14, 2021.
- Jersey that Combs wore when he was a member of the Rockets football team at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina.
- Dollar bill Combs kept as a memento from his first paying gig at Boone’s Parthenon Café, where the cover charge was $1.
- Crosley Dansette portable record player Combs used to share his recording of “Beautiful Crazy” with Nicole Hocking, now his wife, for the first time.
Gathering all of these special mementos from his career so far, Combs reflected on just how much at means to him that he will have his own exhibit at the Hall of Fame:
“Once I decided I wanted to do music as a career, it didn’t matter if it was for 100 people or 1,000 people, I just wanted to be playing country music for anyone who would listen… If I could have enough fans to call it a job, I was set.
Other than that, I never dreamed of being featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, much less having my own exhibit. That was beyond my wildest dreams, but honestly, it’s all a credit to my fans, family, songwriters and team. I have only made it to where I am today because of them, and this honor is one of my most humbling yet. At my core, I love country music, and this exhibit is as prestigious of an honor as it gets.”
To top it all off, Combs will join frequent collaborators Ray Fulcher, James McNair, Drew Parker and Rob Williford to share some stories and sing some songs at the Hall of Fame on the opening day at 2:30pm.
As mentioned, the highly-anticipated exhibit will be open to the public beginning July 11, running through June 15. You can reserve tickets now at countrymusichalloffame.org/calendar/luke-combs-exhibit, so be sure to book your flight to Nashville to see the “Luke Combs: The Man I Am” exhibit before its gone for good…