The first time I met Luke Combs I firmly believe neither of us was overjoyed about the experience. He was in a dressing room at Glasgow’s Hydro before his first ever appearance at C2C. He and his tour manager looked exactly what you’d imagine two jet lagged people might look like if they’d been asked to get up at an unearthly hour and fly from a place they’d never visited to another city they’d probably never heard of. It wasn’t a good start.
We made the best of things but, as I vaguely recall, the interview wasn’t aided by my either his or my lack of enthusiasm. To be fair, Luke was one of so many names we really didn’t know much about on that first visit and looking back now I realise my questions were as uninspiring as that breezeblock dressing room. My final ask was to ascertain whether he might be returning to Scotland any time soon.
Nine years later Luke Combs is answering that question in the most emphatic manner. He’s returning to make the point that in 2026 he is the most significant country artist on the world stage. Just look at those tour dates. Sweden, France, Netherlands, Ireland, England and Scotland in sold out stadiums. Three nights at Wembley, two at Murrayfield and then we need to talk about record sales and streams.
Luke Combs has sold an estimated 168 Million total equivalent units. This surpasses artist Garth Brooks as the highest-certified country artist in music history. His albums don’t get gold discs they receive multi platinum status and don’t even start on his radio profile. But what makes most of this so remarkable is that the hung-over singer songwriter I met in that dressing room back in 2017 has achieved all of this in theses last nine years. Ten year town? Not in Luke’s case.
So, what is it that Luke does that propels this success. It’s not the jokey bravado of a Brad Paisley or the bon homie of a Garth or even the pop electronic crossover appeal of a Shania, it’s somehow about a voice and songs. Like his friend and fellow Caroline native, Eric Church, Luke has a distinctive voice and some great stories to tell. That, in the great tradition that is country music, has thankfully been enough for his music to be loved across the world. To see him in an acoustic radio performance is very little different to seeing him in an arena. His energy and honesty is a compulsive draw and next weekend 140,000 Scots fans are going to witness this for themselves.
On this week’s AC we will bring you two hours of Luke Combs originals, covers, collaborations as well as artists connected to the tour. On the show too we will play out a much better interview I recorded with Luke in 2022 where we talk about his influences and how those songs first emerged. If you have not yet succumbed to the Gospel of Luke I suggest you might well be believers come 10 pm this Tuesday evening. Join me if you can from five past eight on BBC Sounds or BBC Radio Scotland.