Garth Brooks On Luke Combs: “In The Age Of Self-Promotion, He’s Letting Everybody Else Do The Talking”

Garth Brooks et al. looking at a painting
David Bergman

It’s hard to argue that Luke Combs isn’t the biggest thing in country music right now.

Sure, Morgan Wallen has the new record that’s still topping the charts (despite the n-bomb that put his career on hold for the foreseeable future), but Luke has been racking up hit after hit, chart record after chart record, award after award, and as soon he can start playing shows again, he’s going to be packing professional sports arenas to the rafters.

He’s even found himself among poets and politicians on Time Magazine’s “Time 100 Next” list, as one of the folks responsible for “shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.”

His place on the list was also accompanied by an essay from Garth Brooks, who had more than enough good things to say about him, but more than the praise, I think Garth hit the nail on the head:

“In this age of self-promotion, Luke Combs is letting everybody else do the talking for him. That’s big in country music, which is all about sincerity and humility. And, despite his achievements, including winning Best Album at the 2020 Country Music Awards, Luke has both of those in spades.

He realizes that being a star is not up to him: the people will confirm it.

Everything Luke tries, from Brooks & Dunn to classic country, neoclassic country and today’s country, he sounds very much at home. He’s a singer who you can tell is really comfortable.

If I could pull him over and tell him one thing, it would be to just keep doing what he’s doing. Just follow that music. What resonates with him will resonate with the audience, with me, with everybody who’s listening.”

Neat stuff G.

In all seriousness, he’s pretty dead on.

In addition to his neo-traditional country music that reminds us of the ’90s country we grew up on, Luke looks and acts like a buddy most of us had in high school. And that everyman, blue collar, regular Joe attitude resonates with country music fans.

And as big of a superstar as Garth Brooks was, and still is, Luke obliterated his chart record with the release of his sophomore album What You See Is What You Get. Luke also treated fans to a little cover of Garth’s “The Dance” last year, one that I still think he should record.

And after words of praise like that from G, something tells me he might like to hear it too.

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