Luke Combs officially dropped his third career studio album, Growin’ Up, today.
But aside from his insane trajectory in country music over a relatively short time span, which includes an unprecedented 13 straight #1 hits, Luke is a big advocate for independent artists and groups beyond the mainstream view.
Right now, he’s really into Virginia-based band 49 Winchester as much as we are, and even wore their shirt in a recent Instagram post for all of his 4.3 million followers to see ahead of CMA Fest:
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Luke sat down to talk about the new album, and 49 Winchester frontman Isaac Gibson even commented on how much it means for their band to get public recognition from Luke:
“When you’re an up-and-coming band, there’s always the hope, in the back of your mind, that the heavy hitters are taking note of the things you are doing.
It’s an honor to have a guy like Luke supporting what 49 is doing.”
Luke has also touted the fantastic musical stylings of Texas band Wilder Blue in the past, and has even worked with bluegrass phenomenon Billy Strings.
The pair teamed up on a surprise bluegrass collaboration back in 2021, “The Great Divide”, and have struck up a seemingly unlikely friendship.
Luke, who’s currently the biggest thing in country, and Billy, who’s burst onto the bluegrass scene and received high praise from megastars like Post Malone, first met after Luke invited Billy to Key West, Florida for a writer’s retreat:
“My manager was like this dude Luke Combs wants to hang. I’m like, ‘He’s a big country star, fuck it, let’s go chill with him and see what he’s all about.”
Not to overstate the obvious, but he was beyond impressed by Luke’s voice and was amazed at his vocal ability and true talent:
“You sit in a room with him and sing? Oh my god. It’s like, ‘Oh shit, I’m in the room with a SINGER.’”
And beyond his raw natural talent, Billy is just as impressed by Luke’s work ethic and drive to be successful in the music industry:
“I’ve been out to Luke’s house and I’ve seen him on a regular Wednesday afternoon. He’s playing a video game for a sec and then it’s like, ‘Boom, he does an interview. What’s next? Podcast? Boom, does the podcast. What’s next?’
It’s like, ‘Bro, it’s fucking Wednesday. And you’re checking all this shit off the list.’ He don’t stop.”
I think it’s about time we get another new track from these two sometime soon…
And if you haven’t checked out “The Great Divide” yet, allow me to bless your ears:
