Luke Combs: talks about what it means to him to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry (Audio)
| NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Luke Combs was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry family Tuesday night by Opry members Joe Diffie and Vince Gill in front of a sold-out Opry crowd. Combs grew up on Diffie’s hits like “Pick Up Man” and “John Deere Green,” and the first concert he ever attended was Gill’s. After Combs performed his No. 1 smashes “When It Rains It Pours” and “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” Diffie and Gill joined him on stage, also flanked by Opry members The Gatlin Brothers, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, and Mark Wills. “This is what dreams are made of right here,” Gill began. Looking to Combs, he added, “If you’ll come here and you’ll invest in the people and this stage, you’ll get back a hundred-fold what you ever give to this place.” Presenting Combs with his Opry Member Award, Diffie added, “I remember being asked to be a member of the Opry, and it was like a dream. And it still feels like a dream, even to this day. On behalf of myself and all the Opry members past, present, and future, Luke Combs, you are now officially the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry!” Award in hand, Combs said, “Here I am on stage with people I grew up listening to and people who have shaped me as an artist. I just want to say thank you to you guys, thank you to the Grand Ole Opry, and thank you to the fans—without you all there is no country music, there is no Grand Ole Opry. Thank you so much for everything you guys do for making this possible for guys like us on this stage. I will never forget tonight!” The hit-maker then rounded out his Opry induction set with his first song as an Opry member, “This One’s For You.” Backstage, Opry General Manager Sally Williams shared, “Luke Combs’ love for the Grand Ole Opry is rivaled only by country music fans’ love of his music and his fellow Opry members’ appreciation both of his artistry and his friendship. Lukeand all of us at the Opry have developed an incredible relationship since he made his Opry debut less than three years ago, and we are thrilled that as of tonight he has a musical home for the rest of his career. Welcome, Luke!” About Luke Combs CMA and ACM Award-winner Luke Combs is a multi-platinum, No. 1 Country singer-songwriter from Asheville, NC. With brazen songwriting talent and grizzled, soul-infused vocals, Combs stormed onto the music landscape as one of Country’s brightest stars with the release of his critically-acclaimed, RIAA double Platinum, No. 1 debut album, This One’s For You on River House Artists/Columbia Nashville. Since its release, the album has spent a total of 35 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, including 16 weeks in 2018—the most of any album in a calendar year. The album’s first five singles—3x platinum “Hurricane,” 3x platinum “When It Rains It Pours,” platinum “One Number Away,” platinum “She Got The Best of Me” and 2x platinum “Beautiful Crazy”—have all reached #1 making Combs the first artist ever to score five consecutive career-opening #1’s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Adding to his monumental year, Combs recently released his new EP, The Prequel, which features 5 new songs co-written by Combs including lead single “Beer Never Broke My Heart.” The track debuted at #2 on Billboard ’s Country Streaming Songs chart with 11 million streams—setting the record for the best first week of streaming ever for a country song. Continuing to make history, Combs is also the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales. Recently awarded Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist and Top Country Album at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards, New Male Artist of the Year at the 2019 ACM Awards and Country Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards,Combs is currently in the midst of his sold-out “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour”—his first ever headline arena tour. About The Grand Ole Opry: The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®. Opry performances are held every Friday and Saturday of the year, with Tuesday night shows running through December, Wednesday night shows through October, and seasonal Opry Country Classics shows on Thursdays. To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com. The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn. Celebrating nine decades of entertainment, the Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP). For more information, visit opry.com. |
