Luke Combs, Cody, And More Honor Fallen Soldiers

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

May 28th 8:47 AM

Luke Combs, Keith Urban, and Cody Johnson were some of the country superstars who paid tribute to fallen heroes on Memorial Day.

Luke posted a passionate message to his Insta Stories yesterday (5/27). He wrote, “The continued dedication and sacrifice made by those serving our country in our military is unmatched and almost unfathomable. While I wish I could personally thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice, I want to say thank you to their families on Memorial Day.”

He added, “Please know that I recognize that your lives have been forever changed due to your loved ones’ sacrifice and that my family lives free because of it; this will never be lost on me.”

Keith wrote n his Insta Stories, “Thank you to the service men and women who have given so much to all of us. We remember and honor you and your families today.”

Blake Shelton also paid tribute to our fallen heroes on his Instagram yesterday (5/27) He wrote on Insta Stories, “Here’s to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to our country… Remember them today and every day. Memorial Day.”

Cody Johnson posted to his Instagram Stories a video clip of a young kid riding a horse at a rodeo holding an American flag. He wrote a thank you to all the military to honor and remember those who “paid the ultimate price.”

Johnson is proud of his Texas heritage, but when it came to making it in Nashville, being from Texas made it harder for many to see him as a commercially viable artist.

Cody is a bonafide Nashville country star as he is often nominated among the best in country music for CMA and ACM Male Vocalist categories. He also got a recent Album of the Year nomination for his Leather project from the ACM.

Johnson told us that getting from Texas to Nashville stardom had some bumps in the road. He said, “I’ve spent so many years as an artist trying to prove to people that you could go from a Texas country artist and get a label in Nashville and not have to change your style, not have to change your producer.”

He said they even tried to change his look, “One of the first times I ever came to Nashville, they asked me to take my hat off, and I’m like, ‘That’s not me.'”

Johnson concluded, “I think the independent spirit from that, I will always carry for the rest of my career where nobody’s saying, ‘You’re just a guy from Texas.'”

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

Five Must-See Luke Combs Music Videos

"Forever After All" (2020)
This music video was filmed partly at Luke and Nicole Combs’ wedding in August of 2020. It is a touching video featuring a little girl and her grandpa and scenes from the Combs’ wedding in Florida and their life together. The video shows both sides of the couple’s parents and a lot of friends and fun. Toward the end of the video, the couple jumps into a pool hand in hand.

Luke held back for several months after he wrote it. When it came out, he said of the song, “Once we teased it, people’s reaction was really awesome. I don’t think we expected it to be that big.”
"When It Rains It Pours" (2017)
This video has been viewed on YouTube 413 million times. The video features Combs encountering his ex-girlfriend and then driving, celebrating with his friends, getting a phone number from a waitress (played by his then-girlfriend, now wife Nicole Hocking). The couple later celebrate together over winning money on a lottery ticket.

In 2018, the video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards. It lost out to be a Blake Shelton video.
"Beautiful Crazy" - (2018)
A fantastic love song and one that Luke calls a prequel to his big hit “Forever After All.” The song was actually a bonus track on his debut album, but it was later released as a single and went to number one. It made Combs the first artist to send his or her first five singles to number one since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in January 1990.

The music video is of Luke recording the song in the recording studio and chatting with his buddies in the studio. He says before the music video begins, “Let’s give the people what they want. This is the song they want.”
"Lovin' On You" (2020)
This video is so much fun. It features Luke and Nicole as kids going to a skate rink and meeting. It’s a bit personal to this journalist as I took both my son and daughter to birthday parties at that same South Nashville skating rink for years.

The clip also features a cameo of an adult Nicole. The video even features kid actors of each of the members of Combs’ band, who perform with Luke the song in the same rink as the kids skate.
"Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)
This is a big hit fans wait to hear at the very end of a Luke Combs concert. Luke co-wrote this fun song and performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in May 2019. He also performed the song at the 2019 CMA Awards.

In the video, Combs performs in a small dive bar. It’s similar to gigs he played early in his career, with just a handful of folks in the crowd.