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Luke Combs Opens Hall Of Fame Exhibit

Luke Combs walked through the Country Music Hall of Fame with his wife Nicole by his side to check out the newest exhibition this week (7/10) Luke Combs: The Man…

Luke Combs is wearing black, and his wife Nicole is walking through his new Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Luke Combs walked through the Country Music Hall of Fame with his wife Nicole by his side to check out the newest exhibition this week (7/10) Luke Combs: The Man I Am.

The exhibit traces Combs' story from singing with his school choirs in North Carolina to headlining stadiums around the world. The exhibit opened Thursday (7/11) and runs until June 2025.

Before he checked out his exhibit, Luke spoke to us, and a small crowd of gathered Nashville media, about how his country music dreams became a reality.

Combs said, "My whole career, I feel like I am surrounded by wonderful people who care about me as a person. I feel like we have gotten to achieve so many things together, Things that I never would have thought were possible."

He added, "I've been in this room (CMHOF Rotunda) so many times just standing around looking at all the names that are in here and walked through this museum many, many times, and one or two times completely alone looking at Merle Haggard's boots or Keith Whitley's motorcycle"

Luke concluded, "So I just want to say thank you to everybody here because without these people in this room, I wouldn't be here. Nobody goes it alone, especially in this business."

The exhibit includes stage wear, tour memorabilia, manuscripts, set lists, instruments, photographs, posters, childhood memorabilia, and more.

In support of the exhibition, Combs participated in a songwriter round in the museum's CMA Theater yesterday (7/11). During the program, Combs was joined by four of his songwriting collaborators — Ray Fulcher, James McNair, Drew Parker, and Rob Williford — and shared the stories behind them and performed some of the songs they have written together. 

After independently releasing three EPs, and with buzz building around him in part due to his song "Hurricane," he signed a record deal with River House Artists and Sony Music Nashville in October 2016, two years after moving to Nashville.

"Hurricane" earned Luke his first country radio #1 in May 2017. His debut album from the same year, This One's for You, which included "Hurricane," spent 50 weeks atop the country albums chart, tying Shania Twain's record for most weeks at #1.

In 2019, Combs became the first artist to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his first five singles — and then extended the record to 13 consecutive #1 songs. Through April 2024, he has amassed a total of 16 solo Billboard Country Airplay chart-toppers.

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.