Luke Combs Got His Start Playing Between Sets at College Bars

Luke Combs, a worldwide sensation in the country music scene, began in the small town of Boone, North Carolina, attending Appalachian State University around 2011. Long before reaching the number one status, Combs was a college student with a big voice and even bigger dreams, forming relationships that would shape the start of his career in the years to come.

Among those early connections was local musician Adam Church. Their friendship began when Combs reached out via Facebook Messenger, asking to collaborate on a YouTube cover. Their first video together was a rendition of Luke Bryan's "I Don't Want This Night To End," which remains available online. The partnership opened doors for Combs, who would soon join Church onstage.

“Luke would actually come to my shows when I was playing with my buddy Blake and play my set breaks,” Church recalled in a recent interview. “He would play ‘Wagon Wheel' and ‘Friends In Low Places,' and that was Luke's start of playing live in front of people. Eventually, my buddy Blake takes over his family business, and Luke and I kind of joined forces to start playing duo gigs.”

Though Combs had little experience performing live before those shows, his natural talent quickly became evident. After moving to Nashville in 2014, Combs released Hurricane, a song that helped launch his professional career. The track was re-released by the singer's label in 2016 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2017.

Combs' breakthrough, in turn, began a life-changing run — 17 consecutive No. 1 singles on country radio — becoming one of the best run hitmakers in country music history. Combs' rapid rise, from college shows to filling full stadiums, shows what can come from serious hard work, helping each other out, and where humble beginnings will take you.